Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 63 safety complaints
about the 2023 Kia Forte with the US government. Of those, 11 describe a crash, 4 mention a fire, 5 people were injured and 1 death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the suspension and the steering.
The most complained-about system is the steering,
named in 14 complaints, 22% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 30,000 miles,
the median across the 7
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers December 2022 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
63 complaints on file
63
Complaints
11
Describe a crash
4
Mention fire
5
People injured
1
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
STEERING 14 · 22%
14 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 · 16%
10 16%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 10 · 16%
10 16%
ENGINE 9 · 14%
9 14%
POWER TRAIN 8 · 13%
8 13%
SUSPENSION 8 · 13%
8 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8 · 13%
8 13%
LANE DEPARTURE 7 · 11%
7 11%
AIR BAGS 5 · 8%
5 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 6%
4 6%
STRUCTURE 4 · 6%
4 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 5%
3 5%
0815
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 63.
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 18.
20 15 10 5
222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2022 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 2023 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 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
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
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
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.
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.
SERVICE BRAKES
While car was rolling in reverse, breaks got stiff and driver had to use excessive force to get car to stop. Battery warning came on when pushing hard on the breaks. Then got the car in park, reved the gas to make sure the car was on which it was. Drove it to a parking spot and the car was giving me signal shift to P. No accident occurred. Turned the car off. Car was driven home and all was fine. Vehicle was towed to Kia dealer and they kept it 5 days and could not find any codes in the system and said all was fine and released it back to us today. Told us to let them know if it happens again.
NHTSA complaint 11767544. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
Four times, my 2023 Kia forte has went into limp mode. Three times accelerating onto the freeway, the blindspot/anticollision (BCA) system reset. This put the vehicle in limp mode and it deaccelerated to 3 mph. I had to pull over and restart the car. The other time, I was turning right at an intersection. After the light turned green, the system reset again. I had the AGM battery replaced after the second time, but the BCA system continued to reset and the car went into limp mode. This is dangerous during driving, especially if there is no where to pull over. The car won't go more than three mph.
NHTSA complaint 11765968. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STEERING
crash · towed
Unknown. During a basic collision Avoidance maneuver performed by myself on the highway at speed of aprox 60MPH the steering suddenly became non-responsive, resulting in my inability to maintain directional control and cause a collision. The vehicle continued traveling before coming to its final resting position. During this sequence, the driver-side front suspension assembly sustained a catastrophic separation before the impact The steering knuckle was no longer attached to the vehicle, the strut was broken, and the driver-side wheel/tire ultimately ended up underneath the vehicle when the vehicle finally come to a stop . During the event The driver-side axle shaft completely detached and …
NHTSA complaint 11762477, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electrical system failed while operating vehicle on major highway. All lights flashed, system shut off, power steering locked up.
NHTSA complaint 11759219. 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.
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 April 1, 2024.
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