2018 KIA Forte

Typical pattern

7.4% of complaints about the 2018 KIA Forte came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2018 vehicle — around the middle of the 182 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (57 complaints), typically at 6.1 yr or about 67,000 miles.

Complaints: 189
Median age at failure: 5.3 yr
Median mileage: 32,215 n=68
Crash / fire / tow: 14.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

22V031000 2022-01-25

Air bags

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.

Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

21V622000 2021-08-09

Latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch

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."

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

21V260000 2021-04-13

Engine and engine cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump

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.

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

In owners’ own words

Air bags 2,900 mi 9 mo in service crash / fire / tow

"TAKATA RECALL " I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. THE INITIAL IMPACT WAS THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I RAN A STOP SIGN AT APROX 35MPH AND TEE BONED A TRUCK. AFTER THE IMPACT I SPUN INTO A TELEPHONE POLE WHERE THE SIDE CURTAIN DID DEPLOY.

Air bags 7,996 mi 9 mo in service crash / fire / tow

TAKATA RECALL. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND CRASH HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED BUT THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED.

Air bags 184,000 mi 2.8 yr in service crash / fire / tow

IN LOVED ACCIDENT JUNE17TH 2019 WAS REAR ENDED AND DRIVEN INTO REAR END OF 129000 LBS TRACTOR TRAILER. CAR WAS DEMOLISHED, FRONT END AND REAR SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE. WAS EXTRACTED FROM CAR.AIR BAGS DUD NOT DELPLOY. SUSTAINED FRACTURED SKULL AND CONCUSSION

Engine 22,000 mi 1.5 yr in service

WHEN ACCELERATING THERE IS NO POWER AND IT IS GOING TO CAUSE THE ACCIDENT I WAS ON THE FREEWAY I WENT TO SWITCH LANES I HIT THE GAS AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE JUST STOOD THERE AND RP M'S GOING UP

Other Forte model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2018 KIA Forte

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Forte model years

How to read this