Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 27 safety complaints
about the 2022 Kia Forte with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the steering.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 4 complaints, 15% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers December 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
27 complaints on file
27
Complaints
3
Describe a crash
1
Mention fire
2
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 33%
9 33%
ENGINE 4 · 15%
4 15%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 4 · 15%
4 15%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 11%
3 11%
STEERING 3 · 11%
3 11%
SUSPENSION 3 · 11%
3 11%
AIR BAGS 2 · 7%
2 7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 · 7%
2 7%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 7%
2 7%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 7%
2 7%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 7%
2 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 · 7%
2 7%
048
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 27.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2023 at 7.
8 6 4 2
212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2022 Kia FORTE, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
10.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
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.
The risk
Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The 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.
Kia Motors America · up to 30 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
1 injured · fire
That happens on the bridge on nW 7 st
NHTSA complaint 11590244. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash
I believe that airbags/ airbag sensors have failed or malfunctioned and they are available for inspection. My safety as well as the safety of others was put at risk because the airbags should have deployed and they didn’t putting us further at risk. The problem hasn’t been confirmed or reproduced by anyone professional. The vehicle has not been inspected as of yet. There were no warning signs or lamps of any kind.
NHTSA complaint 11549105. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed
Air bags did not deploy in a front/side impact crash. Driver slid on ice and slush, went off the road and hit a tree. The car is currently being evaluated by the service center and insurance company. No sensors or warnings went off.
NHTSA complaint 11558478. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
crash · towed
I got into an accident i On December 10th, 2023 my car was totaled out. My steering wheel felt like it was doing its own thing and I crashed straight into a curb and some rocks. I was injured and they had just fixed my steering because of the recall but I don’t know if they did it correctly
NHTSA complaint 11622041. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
We were told it was the fuel pump. This car has put my son in danger twice. The car stalls out while driving, completely shuts down. He is traumatized due to this occurring in during traffic hour. The car dies and you can’t put it in neutral nor have the hazard light turn on. Complete shut down of car. It has been at Kia of Cerritos for 2 months. The first incident, they stated they corrected the issue after being there for a month and while driving home the day the car was picked up it shut down, and the car was towed the very next day. They say it’s fuel pump but these cars have an electric oil pump overheating problem which causes the car to stall while driving. The second incident was …
NHTSA complaint 11766604, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
AC is not blowing cold air even after replacing refrigerant. Mechanic says the compressor has failed, even though the car is only a few years old and has never been involved in any major incidents.
NHTSA complaint 11758316. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Air compressor broken Backup camera not working
NHTSA complaint 11748900. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle: 2022 Kia Forte LXS I am filing this complaint regarding a complete air conditioning system failure on my 2022 Kia Forte LXS, which is fully covered under Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. The vehicle has been driven under 60,000 miles and has no accident history. The AC system failed completely. I brought the vehicle to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. The dealer recharged the refrigerant system, however the vehicle is still not cooling properly. The dealer has been unable to provide a confirmed diagnosis after multiple days, citing either the compressor or heating core as potential causes, but has not committed to a repair timeline or parts …
NHTSA complaint 11743761, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
At low and moderate speeds, engine intermittently and slightly stalls? A rapid alarm sounds and no signal lights up on dashboard. This is corrected by tapping on the gas. This has been an ongoing issue since 2022. The last date this occcured 6/5/2026 mileage 32149 7:15pm traveling at 30 mph driving into direct sunlight signs: fast rapid alarm went on no light or visual alert on dashboard slight stalling and grinding sound in engine. While sunlight is known to activate forward collision avoidance, the lack of signal on dashboard leads me to believe it's something else. I have two case numbers filed with Kia America about this issue. I have taken it in for servicing at a Kia dealer as well. …
NHTSA complaint 11743567, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SEAT BELTS
The front driver side door is ‘popping’ open while driving. In addition, the seatbelt randomly releases while driving.
NHTSA complaint 11727407. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed May 5, 2022.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst