2019 Kia Forte Owner Complaints

Power loss, engine failure. Will not start

NHTSA ID

11750089

Incident

Jun 4, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that after driving to the local store and turning off the vehicle, after returning to the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a timing chain failure caused by low engine oil. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle had experienced excessive oil consumption and engine oil was constantly added to the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 124,000.

NHTSA ID

11744427

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

Mileage

124,000 mi

While driving, the Forward Collision Warning system activated unexpectedly without any apparent hazard or obstruction in front of my vehicle. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle suddenly lost speed and became very slow to accelerate. I was unable to safely increase my speed while traveling on a busy roadway, creating a dangerous situation and nearly resulting in a collision with surrounding traffic. Due to the sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate normally, I activated my hazard lights and was forced to pull onto the shoulder of the road for my safety and the safety of other drivers. There were no visible obstacles, vehicles, or road conditions that appeared to justify the activation of the Forward Collision Warning system. This unexpected activation and resulting loss of vehicle performance created a significant safety risk. I am submitting this complaint because a malfunction of the Forward Collision Warning system or related vehicle systems could potentially lead to a serious accident or injury. I have experienced recurring brake issues despite recently having the brakes replaced. The problem continues to occur, raising concerns that there may be an underlying electrical or electronic malfunction affecting vehicle performance. I was recently pulled over shortly after the brake replacement due to concerns regarding the vehicle's braking system. Because the issue persists after repairs, I am concerned about the safety of the vehicle and the potential risk of a crash or loss of control.

NHTSA ID

11741432

Incident

May 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the contact had exited when the oil and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle rolled over to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and, upon inspection, noticed that an excessive amount of oil had leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the drain plug had failed and the engine was damaged. The independent mechanic replaced the drain plug. However, the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the residence and had not been driven since. The contact had not experienced a failure in the past. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ID

11736553

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

Mileage

86,000 mi

The transmission had a recall 2 years ago and they gave me a new one (KIA). I am having issues with my transmission again

NHTSA ID

11735430

Incident

Mar 15, 2024

My car has cut off on me going down the road and it cut back on I have had where the car is slow at acceleration and trying to stall out on me and causing a car to almost hit me in the bumper cause of it the car only has 112,580 miles and have not been able to drive the car since march 13,2026 due to this issue and not feeling safe to drive it

NHTSA ID

11734155

Incident

Mar 13, 2026

As I was driving on the turnpike the car engine literally just shut down on me! It could have caused a serious accident. This is the 3rd time when driving the car just stopped on its own on me! Gas tank full, oil good and battery good, but the engine is not! It gave me NO WARNING either. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL. I could have been hit all 3 times! Family came to help and tried to jump it and it wouldn't start so I had to get it towed. Dates happened March 28, 31st and April 6, all 2026. Also the key fog lock is defective! It works when it wants too.

NHTSA ID

11729604

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

Car caught on fire while driving down the highway. Had engine replaced with a remanufactured engine in January of 2026 and car engine seized again 30 days later.

NHTSA ID

11729517

Incident

Jan 14, 2026

February 1st 2026, I done my oil change. My car was running fine. No check engine light was on or anything, my forward collision warning started disabling itself when I always kept it on. When I try to accelerate my vehicle it would take a while to accelerate. March 7th 2026, while I was driving, my car quit while it was still running. It also quit the same day again just in park. March 8th 2026, I went to take my vehicle to get a diagnostics and when leaving my home. My car stalled out and quit while in drive. After taking my vehicle to the mechanic, the mechanic reported to me my car had no oil in my car and my motor was fried. I have had the vehicle less than a year and it’s giving me all of these issues

NHTSA ID

11724175

Incident

Mar 7, 2026

2019 Kia with approximately 64,000 miles. Engine failed without warning. Prior to failure, vehicle had been experiencing intermittent stalling on multiple prior occasions and had been brought to a mechanic for inspection before the final failure occurred. Vehicle stalled while being driven on a highway at night on [XXX] between mile markers 67-71 in Maryland, creating a dangerous situation for the driver and other motorists. The oil warning light appeared immediately prior to engine failure. Vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who inspected it and confirmed the engine had failed. The mechanic noted that the engine was well maintained, ruling out neglect as a contributing factor. Mechanic stated this is a known issue with Kia engines from this era. Vehicle is available for inspection. Problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. Engine replacement cost is approximately $6,000. Kia's powertrain warranty does not fully transfer to subsequent owners, leaving this vehicle owner without coverage despite low mileage and what appears to be a manufacturing defect. Owner was advised by mechanic that Kia has covered similar failures as goodwill replacements due to the known nature of this defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11723741

Incident

Mar 4, 2026

Transmission was getting stuck in gear and slipping intermittently would cause the car to not accelerate over 20mph especially in the cold unless you switched it to the manual mode and manually shifted up two gears ans then back down two gears. If you looked at the tach while it did this is would bounce between 500 and 1500rpm and then would stutter and bounce between 1500 and 2500rpm until you did the manual gear trick. Eventually it started making a strange noise. I have serviced it on time and complained to Kia before about the issue which they stated they could not repeat so there was nothing they could do at that time and now when I took it back to Kia they stated its an internal trans issue and it now needs to be replaced but there was nothing they could do as it was now out of warranty. The car has less the 95k on it. I've had cars that had well over 400k on them in the past and still ran like new. The trans should not be failing already.

NHTSA ID

11722394

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

Engine stalled while driving causing the car to turn off in traffic. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This caused loss of power and steering at 45 miles per hour and could have caused a collision. A licensed and accredited auto mechanic has confirmed that the engine is a total loss. The same day and shortly before the engine stalled, a check engine light appeared. The driver was on his way home and had planned to park the car and have it towed to the mechanic the next day.

NHTSA ID

11715915

Incident

Jan 29, 2026

When turning on the car the check engine light comes on. Then when accelerating there is a clicking noise and smoke coming from the engine.

NHTSA ID

11715716

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact was notified by her son that the third brake light was burned and was melting. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and suggested that a diagnostic test be performed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the owner that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure and referred the owner to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11714519

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

Mileage

65,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that during start-up, the vehicle was rattling and vibrating abnormally with a clanking sound while shifting into gear. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the crankcase sensor was faulty, and that there were metal shavings inside the engine oil. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 108,000.

NHTSA ID

11710946

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

Mileage

108,000 mi

the safety of others are put at risk due to system on and off due to shortage and wire triggering. The vehicle listed above collision system wire harness have a shortage and causes the vehicle not to be safe and unable to operate on roadways, highways and streets. there were warning light indicators on the dashboard and need a full-inspection and harness replacement before resale or auction sale.

NHTSA ID

11709278

Incident

Jan 6, 2026

October 2, 2025 @ approximately 7:30a. I was heading east on I-10 on my way to work when I seen white smoke coming from under my car. I pulled over, noticed it was on fire. There was a man passing by who seen me & was nice enough to stop & put the fire out. The firefighter then stated my oil pan came a loose and caught fire when it hit the ground. Which caused a lot of damage including me need a new engine. The firefighter stated the pan is useless & is a safety hazard.

NHTSA ID

11699674

Incident

Oct 2, 2025

I am writing to report a recurring and potentially dangerous issue with my Kia Forte. My vehicle has randomly failed to start on multiple occasions, requiring a jump start. More concerning, it has also shut off while I was driving, which is extremely alarming and could have resulted in a serious accident. These incidents have happened several times, and I no longer feel safe driving the vehicle. I suspect this may be related to an electrical issue, as I am also experiencing:     •    Intermittent failure of the backup camera     •    Headlights, brake lights, fog lights, and daytime running lights failing to operate correctly     •    General electrical irregularities throughout the vehicle I have checked for recalls related to Kia Fortes and found that other vehicles of the same make and model have had similar issues. However, there are no active recalls for my VIN, despite experiencing the same or more severe symptoms described in those recalls. This situation is extremely concerning and I believe it warrants further investigation. I am requesting that NHTSA review this issue and consider whether additional recalls or safety investigations may be necessary for other Kia Forte owners experiencing similar electrical and engine issues. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I would appreciate any guidance on next steps or how to ensure my vehicle is properly inspected for these safety concerns.

NHTSA ID

11695031

Incident

Aug 26, 2025

Motor started ticking....then just stopped running...motor blew up..checked the oil and it had metal flaking in it..

NHTSA ID

11694036

Incident

Sep 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, there was smoke coming from the front driver’s side headlamp, prompting the contact to have her son disconnect the headlamp wiring harness. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the wiring harness showed signs of burn damage. The headlamp warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V771000 (Exterior Lighting), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11693930

Incident

Oct 14, 2025

Mileage

105,000 mi

I was driving in Elk River, MN when my car all of a sudden stopped accelerating I then coasted into a street with a dead end to get away from traffic before the car ended up dying though the electronics remained on. I tried restarting the vehicle with no luck. It was clear to me that the engine was no longer working as it wouldn’t turn over. The report from the mechanic is as follows: “Found exhaust cam timing to be extremely off. Removed valve cover and found the camshaft and sprocket pin has sheared, causing the cylinder 2 piston to make contact with the exhaust valves.Failed leak-down test at 90 percent and have a photo of the exhaust valve slightly bent and not seating into the head.” -cornerstone KIA Report.

NHTSA ID

11691513

Incident

Sep 18, 2025

My daughter was driving on the highway. She was driving at 65 mph and then the car started to jolt a couple of times. She kept driving and then it started to feel sluggish and lost some power. Would not accelerate over 45 mph. She was almost rear ended several times and people continually swerving in and out around her as she couldn’t maintain the car at a normal pace. It eventually wouldn’t go over 35 mph. Extremely DANGEROUS speed on a highway commute. She was able to finally get off highway. The car stalled. No warning lights ever lit. She was close to home at this point. Drove it home with barely any power. Got it towed to the dealer and transmission was blown and they will not cover it because it’s past warranty of 5 yrs (2nd owner). The car is a 2019 with 53k miles. It should not need a new transmission. Apparently this car is now having many transmission issues. There was a service campaign issued by Kia back in 2018, 2020, and 2022 for this exact problem. Clearly there is an ongoing issue with their transmission. But since it is not a recall, the consumer has no way of know this until after it’s too late. When a transmission just shuts down without any warning, this is a MAJOR safety issue as you no longer are able to properly drive the vehicle. This should be a RECALL. Not an in-house technical bulletin announcement. There’s an abundance of safety concerns associated with this. Let’s not wait for somone to get killed in a car crash because it’s not being corrected by doing a recall on these transmissions that is a continual ongoing issue.

NHTSA ID

11691425

Incident

Sep 28, 2025

Severe, early onset clear coat paint damage.

NHTSA ID

11687567

Incident

Sep 16, 2025

Oil plug came out while driving causing an engine failure. We have seen several report already made for this issue.

NHTSA ID

11683563

Incident

May 4, 2025

On [XXX] my son was driving on the highway when the car suddenly shut off.. thank god he was able to safely get to the side of the road. Had it towed to my local mechanic who stated that the engine is seized up. The car is only 6 yrs old and well maintained. There were no prior problems or signs. Need a new engine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11682544

Incident

Aug 21, 2025