Kia Forte Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2019 At least twice the 35 complaints of a typical Forte year. Most described: transmission failure.
Best years: 2022 Under three quarters of the 35 complaints of a typical Forte year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 model is too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 7, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 35 mpg combined, arrived in 2019. Includes the Forte5 hatchback and the Forte Koup.

Forte problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Forte year drew 35 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (28). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (35), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Forte Avoid Most described: transmission failure or replacement	72	150	2
2017 Forte Most described: stalling or shutting off	68	305	3
2014 Forte Most described: engine failure or replacement	57	445	3
2023 Forte Most described: loss of power or limp mode and suspension part problems	48	66	3
2021 Forte Most described: stalling or shutting off	36	69	2
2018 Forte Most described: stalling or shutting off	34	136	3
2016 Forte Most described: engine failure or replacement	32	139	1
2010 Forte Most described: engine knocking, ticking or rattling	24	232	3
2012 Forte Most described: engine failure or replacement	23	307	4
2015 Forte Most described: engine failure or replacement	23	262	1
2013 Forte Most described: engine failure or replacement	21	211	5
2011 Forte Most described: the check engine light coming on, then airbags not deploying in a crash	19	162	3
2020 Forte Most described: the check engine light coming on, then stalling or shutting off	19	78	0
2022 Forte Best Most described: engine failure or replacement	15	28	1

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Forte for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	0	26
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	34 mpg Gas	3	66
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	1	28
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	2	69
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	0	78
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	2	150
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	3	136
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	3	305
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	1	139
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	1	262
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	445
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	5	211
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	4	307
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	3	162
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	3	232	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 150 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Kia Forte
Model year	Complaints
2010	232
2011	162
2012	307
2013	211
2014	445
2015	262
2016	139
2017	305
2018	136
2019	150
2020	78
2021	69
2022	28
2023	66
2024	26

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 29 to 35 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2024); highest in 2019.

2024: gas 34 mpg

Show as a table

Kia Forte best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2010	30
2011	30
2012	30
2013	30
2014	29
2015	30
2016	30
2017	32
2018	32
2019	35
2020	35
2021	35
2022	35
2023	34
2024	34

Every Forte year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Kia Forte years should you avoid?

The 2019 Forte is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 35 owner complaints of a typical Forte year in its first three years. Owners of the 2019 most often describe transmission failure. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Kia Forte years?

The 2022 Forte is the best year: it drew 15 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 35 complaints of a typical Forte year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024 is not ranked yet: it has had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Kia Forte years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (72) and 2017 (68) drew the most.

Which Kia Forte years have the most recalls?

The 2013 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (5), then the 2012 (4). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Three recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 23V-649 (2023 models), NHTSA 23V-652 (2010 to 2013 models), and NHTSA 24V-244 (2023 models).

What are the most common Kia Forte problems?

In the 2,616 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2024 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (400 complaints); stalling or shutting off (334 complaints); and loss of power or limp mode (173 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Kia Forte year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 35 mpg combined, first reached by the 2019 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.