My car was vehicle was driving on the highway over 200 miles away from home when I was driving about 65 mph the speed limit. When trying to accelerate on the Highway my vehicle would jump from 2,000 RPMs - 4,000 RPM not going faster. As I hit the gas my speed decreased and I pulled over the side of the road. When I tried to turn on/off my car the check engine light randomly appeared and I was stuck on the side of the road unable to accelerate. My car could have been rear ended on the Highway with Speed Limit of 65 MPH and I could have died if I didn't think quickly and pull to the side of the road. The dealer that the car towed to confirmed my car's transmission needed to be replaced. The only prior warning was my car's acceleration was decreased after Recall SC199 was completed by the dea
2019 Kia Forte owner complaints
144 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 4 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.
powertrain 7 complaints shown
Tl* the contact owns a 2019 Kia forte. While the vehicle was at an intersection, the contact released the brake pedal to depress the accelerator pedal and the rpms increased to 4; however, the vehicle failed to move. The contact placed the vehicle in park, turned the vehicle off, restarted the vehicle, and it resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to all star Kia of san bernardino (735 show case dr n, san bernardino, ca 92408, (888) 480-0418) where it was diagnosed that the intelligent variable transmission assembly needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
I was driving my 2019 Kia forte at 75 MPH, then lowered my speed, then accelerated again. A loud screech/grinding sound happened, then the car stalled. I was able to coast to the roadside, and re-start the car. I was not able to drive the car over 15 MPH. Car was towed to the dealership the next day. They drove the car, but found nothing wrong with it. I insisted that there is a transmission problem. I suggested they inspect the transmission fluid. I don't know if they will.
On 11/27, my wife was driving our 2019 Kia forte s with about 5,000 miles on it and said it was doing something really strange. She would push on the gas pedal like normal, but the rpms would soar and the engine would rev up but the car would barely move. We drove around the neighborhood when she got back and I noticed the same thing. We called the dealership in the area that night to bring it in on friday, 11/29. There were no issues on the way to the dealership that morning which is about 20 minutes away. We let them know we have a long trip back the next day and wanted to be sure there wasn't a big issue. The dealership said that since there wasn't an engine light on, they couldn't find any codes to troubleshoot the issue and we were sent on our way. An hour into our trip on 11/3
I bought my car brand new in april 2019. I had it's 15,000 mile check up about 2 weeks ago and they said everything was fine. Right around that time I noticed that when I accelerated, my car would jump. The RPM would bounce between 1-2 rpms and when I brought it into the dealership they said everything was fine and even test drove it. I was sure something was wrong and we went out on another test drive and sure enough it happened again. I was told the next day that the transmission was bad and that it didn't trigger the check engine light. It is currently sitting at the dealership waiting a new transmission.
I was driving north on ma 495 north near haverhill ma when all of a sudden my car was over-revving and no power was getting to the wheels. I had to pull over on a busy highway. I was lucky I made it to a rest stop. I talked to the tech at Kia and they are aware of this problem being a "common thing" and I need a new transmission. Thankfully it is under warranty still. I feel Kia's complete disregard for customer safety in this matter is appalling. Loss of power like that can cause a major crash and potential loss of life. If they are aware of the problem they should do a recall on the vehicles and replace every transmission.
The ivt trans went bad with out warring I was doing 70 MPH on I 77 in nc with cruse on . Then the engine tacked up to 7000 RPM a fue times then I shifted to sport mode the rpms stoped jumping around till I got to hickory nc . When driving to dealer ship the car would not hardly pull its self/ no warring lights or any type of warring of lost of power. Other then high RPM on the engine. The car is at dealership now to get a new trans . It only has 17500 mile on it this ivt is trash and dangerous. It will kill some one that dont know autos
other 4 complaints shown
CarPlay digital screen is bubbling on the right side, up the top and now to the left part of the screen. I was told by Kia Service it would take $1200 to repair and to use it til it breaks. I googled this issue and learned a lot of Kia cars from 2019 have the same issue. This bubbling is caused by the car heating up internally, which no car owner has control over. This bubbling results in the screen not working. Which means I will be driving and pressing the screen and nothing happens. Then, I have to agressively press deeply onto the screen until it works and it takes my focus off the road longer than I would like. It also makes the screen glitch out and moves the CarPlay screen around so things aren’t centered. I went to look just now to see if maybe this has since been recalled since
Forward Collision Obstruction light keeps popping on while driving very randomly steering sometimes doesn’t work and brakes sometimes don’t work all very random sometimes car is completely fine sometimes it’s not… it’s very scary I haven’t taken it in to be inspected yet. Headlight fail light keeps turning on and off as well
The contact owned a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at night in foggy weather conditions at 55 mph, the contact rear-ended a parked vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a deer. The gear shift was still in DRIVE but the vehicle was completely stopped from the impact. The driver air bag deployed upon impact and the seat belt did not restrain the contact in her seat during impact. The contact was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained to her head from hitting the windshield and her hips from hitting the steering wheel, which prevented her from flying out of the windshield when the seat belt failed. The contact also sustained additional injuries to her shoulder, neck, and back. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled
There is/was a flimsy plastic "shield" covering the undercarriage of this car beneath the passenger compartment. Calling it a shield is a stretch considering how flimsy it is. I don't know what it is called and apparently no one at Kia usa or their dealerships does either. I have tried multiple dealerships parts departments and corporate for months now and none of them seem to be able to find the part or tell me what it is called. Three times now the leading edge has come loose and dragged the road. It scrapes and eventually breaks off if I don't cut it off first. There is very little left of it now. My concern is that this is a serious safety issue. The second time it started scraping I think it scooped something up off the road and caused damage to the fuel line, because when I got out
electrical 3 complaints shown
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the rear brake lights failed to illuminate while depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that the A/C was blowing hot air. Additionally, the front and rear passenger’s side windows were rolling down independently. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously in a crash, and the frame was overheating. The contact confirmed that the vehicle did not have a Salvage Title. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,900.
Tl* the contact owns a 2019 Kia forte. The contact noticed that the soy based wiring attracted rodents, which chewed the wires and caused the electrical components to short out. The vehicle was taken to lou fusz Kia (1025 n lindbergh blvd, st louise, mo 63132, (3124) 595-4900) where it was determined that the vehicle was not covered by the factory or extended warranties. The contact stated that the technician replaced the downstream oxygen and transmission output sensors, which was a one time repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 2,200.
I am writing to report a recurring and potentially dangerous issue with my Kia Forte. My vehicle has randomly failed to start on multiple occasions, requiring a jump start. More concerning, it has also shut off while I was driving, which is extremely alarming and could have resulted in a serious accident. These incidents have happened several times, and I no longer feel safe driving the vehicle. I suspect this may be related to an electrical issue, as I am also experiencing: • Intermittent failure of the backup camera • Headlights, brake lights, fog lights, and daytime running lights failing to operate correctly • General electrical irregularities throughout the vehicle I have checked for recalls related to Kia Fortes and found that other vehicles of the same make and
wheels 2 complaints shown
While driving on highway, dashboard alerted to front end collision warnings but I was not in a collision then moments later the front driver side tire blew causing body damage to the bumper and guards, totally shredding the tire. The car has only 18,500 miles and tires were properly inflated. Normal driving use. Tires are made by kumho and the car is a Kia forte. I have seen other complaints of these specific brand tires blowing out around 20,000 miles even though they are guaranteed for 70,000 miles. Unfortunately blow outs, bubbles, etc are all not covered under tire warranty or under car warranty. Very disappointing and very dangerous.
I bought this car 2 months ago and they never told me it doesnt come with a donut or spare tire ......this is unsafe
airbags 1 complaint shown
On november 12,2018 I was on the highway doing 65 MPH when I was rear ended by a hit and run driver that seemed to be doing full speed, and I say that because I never heard any screeching brakes behind me. The impact totaled my car, with the majority of the damage to the trunk. The impact made my car spin around and at some point my front bumper hit something, but no airbags were deployed whatsoever. My seat belt was still locked in place, but somehow my seat reclined back just enough for me to be dislodged from the drivers seat and end up in the back seat, resulting in a broken vertebrae in my neck. Why did not one airbag go off and why did my seat belt not hold me in place?
engine 1 complaint shown
October 2, 2025 @ approximately 7:30a. I was heading east on I-10 on my way to work when I seen white smoke coming from under my car. I pulled over, noticed it was on fire. There was a man passing by who seen me & was nice enough to stop & put the fire out. The firefighter then stated my oil pan came a loose and caught fire when it hit the ground. Which caused a lot of damage including me need a new engine. The firefighter stated the pan is useless & is a safety hazard.
lighting 1 complaint shown
Tl* the contact owns a 2019 Kia forte. While driving approximately 20 MPH at night, the headlights were very dim and the contact did not see an animal in the road. To avoid the animal, the contact veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. The frontal air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000. *dt*jb
steering 1 complaint shown
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the instrument panel, radio, and A/C were inoperable. The contact also stated that the steering wheel had become firm. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was a faulty wiring harness, steering, instrument cluster, and additionally the oil drain plug was leaking. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 1,100.