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Kia · NHTSA safety record

2016 Kia Forte

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

133

Complaints

16

Crashes

6

Fires

13

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2016 Kia Forte have filed 133 safety complaints with NHTSA between June 2016 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 65 of them (49%). The typical failure was reported at 44,500 miles, the median across the 60 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints rose 40% year on year: 14 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 10 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH

21V622000 · August 9, 2021

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

Kia Motors America · up to 253,074 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 133.

ENGINE 65 49%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 16%
POWER TRAIN 16 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 15 11%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 11%
AIR BAGS 13 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 10 8%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 5%
WHEELS 6 5%
STEERING 5 4%
STRUCTURE 5 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2019 at 20.

2016 2019 2026
2016 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed · 34,000 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HIS WIFE THE DRIVER AND STATED THAT WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING TROUGH AN INTERSECTION A SECOND VEHICLE T- BONED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OF THE VEHICLE. DURING THE CRASH NO AIR BAGS IN THE VEHICLE DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A LEFT HIP INJURY WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CONTACT STATED A 1 YEAR OLD WAS FASTENED IN CAR SEAT ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE SUSTAINED A MINOR HEAD INJURY WHICH ALSO REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. INJURIES TO THE DRIVER OF THE SECOND VEHICLE WAS UNKNOWN. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED AWAY. THE LOCAL DEAL KIA OF CERRITOS (18201 STUDEBAKER RD, CERRITOS

NHTSA complaint 11310562, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

2 injured · crash

We used to have a 2016 Kia Forte5 LX hatchback we been having problems with this vehicle the car would stall and it was having electrical problems like my turn signals not working even when the bulbs were replaced and same thing to the brake lights prior after I noticed the problem with the car was going to take it in to get ot looked at and serviced when exiting my home with the car and turning left the vehicle stalled while in drive I did have my emergency flash on but the other cars didn’t seem to notice the vehicle got t boned and we got in to a accident when trying to get this issue resolved

NHTSA complaint 11619374. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · fire · crash · towed · 125,000 miles

THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY ROUTE 50 WHEN SMOKE ENTERED THE VEHICLE FROM THE AC VENTS. I TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKES BUT THEY FAILED. THEN THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE FRONT AND BACK, THE BRAKES CONTINUED TO FAIL, I JUMPED FROM THE VEHICLE ON GOING 40MPH, THEN THE CAR EXPLODED.*DT*DT*JB*DT*DT*DT*DT*DT*DT*JB*JB*DT*DT*DT*DT*DT Consumer contacted the dealer and has obtained a case # [XXX] and paid invoice # [xxx]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”

NHTSA complaint 11403582. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

1 injured · fire · towed · 60,000 miles

The contact owned a 2016 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle was burning an excessive amount of oil and fuel. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. While his wife was driving, the vehicle was making abnormal engine noises. The contact stated he sustained emotional distress and medical attention was provided. The vehicle was towed to an independent towing lot. A police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer where it was diagnosed that the pulley needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no additional assistance was

NHTSA complaint 11465876, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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.

NHTSA complaint 11755914. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Car runs fine at lower speeds. When traveling over 50 mph for ten minutes or more, then decelerating or stopping in traffic or at a stop light it stalls. It cranks right back up after you put it neutral and turn the key. We’ve almost been rear ended twice since this started. The car has only been driven about 3000 miles a year over the past 7 years and only about 45 mph. It has been to two shops and hasn’t been driven since May 15th.

NHTSA complaint 11751429. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle won't intake gas. Cod P0451, P0456

NHTSA complaint 11750139. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Unknown it makes a ticking noise check engine light came on and oil isn't low. Recently bought it.

NHTSA complaint 11747849. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
This Forte was not neglected and it was not abused. Nearly 90% of its miles came from highway commuting and interstate travel. It was completely stock, never modified, never driven hard. More importantly, it received fully synthetic oil changes every 3k-4k miles since new, well ahead of what Kia or the oil manufacturer even recommends, because I intended to keep this car long term. All of that is verifiable through Carfax. The engine failure came without meaningful warning. While driving, I noticed an unusual noise and pulled over as quickly as safely possible. I checked the dash expecting some kind of indicator and found nothing. No check engine light, no oil pressure warning. A nearby

NHTSA complaint 11740160, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This is a paint issue.

NHTSA complaint 11737302. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Forte

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 59 3 1
2022 25 1 —
2021 67 2 —
2020 71 0 —
2019 146 2 —
2018 134 3 —
2017 300 3 4
2015 258 1 1
2014 439 3 —
2013 195 5 1
2012 289 4 3
2011 153 3 1
2010 221 3 1

Other 2016 Kia models

Sorento 1,242 Soul 798 Optima 751 Sedona 291 Sportage 130 RIO 77 Cadenza 14 K900 10

Every Kia on this site — 176 vehicles, 208 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst