Owners have filed 20 complaints on the Kia Forte Koup, covering 2010–2016. The system named most often is Engine (9 reports). Worst years by volume: 2010, 2016, 2011; cleanest: 2011, 2016, 2010. 0 reports describe a crash, 1 a fire. On average the car was 7.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Kia Forte Koup
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 20 Forte Koup complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Engine 9 Read
I had a 2010 kia forte koup that caught on fire 5/29/18 while going down a highway approximately 55 miles/hr. Before the fire began, there was some knocking in the engine and all power went out, including power steering and brakes. I was able to get it to the side of the road and popped the hood to see flames coming…
Im getting denied dued to engine failure but whoever had the vehicle before didn't follow up with the ksds update, I just purchased the vehicle on June 30th,2026, I need this fixed ASAP because I still owe on this car
My 2016 Kia Forte had a recall that was never performed and I was never told anything about the car fax or any recalls from where I got the car from, it needs a engine repair
Air Bags 2 Read
Hello, long story short, kia has faulty airbags I have a very pregnant wife. They have yet to die right by the customer and off safe vehicles to replace these until a fix is found. I went to kia in turnersville nj to have a hub assembly replaced. At this time I requested the technician to run the VIN for an airbag…
I recently took my car to have the most recent recall with the air bag fixed. After the repair occurred, the air bag light came on. I took the car back to the dealership to see if a malfunction occurred during the repair. The dealership service department told me the air bag module and clock spring needed to be…
Insert 1 Read
When I have the windows down, I can see the headrest flapping in the wind. I took the cover off and discovered that the styrofoam had broken in half. I used foam adhesive to bind it together. Once again, windows down and the headrest is still flapping in the wind. Look underneath the cover and this time the Styrofoam…
Vehicle Speed Control 1 Read
My car accelerates on its own. Fully stopped, my car is on 1000rpms, I will be driving at a constant speed and my RPM shoots all the way up
Power Train 1 Read
My car broke down in december 2015, when I took it to the kia service department and they fix it. I paid over 1000 usd. 2 months later there was a safety recall for the same reason my car broke down couple monts before that recall. Until this day I have tried to get my money back and they dont want to give me a refund…
Service Brakes 1 Read
These vehicles are absolutely dangerous! I've been in the automotive business my entire career for 15 years with a level certifications and ase's. I stopped driving the vehicle due to the simple matter of any acceleration over 2900 RPM it starts knocking. I will not put my family or myself in the danger of driving…
Wheels 1 Read
I was driving on route 77 in charlotte at approximately 60 mph. While driving, my wheel had a structural failure. I retraced my route and do not see anything on the route (I.e. Major obstacle). Regardless, this failure is completely unacceptable. I have had other cars in the past and have run over substantial road…
Seat Belts 1 Read
The seat belts will not automatically roll back into the door frame of the car after taking them off. You have to jerk the belt up and down close to twenty times to get them to retract. Also, I've noticed that the cruise control doesn't function like normal. It only works once in a while. I have to try to set my speed…
Forte Koup years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Engine | — | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | 1 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 16 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.3 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.7 years |
A model average of 1.3 hides a worst series at 2. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,109,349 of them, covering 2,013 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Forte Koup?
By complaint volume, 2010, 2016, 2011 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Forte Koup years are the cleanest?
2011, 2016, 2010 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Kia Forte Koup have?
20 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2010–2016. Of those, 0 describe a crash and 1 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.
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