AutoUtility currently tracks 134 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Kia Forte. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 54 complaints (40.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 13 filings cite a crash, 3 cite a fire, 8 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 134 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (54 reports • 40.3% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Air Bags & Restraints (17), Electrical System (16)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 13 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 8 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Kia Forte
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V260000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #22V031000 AIR BAGS
Electrical System
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Body & Structure
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #21V622000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Kia Forte
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Kia Forte
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Have to replace running lights every 4-6 months on both of my headlights. Happened every 4-6 months since I got the car in 2017"
"The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was discovered that the engine oil level was extremely low. The dealer kept..."
"Recently, while my boyfriend was driving my vehicle, the engine suddenly lost power without warning. He had the accelerator pedal fully depressed, yet the vehicle would barely move. He was fortunate to safely maneuver the vehicle off the road. Upon inspection, he discovered there was no oil present..."
"While driving the car with the flow of busy traffic, the engine failed and the car stopped. It eventually turn back on (side of the road) but now drives with hesitation, a strange noise, and with the engine light on. This cycle continued until we arrived at the repair shop. And after much research,..."
"Engine would run fast and then sound like was going to stop and then it would start shaking and rumbling while driving on highway and in town. Car would stall while at a stop. Gas smells inside the car. Did not feel safe driving. Had the car towed to an independent garage on February 7th and They..."
Complaint History for Kia Forte
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2024)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Kia Forte | 258 | 16 | 1 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Kia Forte | 2 | 0 | 1 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Kia Forte | 301 | 23 | 3 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Kia Forte Current Page | 134 | 13 | 3 | Current |
| 2019 Kia Forte | 147 | 11 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Kia Forte | 74 | 9 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Kia Forte | 67 | 10 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Kia Forte | 26 | 3 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Kia Forte | 60 | 10 | 3 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Kia Forte | 24 | 5 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Kia Forte
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 46 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.