2019 Kia Forte problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (41) · Engine (21) · Steering (8)
🧭 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
69 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Power Train:axle Assembly:axle Shaft 2020-08-05 · campaign 20V459000 · 834 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Forte vehicles. The left front axle driveshaft may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to break.
Risk: A broken driveshaft can result in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left front axle driveshaft for a heat treatment verification code, and replace it if the code is missing, free of charge. The recall began September 2, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC195.
Exterior Lighting:headlights 2018-10-31 · campaign 18V771000 · 1,754 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Kia Forte vehicles equipped with LED headlights. The headlights may not have been manufactured with the correct low beam aiming. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: If the headlights are not properly aimed, the driver may have reduced visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlight aiming and replace the headlights, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC171.
Service bulletins (102)
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 2026-06-08 · 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
Power Train 2026-02-19 · SC199_OWNR_BD_3 · Emissions
voluntary emissions service campaign: owner renotification (sc199 fl301) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting voluntary service campaign to update the software programming on the transmission control module (tcm) and, if necessary, replace the intelligent vari
Structure:body 2026-02-19 · TSB_CS2312_R1 · 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 2025-12-18 · 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
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 102 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-23 · Engine“while driving, the vehicle lost power and stopped. found out the timing chain went out/broken. this car only had 62,000. 2019 kia forte…”
2026-10-14 · Steering“i took my 2019 kia forte lxs to a certified kia dealership to have the mandatory anti-theft security upgrade performed (campaign cs2312), which involves installing an ignition cylinder protector plate inside the steering column. immediately after picking up the vehicle, multiple severe safety and electrical defects appeared. the engine is running v…”
2026-10-13 · Power Train · 106,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving at 70-75 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and the check engine warning light illuminated, causing the contact and her daughter to be stranded on the highway. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils; however, the failu…”
2026-08-26 · Engine“recommended engine replacement at 111,000 miles …”
2026-07-13 · Exterior Lighting“power loss, engine failure. will not start…”
2026-06-16 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 124,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. the contact stated that after driving to the local store and turning off the vehicle, after returning to the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. the vehicle was diagnosed with a timing chain failure caused by low engine oil. the contact stated that pri…”
2026-06-01 · Fuel/Propulsion System“while driving, the forward collision warning system activated unexpectedly without any apparent hazard or obstruction in front of my vehicle. immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle suddenly lost speed and became very slow to accelerate. i was unable to safely increase my speed while traveling on a busy roadway, creating a dangerous sit…”
2026-05-08 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 86,000 mi“the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 mph, the contact had exited when the oil and battery warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle rolled over to the side of the road. the contact exited the vehicle and, upon inspection, noticed that an excessive amount of oil had leaked onto the ground. …”
2026-05-04 · Power Train“the transmission had a recall 2 years ago and they gave me a new one (kia). i am having issues with my transmission again…”
2026-04-27 · Engine“my car has cut off on me going down the road and it cut back on i have had where the car is slow at acceleration and trying to stall out on me and causing a car to almost hit me in the bumper cause of it the car only has 112,580 miles and have not been able to drive the car since march 13,2026 due to this issue and not feeling safe to drive it …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.