2020 Kia Forte

I experienced a check engine light and had the vehicle diagnosed with codes P0017 and P0014. The vehicle was taken to a Kia dealership, where the technician found that the exhaust camshaft was free-spinning without the phaser and that the pin connecting the two had sheared. The dealership replaced the exhaust camshaft and phaser and released the vehicle as repaired and operating normally. Less than 24 hours after pickup, the check engine light returned during normal driving. While returning the vehicle to the dealership as instructed, the engine lost oil pressure and stalled three times. One stall occurred after exiting the highway and left the vehicle disabled in a high-traffic intersection, creating a serious safety hazard. The vehicle was returned to the Kia dealership and remains available for inspection. Subsequent examination reportedly found metal debris in the engine/oil pan and a possible restriction of engine oil flow. The exact cause of the sudden oil-pressure loss has not yet been definitively explained. The failure occurred immediately following a dealership repair involving a physically sheared internal engine component.

2020 Kia Forte, 2.0L 14F engine, 109,000 miles: On July 3.2026 "check engine" light came on. Drove to local auto parts store to have code downloaded, P0017 cam position sensor. Car was performing fine, except for engine light. Drove car to Kia dealership. While driving, warning light for "front collision system came on and car began performing erratically. Left car at dealership for diagnostics. Yesterday received call from dealer, stating that engine needed total replacement due to "lack of oil". Quoted repair cost estimated at approximately $8,000. Car has been regularly serviced, including oil and filter changes per handbook. I have all records for the services. The were no indications of low oil pressure or engine overheating, no warning lights, all gauge readings displayed normal ranges. This same car had a failed transmission replaced approximately 2 years ago, which was covered by an extended warranty related to a recall. There have been 2 engine failure recalls as a result of 2 class action lawsuits for Kia cars with this same engine failure up through the 2019 model years, providing new engines and/or extended warrantees, however, this does not applicable to 2020 and newer models, even though it's the same exact same engine model with the exact issue causing the failure. Engine failure in traffic condions can obviously lead to immediate safety issues. I currently have a call into the Kia customer service/complaint department, but no resolution offerred to date.

Why is KIA still legally allowed to sell defective, death traps? Why is it ok for the service department and KIA themselves to tell me….its ok to drive unless the engine light is blinking, smoking in a car know to catch fire…..ok? Why is it ok to let them continue to sell cars under active engine fire campaigns, only to “replace it with the same junk engine” an ok remedy. Quit letting these companies take advantage of people because they created a multi billion dollar defective product, they should bite the cost and be bankrupt, I mean it’s 2025 and they are still making combustible cars, the right thing to do? 2020 Kia forte gt t1.6

Bought the car 8 months ago from a Kia dealer. It is now pulling the same engine codes, of the infamous recalled Kia engines. After having diagnostics done at a different Kia then I had bought and had oil changed. They told me the engine and turbo was full of metal shavings and the rods were bad. I pad $10,900 for the car $15,000 to fix, they knowingly sold me a totaled car. I’m sure records reflect they took that car as a trade I knowing the engine was bad (they never checked the oil?). There were 90,000 forte sold in the US, best estimate I could find on the gt line was 4-5 thousand. All GT models do not have the turbo engine. So safe to assume that number is way lower. They know this is a manufacturing defect, and this model engine wasn’t recalled because the numbers aren’t not there. I’m sure these 2,500 or less turbo engines were manufactured in the same facility, same workers and process as the other 2020 forte recalls. The car is smoking and I’m being told “it’s ok to drive unless the engine light is flashing” which I’ll assume is before it catches fire, so I have to worry about that while not being under recall? This is a kid, who could catch on fire, would like to not go there

While driving, the vehicle suddenly began knocking severely, smoking, leaking oil, and then shut off unexpectedly without adequate warning. This created a serious safety hazard and near fire risk. The engine assembly failed catastrophically. Dealership inspection documented: connecting rod punctured engine block bearing material found in oil pan broken piston components in oil pan oil leakage underneath engine complete engine seizure/failure The dealership confirmed and documented the failure and replaced the engine assembly. Repair records and failed components should still be available for inspection through the dealership. My safety and the safety of others were placed at risk because the vehicle suddenly lost power while driving. Oil leaked from the damaged engine and the engine compartment began smoking. The engine could have caught fire or caused an accident due to sudden loss of power. There were no adequate warning indicators before failure. No meaningful oil-pressure or low-oil warning appeared until the vehicle was already smoking and severely damaged. This failure closely mirrors known Kia engine defect investigations and Recall Campaign SC209 / NHTSA Recall 21V259000 involving: connecting rod bearing damage piston oil ring defects excessive oil consumption engine seizure engine stall fire risk Although my VIN is not currently included in the recall population, the documented failure symptoms are substantially similar. I also report that another Kia vehicle in my household, a 2017 Kia Sorento, experienced a separate rod-bearing-related engine seizure despite proper maintenance and documented oil changes. The connecting rod blew a hole through the engine block, causing oil leakage and heavy smoke while driving. The vehicle could have caught fire or exploded, placing my life and others at serious risk due to sudden engine failure without adequate warning. Engine replaced under warranty; concerned for safety after 2 similar Kia failures.

The lane assist malfunction and periodically jerks. Very unsafe I no longer use this feature . To keep control of the vehicle. I never got it inspected. As the lane assist was in use and it would jerk it would alert me of a lane departure . I mention this to include every known problem I have experienced with the vehicle. The problem That brought me here. Is my engine light came on today. Leading up to this. I have had oil leaks since I've owned the car. Im adding oil in between oil changes due to it being low. In the beginning it was a hint of smell of gas in the oil. I was informed to do more frequent oil changes. Over time the smell of gas grew stronger . No Indication to a problem then. Now the smell of gas is prominent in the oil. When the dip stick is checked its always needing more oil and smells of gas and has blackness like burning in the oil. Now there's a check engine light on. And everything I looked up says to discontinue driving the car. I am having a mechanic look at it with a code reader.

I own a 2020 Kia Forte LXS with approximately 136,000 miles. The check engine light came on with code P0420 (“catalyst system efficiency below threshold”), and an Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers location confirmed the catalytic converter is failing. The back pressure was measured and is within spec but slightly elevated, showing the part is deteriorating. I was also told my O2 sensors are burned due to the failing catalytic converter. This failure affects drivability and safety: the vehicle sometimes struggles on acceleration and hills, and I feel vibrations through the gas pedal. Because I commute 50 miles each way to work on the interstate, sudden loss of power would put me at risk in high-speed traffic. I have learned Kia and Hyundai vehicles from other years/models (including the Forte) have had recalls and extended warranties for premature catalytic converter failure and excessive oil consumption, but Kia has not yet extended coverage to the 2020 Forte. This appears to be the same issue. The vehicle has been inspected by Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, and the quoted cost for replacement is $3,000–$3,600. This should be investigated for potential recall or warranty extension to include the 2020 model year.