2013 Kia Forte problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (88) · Service Brakes (18) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic (13)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Forte model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
121 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2023-09-25 · campaign 23V652000 · 1,730,192 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.
Engine 2020-12-02 · campaign 20V750000 · 294,756 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, Kia dealers will update the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software, free of charge. The recall began January 27, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC200.
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2018-06-01 · campaign 18V363000 · 507,587 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.
Risk: If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Fix: Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages 2017-12-01 · campaign 17V773000 · 134,366 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Forte and Forte Koup vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. This will allow the brake lights to remain illuminated continuously. It can also allow the shift lever to be moved without depressing the brake pedal, or activate the engine management brake pedal override feature.
Risk: If the brake light switch plunger does not retract as it should when the brake pedal is not being pressed, the brake lights may stay illuminated preventing accurate communication to following vehicles that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. Additionally, if the brake switch plunger is not retracted, then the transmission can be shifted out of PARK without depressing the brake pedal. Either condit
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake pedal stopper pad, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 30, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC158.
Seat Belts:front:retractor 2016-05-17 · campaign 16V312000 · 5,245 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2013 Forte vehicles manufactured September 10, 2012, to October 31, 2012. The screws that hold the front seatbelt retractor retaining plates may not have been properly tightened, and as a result, the seatbelt retractor retaining plates may break in a crash.
Risk: If a retaining plate breaks during a crash, pieces of the plate could strike the occupants, increasing risk of injury.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace both front seatbelt assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. The recall began July 1, 2016. Kia's number for this recall is SC132.
Service bulletins (73)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-06-09 · CS2311_TSB_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition: cylinder protector & decal installation (cs2311) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provi
Structure:body 2025-12-19 · CS2311_OWNR_PC201 · Other
customer satisfaction campaign: postcard owner renotification (cs2311) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting customer satisfaction campaign. kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade and can be installed at the ignition
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Power Train 2025-04-17 · TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid ty
Engine 2024-11-07 · PI2002YZ_TSB_R3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: product improvement campaign: engine replacement instructions for dtc p1326 (pi2002y/z) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides inform
Structure:body 2024-10-18 · CS2311_TSB_R3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector & decal installation (cs2311) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provid
Showing the 6 most recent of 73 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-04-09 · Engine · 115,000 mi“ the contact owns a 2013 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle went into limp mode. the contact stated the vehicle was unable to exceed 20 mph. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the knock sensor was replaced as a temporary fix. the failure reoccurred …”
2026-03-16 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 139,000 mi“the contact owns a 2013 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and failed to restart. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the piston rings had failed, causing catastrophic engine damages. the contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. the vehicle w…”
2026-03-14 · Service Brakes“the system that is failing are the brakes and the tail lights. they used to be an open recall for the brake pedal stopper pad, however i’m not sure if that part is able to break again because in october i remember hitting the break and something i heard a crack down by the pedal, but i wasn’t able to see if anything had broken. i can’t check after …”
2026-01-09 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 159,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2013 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the brake pedal failed to operate as needed and depressed to the floorboard without warning. as a result of the brake failure, the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. the contact stated that both front driver and front passenger seat belts failed to re…”
2025-12-29 · Engine“the engine has been making humming noise which is getting louder with time…”
2025-08-17 · Electrical System“ the electric side mirror/s controls not working correctly. the motor is buzzing and unable to set the mirrors accurately. this could drain the cars battery. the electric mirror had to be disconnect until gets repaired. …”
2025-07-08 · Seat Belts · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2013 kia forte. the contact stated that her daughter was occupying the front passenger's side seat while the wife of the contact's daughter was driving 65 mph. the contact stated that another vehicle that was driving approximately 100 mph crashed into the rear driver's side of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to roll over approx…”
2025-06-05 · Steering“steering column coupler has repeatedly gone bad, causing clicking and play in the steering wheel. there is an open recall for this issue on kia optima’s, which use the same part. i’ve had this issue diagnosed and fixed by 2 different shops. it is an extremely common issue in these cars.…”
2025-04-26 · Engine“on 11/20/2024 i spoke to denise sanchez , she is the service manager for kia and the reason of the call was about a complaint from joel sambrano one of her associates that was very unprofessional when i first called to set up the appointment for the recall. on 11/24/2024, i had a towing company delivered my 2013 kia forte to the service department…”
2025-04-12 · Engine“not an incident but i have noticed a whining noise and also a knocking noise coming from the engine and i've been told that it could be lifters or pistons not sure which but alot of others have complained about the same noises on their vehicles. if they were faulty from being built shouldnt the manufacturer replace these parts? that can be costly a…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.