2023 Kia Forte problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (9) · Suspension (8) · Power Train (6)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Forte model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (3)
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2024-04-01 · campaign 24V244000 · 215 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
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.
Risk: Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2023-09-22 · campaign 23V649000 · 3,866 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
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.
Risk: Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm 2022-12-08 · campaign 22V906000 · 939 vehicles
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.
Risk: A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (46)
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.
Engine 2026-08-05 · TSB_ENG263 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: misfire concern due to overrunning alternator decoupler - this bulletin provides information to address unresolved misfire events on some 2020–2024my forte (bdm) produced from january 1, 2019 through september 30, 2024, and 2020–2022my soul (sk3) vehicles produced from no
Electrical System 2026-05-28 · TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment system software update using update.kia.com - this bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable kia vehicles using the kia navigation updater available at update.kia.com. the software update may impr
Electrical System 2026-04-14 · TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment software update procedure - this bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing usb for installation on applicable kia vehicles. the software downloads and usb preparation process is similar across all
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
Unknown Or Other 2025-11-13 · TSB_GEN103 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: tire mobility replacement - this bulletin provides information to replace the tire mobility kit (tmk) sealant can or tmk bag assembly on certain 2023-2024my forte (bdm) models produced from march 01, 2023 thorough november 30, 2023. lower ambient temperatures can create a
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 46 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-22 · Service Brakes“while driving on the freeway at approximately 65 mph, my vehicle suddenly lost normal braking function. the brake pedal felt loose, and i had to press it nearly to the floor for the vehicle to slow down. even then, stopping took significantly longer than normal. pumping the brake pedal approximately five times temporarily restored normal braking, b…”
2026-10-13 · Wheels · 🔥 fire“front left tire blew out, plastic liner became shredded due to it. beneath that plastic liner sits the main electrical wiring harness which rubs against the wheel creating sparks leading to total engine fire and failure …”
2026-10-06 · Steering · 600 mi“the contact owns a 2023 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the contact stated that the steering wheel was loose and was difficult to turn. due to the failure, the vehicle unexpectedly swayed from left to right. the contact stated that the vehicle felt as if it was floating on water.…”
2026-09-28 · 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. turne…”
2026-09-21 · 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 re…”
2026-09-06 · Suspension · 💥 crash“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-…”
2026-08-24 · Unknown Or Other“electrical system failed while operating vehicle on major highway. all lights flashed, system shut off, power steering locked up. …”
2026-08-09 · 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 …”
2026-08-06 · 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 t…”
2026-07-24 · Engine · 49,000 mi“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 n…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.