10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,738 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Kia Forte engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Kia Forte:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2016 Kia Forte Owner Comments

problem #12

Jan 252024

Forte

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was slowly pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. I hit the brake hard and the car eventually stopped but it did go onto the sidewalk before stopping. In the past, when I started the car, the engine would sometimes rev too much and I had to step on the gas while in park to get it to stop, but this is the first time it suddenly accelerated while driving. I am contacting the dealer about the problem tomorrow so it has not been inspected yet. I read online that other Kia models have this problem and that a recall is being considered.There were no warning lamps before the problem occurred. My car is available for inspection.

- Lancaster, NY, USA

problem #11

May 052023

Forte

  • miles
I am writing to express serious concerns about the safety and performance of my Kia vehicle. Over the past few months, my car has been exhibiting abnormal behavior, jeopardizing the safety of myself and other road users. One of the most alarming issues is the unpredictable acceleration and deceleration of my vehicle, especially on the highway. There have been numerous instances where it failed to respond to acceleration while changing lanes, putting me in stressful situations where I feared a potential collision. Even more troubling, my car has shut off unexpectedly multiple times during both city driving and while navigating driveways and hills. This sudden engine shutdown has exposed me to hazardous situations and increased the risk of accidents. There is also a loud knocking sound coming from the car, accompanied by sluggish driving. To my dismay, the vehicle now starts and immediately cuts off, forcing me to wait for a period of time and multiple attempts to restart the engine before it finally starts. Seeking a resolution, I took my vehicle to the Kia Service center, where they advised me that I needed a new engine, attributing the problem to sludge build-up. However, I maintain a diligent oil change schedule every three months and can provide evidence of this fact. Despite filing a claim with Kia of America, they regrettably denied my request for assistance in obtaining a new engine, placing the financial burden solely on my shoulders. This not only presents a financial hardship for me but also underscores a broader issue with Kia vehicles' quality and reliability. I am deeply concerned about the safety of Kia vehicles, and I believe that they should be subject to a thorough investigation and, if necessary, a recall. I understand that KIA has experienced problems with design of this or similar engines, causing recalls of those products, and I request NHTSA to investigate these concerns regarding the 2016 KIA Forte. My Car is available to inspect once more

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #10

May 172018

Forte

  • miles
I was sold a 2016 Kia Forte with a bad transmission and the dealership cancelled my warranty the year that I bought the car I was not aware that they cancelled it until I found out my transmission was bad and went to the dealership to try to have them fix it and they told me the warranty was canceled. I spoke to a mechanic and they told me that a lot of people are having the same issue with their 2016 Kia Forte's. I bought this car in order to get my son to his specialists he has spina bifida he needs to see a neurologist, orthopedics, urologist, etc over an hour away now my transmission is completely gone and I don't know what to do because I can't afford the repair. Please recall this car. I know a lot of people who have transmission issues with their Kia's my mother for example back in 2010 she purchased the Kia rio it was brand new at the time and a year later the transmission went bad on it every Kia transmission seems to be a hunk of crap I shouldn't have to deal with these repairs

- Taylor, PA, USA

problem #9

Dec 182018

Forte

  • 17,310 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle of concern reportedly had been parked all day in a parking lot at work with the doors locked and in park. At the end of the day the vehicle was remote started from inside the building approximately 20 feet away. The vehicle started and then a few seconds latter it apparently shifted into drive and then accelerated into the outside of the building located approximately 10 feet away. The incident was recorded on the building security video which shows that no one entered or exited the vehicle before or after the crash occurred. It also shows that the vehicle started and then rolled forward into the building. The edr was imaged by the E-N-K-01-00-0027 tool and no events were recorded.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #8

Aug 312018

Forte

  • 30,000 miles
Vehicle is unsafe to drive cuts off in the middle of driving while in traffic. Vehicle doesn't accelerate, it slows down while driving causing other vehicles to have to decelerate or go around to avoid hitting me. This is a serious safety issue and need to be investigated by Kia as soon as possible before a collision happens with my children in the car. This has happened more than one time.

- Bedford, TX, USA

problem #7

Mar 102017

Forte

  • miles
Too much accleration on the open highway. The screws in my visors keep coming out. I was only given a donut tire upon purchase. The paint on the car is so cheap I'm seeing scratches all thru the paint on my car.

- Hendersonville, NC, USA

problem #6

Jan 022017

Forte

  • 2,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle will accelerate on its own when driving at highway speeds. When driving in town, it will not accelerate after idling such as at a traffic light.

- Canadian, TX, USA

problem #5

Feb 182017

Forte

  • 19,000 miles
After my 5K mile oil change, this was the first oil change. I had to take it back because of a loud ticking sound. I overheard the service suprv say that there was a defect on Fortes. But, he tried to tell me that nothing was wrong until I told him what I heard him say over the walkie. Then, they kept the car and changed the pulley system. Now, here's another problem. Not sure if it's related to the pulley issue. 1st time, I was driving on the hwy going about 70mph in 6thgear and it popped out of 6th to neutral. I looked down because I didn't know what happened. I quickly put it back into 6th. 2nd time. February 23rd 2017 I was driving 75 mph on I-20 passing redoak, tx and the gear popped out of 6th into neutral. Scared me, I immediately shifted it back to 6th. I made an appt the next day after the 2nd incident and wad told they couldn't duplicate the problem. If it gets worse to bring it back. It did it again on that Sunday, March 5th 2017 while I was driving 75 - 80 mph to Louisiana. Now, I have a log and will log every time it happens and im going to take the log with me when I go back to Kia service dept.

- Lancaster, TX, USA

problem #4

Oct 012015

Forte 4-cyl

  • 11,300 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Forte. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle shook without warning and would not accelerate beyond 40 mph. The dealer added a fuel additive to the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,300....updated 05/19/17

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #3

Aug 122016

Forte

  • 1,000 miles
When you push gas feed it hesitates then you push a little more it goes to fast. Driving in town traffic is a problem you push gas feed a little it doesn't want to go give a little more gas and it goes to fast. Went back to dealer ship only had the car around 2 months they put new throttle body on, still had same problem. We traded the car back to the dealership for another Kia Forte which cost us another 3 thousand dollars because car was not safe. Now the new Kia Forte is doing the same thing

- Morgantown, WV, USA

problem #2

Jun 232016

Forte

  • 150 miles
The car does not accelerate at times and when it does it lurches and hesitates as I am driving and air conditioner fan goes up and down

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #1

May 282016

Forte

  • 100 miles
I bought a brand new Kia Forte 2016 on 5/27/2016. Since day one, I've been facing a problem that I think is a big safety issue. When driving the car at regular speeds, the car suddenly loses acceleration and even if I hit the gas pedal, nothing happens for 2-3 seconds and after 2-3 seconds, the gas pedal starts to respond. This has landed me into problems at various times and I almost went to an accident. 1. once I was changing lanes while driving at 45 mph, and all of a sudden the acceleration of the car dropped and I felt certain that somebody would hit me from the side because my car just won't accelerate. 2. once driving at 50 mph, the car suddenly dropped acceleration and the car behind me came so close that I feared that it would hit me. Fortunately the other car driver realised my dropped accleration and slowed down. Incidents like #2 have happened many times and I have taken the car to a Kia dealership (gerald Kia of naperville, il) but they simply told me that there was nothing wrong with the car because they couldn't reproduce the problem. This problem is intermittent and I don't know of a sure fire way to reproduce this problem, but someone has to believe me that it happens all of a sudden in the middle of the road and it really scares the heck out of me. Since the car manufacturer and the dealership is not helping me at all, I want to bring this problem to the attention of the us government. I really feel that this is a big safety issue for me and my family and I don't feel safe at all while driving this car. I spent my money on a brand new car but the car manufacturer and the dealer are not ready to help me. My family members have also driven this car and they can also testify. Please help me with this problem. I don't have enough money to buy a replacement.

- Bolingbrook, IL, USA

Not what you are looking for?