The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists 2 official safety recall campaigns for the 2019 Kia Forte in AutoUtility's current federal dataset. The primary affected vehicle systems include Exterior Lighting, Powertrain & Transmission.

Key Recall Findings
  • Official Recall Campaigns: 2 campaigns on file with NHTSA
  • Primary Affected Subsystems: Exterior Lighting, Powertrain & Transmission
  • Official Remedy: Detailed per campaign in official NHTSA records below
  • Most Recent NHTSA Report: August 5, 2020
VIN-Specific Notice: Safety recall campaigns apply to specific production date ranges and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). A campaign listing on this model-year page does not establish that every vehicle or trim is affected. Check your 17-digit VIN at NHTSA.gov or with an authorized dealer to verify whether a safety repair is needed.
Official Recall Campaigns
2
Listed in current NHTSA data
Affected System Areas
2
Broad component categories
Latest NHTSA Filing
August 5, 2020
Most recent campaign report
VIN Verification
Required
Exact applicability depends on VIN

Vehicle Systems Involved in Recalls for 2019 Kia Forte

Distribution of official safety recall campaigns across automotive subsystem domains

Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Exterior Lighting

NHTSA records also contain 15 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Powertrain & Transmission

NHTSA records also contain 47 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Domain Mapping Methodology: A single NHTSA recall campaign may involve more than one vehicle subsystem (such as electrical wiring affecting fuel delivery), so domain totals can exceed the total number of unique recall campaigns. Complaint and recall counts are grouped by broad vehicle system; component co-occurrence does not establish that an individual owner complaint is related to a specific recall campaign.

Official NHTSA Recall Campaigns (2)

Complete safety campaign filings including defect descriptions, safety hazards, and free dealer remedies

NHTSA Campaign #20V459000 Powertrain & Transmission
Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT
NHTSA Report Date: August 5, 2020
Safety Defect Summary:

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Forte vehicles. The left front axle driveshaft may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to break.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

A broken driveshaft can result in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left front axle driveshaft for a heat treatment verification code, and replace it if the code is missing, free of charge. The recall began September 2, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC195.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #18V771000 Exterior Lighting
Affected Component: EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
NHTSA Report Date: October 31, 2018
Safety Defect Summary:

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Kia Forte vehicles equipped with LED headlights. The headlights may not have been manufactured with the correct low beam aiming. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Safety Risk / Consequence:

If the headlights are not properly aimed, the driver may have reduced visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlight aiming and replace the headlights, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC171.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Source Data Notice: Campaign summaries, safety consequences, and remedy descriptions are direct text extracts published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation.

Recall History for Kia Forte

Official safety recall campaign volume across sibling model years (2015–2024)

Model Year NHTSA Recalls NHTSA Complaints Detailed Report
2015 Kia Forte 1 258 View 2015 Recalls →
2016 Kia Forte 1 2 View 2016 Recalls →
2017 Kia Forte 3 301 View 2017 Recalls →
2018 Kia Forte 3 134 View 2018 Recalls →
2019 Kia Forte Current Page 2 147 Current
2020 Kia Forte 0 74 View 2020 Recalls →
2021 Kia Forte 2 67 View 2021 Recalls →
2022 Kia Forte 1 26 View 2022 Recalls →
2023 Kia Forte 3 60 View 2023 Recalls →
2024 Kia Forte 0 24 View 2024 Recalls →
Historical Reporting Note: Recall campaign counts are shown by model year and should not be interpreted as a vehicle reliability score. Campaigns may cover multiple model years, and newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time for new safety campaigns to be issued.

VIN-Specific Recall Verification

How to confirm whether an individual vehicle requires an authorized safety repair

Safety recall campaigns on this page are associated with this make, model, and model year in NHTSA federal records. A campaign may apply only to certain vehicles based on production date, equipment, manufacturing details, or other campaign-specific criteria.

AutoUtility cannot determine whether a particular VIN is affected or whether a recall remedy has already been completed.

For vehicle-specific recall status, check the 17-digit VIN using NHTSA's official recall lookup or contact an authorized dealer. Campaign-specific remedy information shown above is reproduced from official NHTSA recall records.

Official NHTSA Safety Resources: NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 711)
Official US Government Data Provenance

Recall records published on this page are retrieved directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Recalls Database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.