IllustrationWHEN I HIT BETWEEN 60-80 MILES MY CAR STARTS PULLING AND FEELS LIKE THE ALIGNMENT IS NOT GOOD. I HAD THE ALIGNMENT DONE STILL DOING THE SAME THING I DON'T LIKE THE WAY IT FEELS AND SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I WILL GET PULLED OVER BECAUSE IT APPEARS I'M SWERVING. ON HIGHWAY AND AS LONG AS DRIVING BETWEEN 60 - 80 .
2016 Kia Forte
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Kia Forte do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 141.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forte years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
180–25K
1325–50K
1550–75K
475–100K
9100–150K
1150K+
60 reports with mileage · 75 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports6 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
135 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HIS WIFE THE DRIVER AND STATED THAT WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING TROUGH AN INTERSECTION A SECOND VEHICLE T- BONED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OF THE VEHICLE. DURING THE CRASH NO AIR BAGS IN THE VEHICLE DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A LEFT HIP INJURY WHICH REQUIRED MEDICA…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HIS WIFE THE DRIVER AND STATED THAT WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING TROUGH AN INTERSECTION A SECOND VEHICLE T- BONED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR OF THE VEHICLE. DURING THE CRASH NO AIR BAGS IN THE VEHICLE DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A LEFT HIP INJURY WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. THE CONTACT STATED A 1 YEAR OLD WAS FASTENED IN CAR SEAT ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE SUSTAINED A MINOR HEAD INJURY WHICH ALSO REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. INJURIES TO THE DRIVER OF THE SECOND VEHICLE WAS UNKNOWN. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED AWAY. THE LOCAL DEAL KIA OF CERRITOS (18201 STUDEBAKER RD, CERRITOS CA) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILUREM HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 34,000.
WHEN DRIVING IN MOTION MY 2016 FORTE THE CAR STALLS OUT. THE POWER STEERING, BREAKS AND DASHBOARD DO NOT WORK. THIS HAS CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THE FRONT END OF MY CAR WENT INTO A POND. THIS CAR STALLING OUT BEFORE THE INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 5 TIMES; I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO TWO DIFFERENT KIA DEALE…
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WHEN DRIVING IN MOTION MY 2016 FORTE THE CAR STALLS OUT. THE POWER STEERING, BREAKS AND DASHBOARD DO NOT WORK. THIS HAS CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THE FRONT END OF MY CAR WENT INTO A POND. THIS CAR STALLING OUT BEFORE THE INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN 5 TIMES; I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO TWO DIFFERENT KIA DEALERSHIPS AREN'T ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM OR DETECT IT.
THE CAR HAS BEEN MAKING WEIRD NOISE AND THEN ALL THE LIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF. CAR SOUNDS LIKE IT WANTS TO TURN OFF AND THEN THE RADIO SATELLITE. CAR SOUNDS LIKE IT WANTS TO SHUT OFF
WENT TO GET AN OIL CHANGE 5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THIS CAR A D THERE WAS METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL. MECHANIC SAID THIS TYPE OF ENGINE WAS NOTORIOUS FOR THIS AND WE WOULD NEED A NEW MOTOR VERY SOON. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANYTHING SO WE HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS HAPPENING. THE MOTOR LOCKED UP AROUND 74,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING DOWN…
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WENT TO GET AN OIL CHANGE 5 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THIS CAR A D THERE WAS METAL SHAVINGS IN THE OIL. MECHANIC SAID THIS TYPE OF ENGINE WAS NOTORIOUS FOR THIS AND WE WOULD NEED A NEW MOTOR VERY SOON. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANYTHING SO WE HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS HAPPENING. THE MOTOR LOCKED UP AROUND 74,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THIS DOESN'T SEEM FAIR AT ALL! FIRST CAR LOAN I'VE EVER TAKEN AND CAN'T EVEN DRIVE THE CAR OR AFFORD A NEW MOTOR, YET STILL MAKING MY PAYMENTS ON THE LOAN...
TAKATA RECALL. CAR RAN STOP SIGN AND HIT ME IN DRIVER DOOR. AIR BAG DID NOT COME OUT. IN MOTION ON CITY STREET.
ROUGH IDLE, SHAKING ENGINE, ALTERNATOR PULLED REPLACED 2 TIMES, WATER PUMP BURST WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, OVERHEATING DUE TO COOLANT EXPLOSION ON HIGHWAY, INSUFFICIENT IDLE, ACCELERATION, AND CHANGING GEARS ROUGH
THE BELT IN THE DRIVERS REAR TIRE SEPARATED HAVING TO BE REPLACED BEING UNDER 3 YEARS OLD THIS IS NOT THE ONLY 2016 KIA FORTE LX THIS HAS HAPPENED TO I'VE READ SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET THAT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER OWNERS
ALL LIGHTS FLICKER ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING , HEADLIGHTS SOMETIMES TURN OFF WHEN TURN SIGNAL IS USED. DASH LIGHTS WILL FLICKER EVEN WHILE PARKED.
KIA FORTE 2016 - WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND IT LOSES POWER STEERING BREAKS, THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, STARTING THE CAR, DRIVING 10 MPH, 50MPH, 35 MPH. I HAVE HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BREAK TO STOP. THE CAR IS STILL IN DRIVE, THE KEY IS TURNED ON, THE DASHBOARD GOES OUT, BUT THE RADIO AND C…
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KIA FORTE 2016 - WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND IT LOSES POWER STEERING BREAKS, THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, STARTING THE CAR, DRIVING 10 MPH, 50MPH, 35 MPH. I HAVE HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BREAK TO STOP. THE CAR IS STILL IN DRIVE, THE KEY IS TURNED ON, THE DASHBOARD GOES OUT, BUT THE RADIO AND CLOCK STAY ON. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO 2 KIA DEALERSHIPS 4 TIMES TOTAL AND THE ISSUES CONTINUE. NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.
Official recalls
121V622000 · Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:latch
Aug 9, 2021
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.