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RecallScanner Severity Profile

Kia FORTE

Routine recalls8 campaigns, none flagged critical.
0
RecallScore
Critical
0
Fire risk
0
Crash risk
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
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All Recalls

8 campaigns
8 recalls💥 7 crash risk
Model year
Steering
Aug 12, 2022
1363 days ago

Your front left steering knuckle can crack and make you lose control of the steering.

Affected: STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM · 2023
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control.

Consequence

A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the front left steering knuckle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 12, 2023. Owner may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC259.

Steering
May 5, 2022
1462 days ago

Your steering column can detach and you'll lose all steering control while driving.

Affected: STEERING:COLUMN · 2022
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rio and Forte vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.

Consequence

Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall SC235.

Lighting
Oct 31, 2018
2744 days ago

Your headlights may not aim correctly, reducing visibility and increasing crash risk.

Affected: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS · 2019
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Kia Forte vehicles equipped with LED headlights. The headlights may not have been manufactured with the correct low beam aiming. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence

If the headlights are not properly aimed, the driver may have reduced visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlight aiming and replace the headlights, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC171.

Suspension
Sep 22, 2023
957 days ago

Your right front lower control arm can fail and cause sudden loss of steering control.

Affected: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM · 2023
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Consequence

Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC283.

Engine
Apr 13, 2021
1849 days ago

Your oil pump can fail and stall your engine while driving.

Affected: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP · 2018
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage.

Consequence

A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pan, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC210.

Other
May 8, 2020
2189 days ago

Your left front axle can break and leave you without power steering while driving.

Affected: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT · 2019
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Forte vehicles. The left front axle driveshaft may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to break.

Consequence

A broken driveshaft can result in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left front axle driveshaft for a heat treatment verification code, and replace it if the code is missing, free of charge. The recall began September 2, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC195.

Suspension
Jan 4, 2024
853 days ago

Stop driving. Your right front lower control arm can break and you'll lose steering control.

Affected: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM · 2023
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Consequence

Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC306. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 23V-649.

Other
Sep 8, 2021
1701 days ago

Your trunk latch can break and trap someone inside the trunk compartment.

Affected: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH · 2018
NHTSA
Summary

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Consequence

A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

Full analysis: how to read the Kia FORTE recall history
Year range, common components, complaint patterns, and how to use this page.

Understanding the Kia FORTE recall history

The Kia FORTE currently has 8 recall campaigns indexed from the NHTSA public database. Each recall represents a formal campaign to fix a defect at no cost to the current owner. Owner complaints are self-reported incidents that haven't (yet) resulted in a recall but can indicate emerging patterns worth watching.

The most frequent recall categories for the FORTE in our dataset are suspension (2), steering (2), and lighting (1). These clusters matter when you're shopping for a used FORTE: recalls in these systems tend to be the ones most likely to have been skipped by previous owners, because they aren't always visible during a routine test drive or pre-purchase inspection.

The tracked recalls span model years 2018–2023, with campaigns reported to NHTSA between 2018 and 2024. Not every model year carries every recall. Each campaign is scoped to a specific year range and often a specific build window, which is why a VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a particular FORTE is actually affected by any of these campaigns.

How to use this page

The safest path for an owner is to run your VIN through the checker above. A VIN query hits NHTSA's live API and tells you whether your specific FORTE has an open, unresolved recall. If you're researching a used FORTEbefore buying, use the recall list below to understand the model's full history, then check the seller's VIN to see whether prior owners actually completed the free repairs. Many don't, and unresolved recalls can linger for years.

Figures are generated live from the RecallScanner dataset, which is sourced from NHTSA's public recall and complaint APIs and refreshed daily. RecallScanner is independent and not affiliated with Kia or any U.S. government agency.