2014 Kia Forte problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (153) · Steering (57) · Air Bags (33)
🧭 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
264 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
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.
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.
Electrical System 2015-01-16 · campaign 15V015000 · 86,880 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014 Kia Forte vehicles manufactured December 5, 2012, to April 17, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the cooling fan resistor may overheat and melt.
Risk: If the cooling fan resistor overheats and melts, there is an increased risk of a vehicle fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and for vehicles produced from December 5, 2012 to January 27, 2014, dealers will replace the cooling fan resistor and multi-fuse unit. For vehicles produced from January 28, 2014 to April 17, 2014, dealers will replace the multi-fuse unit only. Owners of vehicles with a 1.8L engine will also have the engine control unit software updated. The recall began on February 20, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is
Service bulletins (171)
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.
Service Brakes 2026-07-18 · SC238_OWNR_501 · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign: owner renotification (sc238 flight #501) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting a voluntary service campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace brake line(s) in certain 2014-2017 my forte and forte koup vehicles that were originally
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 2026-06-08 · CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - 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 prov
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
Structure:body 2025-12-18 · TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin provides information to install a theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector on certain 2010-2022my kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
Structure:body 2025-12-17 · CS2312_OWNR · Other
customer satisfaction campaign: owner notification (cs2312) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is conducting customer satisfaction campaign. a software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made available to owners of eligible kia model vehicles free
Showing the 6 most recent of 171 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-05 · Engine · 112,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. the contact stated that oil was leaking underneath the vehicle. the contact stated that at start-up the check engine and low oil pressure warning light remained illuminated with an abnormal burned oil odor. the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was failing …”
2026-10-03 · Unknown Or Other“odometer was tampered with dealership set the mileage at 82,000 the actual mileage is 153,000…”
2026-09-24 · Steering · 53,280 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to operate. the contact stated that the steering wheel would knock from left to right and would unexpectedly seize. due to the failure, the steering became difficult to control. the vehicle was taken to a service center, where the…”
2026-09-22 · Engine“airbag warning light has came on had a mechanic run codes and it says all air bags unresponsive. now my car is refusing to start. if continue to try it eventually starts. major oil leak and consumption along with knocking. along with my break lights not working occasionally along with my head lights and brights not working at all …”
2026-08-31 · Steering“there is a bad flexible steering coupler. caused steering wheel to click and lose responsiveness, shakes going over bumps. the problem was diagnosed and confirmed by the dealer vehicle was inspected by dealer there were no warning signs other than the wheel click and losing responsiveness. …”
2026-08-12 · Vehicle Speed Control“the systems affected appear to be engine, powertrain, and vehicle speed control. my 2014 kia forte, vin [xxx] has approximately 118,000 miles. since purchase in november2025 from wondries toyota, the vehicle has had repeated high rpm, poor acceleration, and loss of power when entering freeway on-ramps and driving uphill. it struggles to accelerate…”
2026-07-23 · Unknown Or Other · 🔥 fire“i was getting into my car when i noticed that it was full of smoke, i then opened my hood and trunk. my trunk was on fire from a wire that had came down. i was only about to pull it out and put it out. insurance said it will most likely be deemed a total loss.…”
2026-07-03 · Engine“engine smoking when started up engine has oil in it scared to move vehicle because i have no idea if it’s going to catch fire or anything …”
2026-06-29 · Engine“i received the recall paper in the mail i did everything i was asked to do i. received a final determination letter stating they was going to fix it and reimburse me for the incidental repairs the vehicle and rental car and they never did anything and now my car is no longer in my possession. they had me pay to tow it to kia then it got impounded f…”
2026-05-19 · Engine · 105,000 mi“the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. the contact received a notification of nhtsa campaign number: 20v750000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the vehicle was denied repairs due to lack of engine oil maintance records. the contact stated that after the vehicle was powered on with the ignition key, an abnormal fuel odor would leak into the interio…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.