Home · 2011 Kia Forte Koup · Complaints

What 160 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Kia Forte Koup

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (160)Crash / fire / injury (39)Engine (48)Airbags (36)Brakes (27)Transmission & drivetrain (19)Electrical system (16)Speed control (12)Body & structure (8)Lights (8)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (6)Seat belts (6)

3 of 160 complaints match · Seat belts · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 27, 2018AirbagsSeat beltsCrash3 injuries1 death

OTHER AIR BAG RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AND WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT TRAVELED LEFT OF THE CENTERLINE ON A TWO LANE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN AN OFF-SET, HEAD-ON COLLISION. THE DRIVER AIR BAG AND DRIVER SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER FAILED TO DEPLOY / ACTIVATE DURING THE SEVERE FRONTAL IMPACT. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURY.

NHTSA ODI 11131971

Aug 11, 2015AirbagsSeat beltsCrash1 injury

IN A MULTI HIT CAR ACCIDENT, INITIAL 30 MPH FRONT END, THEN 20 MPH REAR HIT. SEAT BELTS DID NOT LOCK, AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY.

NHTSA ODI 10747798

May 1, 2014AirbagsSeat beltsBrakesCrash1 injury

I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND IN MY 2011 KIA FORTE AT 70 MPH WHILE I WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP. MY BRAKES DID NOT WORK AT ALL FOR ME TO STOP ON THE ROAD BEFORE I WAS PUSHED INTO AN 8FT DEEP DITCH, INTO BIG BRANCHES AND MY CAR THEN BOUNCED THROUGH A HUGE FIELD. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AS THEY SHOULD HAVE, THE FRONT OF MY CAR IS DENTED IN FROM THE IMPACT OF THE DITCH AND THEN THE SEATBEAT DID NOT LOCK UP, IT THREW ME INTO THE STEERING WHEEL. I AM VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT THIS. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME I HAVE PERSONALLY HEARD ABOUT THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING IN A KIA AND THE SEAT BELT NOT LOCKING UP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10585980

Working with the data? Download all 160 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Kia Forte Koup verdict →