AutoUtility currently tracks 67 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Kia Forte. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 20 complaints (29.9% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 10 filings cite a crash, 6 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
20 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
9 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
7 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
5 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owned a 2021 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the steering wheel locked independently, causing the vehicle to veer off the road into a construction site. The contact stated that the air bags did deploy. The contact stated that she sustained noise and neck..."
"Driving under normal conditions April 20,2026, on the way to school. Got off the freeway and the vehicle immediately shut-off and the check engine light came on. Vehicle was stuck partially in the roadway and would not move. Vehicle was towed to Kia dealership and they found that there was no oil..."
"To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting a formal complaint regarding a serious safety issue involving my 2021 Kia Forte. Approximately one year ago, I purchased this vehicle used with approximately 56,000 miles. I have owned the vehicle for nearly a year without prior incident until a recent and..."
"Oil is burning out quickly causing the car to stop abruptly without any warning and caused damages to the engine."
"The contact owns a 2021 Kia Forte. While driving at various speeds, the check engine warning illuminated. The vehicle would start to vibrate. The vibration was more evident while slowing down or stopping at traffic lights. The vibration and the warning light had become a recurring failure. After..."
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 | 134 | 13 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Kia Forte | 147 | 11 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Kia Forte | 74 | 9 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Kia Forte Current Page | 67 | 10 | 2 | Current |
| 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 → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 31 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Kia Forte
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Kia Forte is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 20 records (29.9% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Steering System (9) and Electrical System (8).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 67 consumer defect complaints and 2 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Kia Forte.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Kia Forte, 10 filings cite a crash, 0 cite smoke or fire, and 6 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.