Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
59
Complaints
10
Crashes
4
Fires
5
Injuries
1
Deaths
Owners of the 2023 Kia Forte have filed 59
safety complaints with NHTSA
between December 2022 and August 2026.
The most complained-about system is the steering,
named in 13 of them
(22%). The typical failure was reported at 30,000 miles, the median
across the 7 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this
vehicle.
Recalls (3)
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
24V244000 · April 1, 2024
Do not drive until repaired
The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.
The risk
Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC306. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 23V-649.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 215 vehicles across all model years covered
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
23V649000 · September 22, 2023
Do not drive until repaired
The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.
The risk
Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC283.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 3,866 vehicles across all model years covered
STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM
22V906000 · December 8, 2022
The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control.
The risk
A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front left steering knuckle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 12, 2023. Owner may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC259.
Kia America, Inc. · up to 939 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 59.
STEERING 13 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 15%
ENGINE 9 15%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 9 15%
POWER TRAIN 7 12%
SUSPENSION 7 12%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7 12%
LANE DEPARTURE 6 10%
AIR BAGS 5 8%
STRUCTURE 4 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 5%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2023 at 18.
2022 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.
STRUCTURE:BODY
1 death · fire · crash · towed
My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings
NHTSA complaint 11703022. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LANE DEPARTURE: LANE KEEP: STEERING ASSIST
1 injured · crash · towed · 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed when the vehicle inadvertently merged to the right lane while the lane assist feature was active. The contact stated that lane assist feature failed to alert her that the vehicle had merged. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a guard rail. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained injury to her right arm, cuts and abrasions and an air bag rash on her chest. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was …
NHTSA complaint 11538487, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Airbsgs failed to deploy when I was hit on my driver side by a car going going between 45-50 miles an hour. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety was out at risk because my airbags did not deploy and I hit my head on the B pillar and was jolted from my seat and the time of impact. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I am not sure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, not yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of …
NHTSA complaint 11546713, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
My son was in a car accident in my car January 1 at none of the Air bags went off. Not one there is a police report and I have pictures. Its a 2023 kia forte
NHTSA complaint 11718865. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SUSPENSION
The right front lower control arm has completely broken/fractured during operation. Kia has previously issued safety recalls SC283 (NHTSA 23V649) and SC306 (NHTSA 24V244) for this exact vehicle model year due to improperly manufactured right front lower control arms that can crack and fail. My vehicle was manufactured in March 2023 (03/23), which is just prior to the official April 12, 2023 recall window. Because the component suffered the precise, catastrophic structural failure described in the federal recall campaigns, it is clear that defective parts were used in production earlier than Kia's current recall parameters account for. This is a severe safety hazard that causes an immediate …
NHTSA complaint 11755764, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The A/C compressor field coil assembly failed on my 2023 Kia Forte. The air conditioning system is completely inoperative. The vehicle is currently [at my residence / at the dealership - specify location] and the component is available for inspection upon request. 1 This is a documented issue. Kia issued Technical Service Bulletin #048 (Revision TSB_CLI048_R1, dated November 18, 2022) for 2019–2023 Kia Forte models, which specifically identifies a defective A/C compressor field coil assembly as the cause of air conditioning failure. The TSB provides diagnostic procedures to isolate an open field coil circuit and states that replacement of the complete compressor assembly is not required …
NHTSA complaint 11755162, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
towed · 49,000 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal knocking sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle later lost motive power while driving with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that a week prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to another dealer to determine the trade-in value, and no failures were found at the time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was …
NHTSA complaint 11752655, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
I was driving home, on my way while driving I approached a curve on my way around the curve my vehicle continued to accelerate to the right as I was going around the curve. I tried to redirect the vehicle back to the left by trying to turn the steering wheel towards the left but I could not control the direction of the way the vehicle continued on. Still trying to turn the steering wheel back towards the left it kept to the right and ran off the road into a tree. Also once impact occurred i don’t remember if the airbags deployed because my head was laying flat on the steering wheel. Once the emergency services arrived I was accessed and removed from the vehicle and transported to the …
NHTSA complaint 11740816, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed
I was driving in a road, when a female deer appeared out of the trees and bushes from the right shoulder of the road. I tried not to hit it but but the deer got in my way. I hit the deer and quickly moved over to the right shoulder. The whole front right of the vehicle was destroyed and the airbags did not open. Sheriff arrived and saw the vehicle, the vehicles debri and the deer which had to be put down. He asked for the vehicles registration and did a report of the accident. The Sheriff then called a local tow company who arrived in a couple of minutes and towed the vehicle to their garage/shop.
NHTSA complaint 11740134. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while leaving Walmart and approaching the vehicle, the contact became aware that another driver with a similar vehicle was able to unlock her vehicle with the other driver’s key fob on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The lights flashed, alerting the contact that the vehicle was unlocked. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint 11732467. 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.
What each state asks for
, read from the statutes.
Where these numbers come from
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file
, published August 20, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API
, most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file
, published 2026-08-19.
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