What 303 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Forte Koup

BACK IN 2018 MY ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED TO A SHOP AND THEY SAID THAT MY ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I'VE HAD KEPT REGULAR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WITH THE VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH THE 2012 FORTE USES HYUNDAI AND KIA'S 'THETA II' ENGINE. THE THETA II ENGINES COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DUE TO A MANUFACTURING PROCESS ISSUE. SURE ENOUGH I DID INDEED HAVE ENGINE FAILURE AND HAD TO PAY AN ARM AND A LEG TO REPLACE MY ENGINE. NOW I FEAR THAT THIS SECOND ENGINE WILL FOLLOW SUIT. ONLY SOME MODELS FELL UNDER THE RECALL BUT KIA REALLY NEEDS TO CONSIDER THE 2012 FORTE MODELS AND ANY OTHER MODEL THAT FALLS IN RANGE. DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND KIA NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE! I HAD TO CALL EMERGENCY SERVICES TO RESPOND TO MAKE SURE THE FIRE WENT OUT.

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DRIVING WHEN IT STALLED ALONG WITH MINOR SMOKING FROM ENGINE AREA ON SEVAERAL OCCASIONS. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL KIA TO SEE IF THEY MAY HAVE INSIGHT AS TO WHAT MIHJT BE THE CAUSE ONLY TO BE TOLD THEY WOULD NEED TO INDSPECT CAR ALONG WITH A HEFTY HOURLY FEE. AND WITHIN SEVERAL DAYS IT STALLED , THE ENGINE CAME ON THEN DIED. I TOWED CAR HOME. IT WOUL START AND RUN FOR APPR. 2 MINUTESWITH A VERY LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. I THEN HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MECHANIC SHOP TO HAVE IT CHECKED TO BE TOLD IT WAS BLOWN DUE TO THROWED RODS AND WOULD NEED AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT WGICH I DID HAVE DONE. IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION BY THE SHOP TO THE ISSUES KIA HAD HAD AND WAS HAVING WITH THE THETA ENGINE AS THATS WHAT MY CAR HAD. IVE CONTACTED THE MAIN KIA OFFICE WITH MY ISSUE AND COMPLAINT ONLY TO BE TOLD MY CAR WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST AND THEY COULDD NOT ASSIST ME AND DECLINED ANY OTHER CALLS IVE TRIEDTO PLACE TO THEM.

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THE NHTSA WEBSITE SAYS I HAVE A RECALL UNDER MY VIN NUMBER BUT WHEN I GO TO THE KIA WEBSITE AND ENTER IT FOR SERVICE IT SAYS NO RECALL FOUND, SO I CAN NOT HAVE IT REPAIRED.

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I BOUGHT MY 2012 KIA FORTE WITH ABOUT 9,000 MILES IN 2014. I USED GOOD PENNZOIL SYNTHETIC OIL AND DID REGULAR OIL CHANGES. MY ENGINE STARTED TICKING AT ABOUT 110,000 MILES. I WROTE IT OFF AS A TICKY LIFTER. AT 184, 000 MILES MY OIL LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED OVER AND CHECKED OIL. LESS THAN A QUART LOW, SO I FILLED IT. 5 MILES LATER CAR DIES AND WON'T TURN OVER AGAIN. MECHANIC SAYS ENGINE LOCKED UP. THEN I READ ONLINE THAT THIS 2.4 THETA ENGINE HAS BEEN RECALLED IN LATER MODEL KIAS AND HYUNDAI. BUT NOT IN EARLY YEARS BECAUSE OF SOME CODE NUMBER. GIVE ME A BREAK. KIA NEEDS TO PAY UP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.I AM CALLING EVERYONE I CAN TO KEEP THIS ISSUE OUT THERE. MAKE THEM DO A RECALL. NBC NEWS IS NEXT ON MY LIST. I WAS ON A CITY STREET GOING ABOUT 30. LUCKILY NOT PULLING OUT IN FRONT OF SOMEONE

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I DIDN'T GET THE RECALL FOR THE BRAKES IN 2018 RADIO JUST WENT OUT LAST YEAR FOR NO REASON WINDOW ON PASSENGER JUST STOPPED WORKING

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS EMITTING A SOUND LIKE THAT OF A DIESEL ENGINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS REVVING AT HIGH SPEEDS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A LOUD CLUNKING SOUND WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE. SEVERAL UNKNOWN DEALERS WERE CONTACTED WERE CONTACTED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ISSUE WAS COMMON WITH SIMILAR VEHICLES. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CRANK BEARING HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

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ENGINE KNOCKING & CLICKING. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE ENGINE FROM KIA FOR THESE MODELS. IT HAPPENS ON STARTUP AND FADES AFTER DRIVING AWHILE

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MARCH OF 2020 WE BAGAN NOTICING A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE MOTOR UPON COLD STARTS WHICH INCREASES AS THE IDLE SPEED INCREASES. ALSO MAKES THE SAME KNOCKING NOISE WHILE ENGINE IS AT RUNNING TEMPERATURE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE A CONNECTOR ROD OR CONNECTOR ROD BEARING ISSUE. THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT OF THE THETA II MOTOR. ALSO AROUND THE SAME TIME THE VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS RECALL SC158 BRAKE PEDAL STOPPER PAD. WE WERE INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REPAIR EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE CAME OUT OF PARK WITH ENGINE OFF AND KEYS NOT IN IGNITION, ALMOST CAUSING COLLISION WHEN CAR ROLLED INTO STREET. AGAIN, KIA STATED THAT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. *LN*JB

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IT SAYS ON HERE THERE IS AN ACTIVE RECALL I JUST PURCHASED THE CAR TODAY

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ENGINE HAS DEVELOPED A KNOCKING SOUND AT IDLE UPON COLD START. SUSPECT CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS ARE FAILING, SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT 2.0L THETA ENGINE RECALL. OIL AND FILTER HAS BEEN CHANGED EVERY 5K MILES SINCE NEW. THE 2.4L THETA II ENGINE NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CURRENT RECALL.

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WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL WHETHER WILL DRIVING OR WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED IT MAKES A CLICKING SOUND AND FEELS A LITTLE LOOSE. IF WHILE DRIVING AND I HIT A SMALL BUMP THE STEERING WHEEL WILL TURN AND MAKE A CLICKING SOUND. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO OIL CHANGE EXPRESS AND HE SAID THERE IS A RECALL ON A PART THAT'S DEALING WITH THE POWER STEERING IT'S A PART OF THE MOTOR. WHEN I CHECKED THERE WAS NO RECALL ON MY 2012 KIA FORTE BUT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE KIA OPTIMA. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL ON MY 2012 KIA FORTE WHEN IT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 2014 KIA OPTIMA TO BE EXACT. *TR

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MY BRAKE PEDAL STOPPER FOR MY BRAKE LIGHTS CRUMBLED. *TR

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH AND MY CAR BOGGED DOWN, IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER THEN SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. GOT SOME HELP TO PUSH IT TO THE SHOULDER, AND GOT A WRECKER TO TOW IT HOME. FOUND ENGINE HAD SIZED UP. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH KIA'S AND THIS ENGINE. CALLED LOCAL KIA DEALER AND THEY SAID THE FORTE SERIES WAS NOT APART OF THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE SAME ENGINE IN OTHER SERIES WITH THE SAME ENGINE PROBLEMS. *TR

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ENGINE FAILURE AT 71,000 MILES. ZERO PRIOR ISSUES. NOT COVERED BY KIA DUE TO TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP AND THE LACK OF WARRANTY BEYOND 60K. *TR

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START IT WITH A TICKING NOISE THAT WAS PERSISTENT EVERY TIME WE TURN THE CAR ON AND EVENTUALLY JUST BLEW UP IN THE MIDDLE OF US DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. KIA IS NOT HELPING THERE IS NO RECALLS FOR THIS MODEL CAR OR ISSUE AND WE ARE JUST BEING IGNORED. FINALLY GOT A CALL BACK FROM THE MECHANIC TO FIND OUT THAT KIA STOPPED MAKING THIS MODEL ENGINE BECAUSE THEY HAD SO MANY ISSUES FOR IT BUT YET NO RECALL THERE'S NO POSSIBLE WAY TO FIX OUR CAR NOW GOOD JOB KIA YOU SUCK #KIASUCKS *TR

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BACK IN 2017 I NEEDED TO HAVE THE ENGINE ON MY KIA REPAIRED AFTER ONLY FINANCING IT FOR ABOUT A YEAR DUE TO LOUD KNOCKING MY OIL LEVELS WERE UP TO PAR. PRESENT DAY, 2020 I AM HAVING THE SAME EXACT ISSUE ONCE AGAIN. AS I WAS DRIVING IN THE FREEWAY I FELT A WEIRD SHIFT FOLLOWED BY LOUD KNOCKING COMING FROM MY ENGINE.

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TL* HE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR BRAKE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATE WITH THE IGNITION IN THE OFF POSITION. ADDITIONALLY, THE GEAR SHIFTER COULD BE SHIFTED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER SOUTH DADE KIA (17120 SOUTH DIXIE HWY, MIAMI) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL STOPPER PAD WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE STOPPER PAD WAS REPLACED AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V773000 (SERVICE BRAKES). THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE LISTED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 43,400.

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THEY SAID THERE IS METAL SCRAP IN THE CYLINDERS AND IT IS EVERYWHERE ONLINE THAT THEY SPONTANEOUSLY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE OF IT AND HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE A FIRE. THIS VEHICLE HAS THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS WHAT PEOPLE DESCRIBE ONLINE AND I REFUSE TO DRIVE IT.

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TURN ON THE CAR AND THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. I WAS TOLD THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR REGULAR SCHEDULED OIL CHANGES AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE CEASED AND WAS UNAWARE IF THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT HAD ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. JOEY GRIFFIN KIA 3249 N CHURCH ST, ROCKY MOUNT, NC 27804, WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

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WHEN HAD MY ACCIDENT IN ON GOING TRAFFIC MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY,MY BRAKES SYSTEM WENT OUT, ALSO MY HORN DOESN'T WORK, AND MY CV AXLE MESSES UP AND CAN'T FIND ANOTHER CV AXLE.

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PURCHASED MY KIA FORTE 2.4L HATCHBACK USED 5 YEARS AGO WITH 42,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AND HAVE CHANGED TO OIL AT THE RECOMMENDED INTERVALS AND PARTICIPATED IN THE MANUFACTURER RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE AT CERTIFIED KIA DEALERS ONLY. IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES, OIL LEVEL NEVER DECREASED SO THERE WERE NO LEAKS. I WAS DRIVING HOME ON A 3-HOUR TRIP WHEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO DEVELOP A RATTLING NOISE. I PULLED OVER TO CHECK THE FLUIDS AND EXPOSED BELT AND NO ISSUES. THE RATTLING GREW MORE NOTICEABLE FROM A RATTLING TO A GRINDING NOISE (60-70 MPH) AND THEN THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN MINUTES THE ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, POWER LOST AND SPEED DECREASING WITHOUT A WAY TO ACCELERATE. I WAS ON A BUSY VIRGINIA HIGHWAY AND WAS ABLE TO PULL ONTO THE SHOULDER. TOWED TO CERTIFIED KIA DEALER WHO STATED THAT ONCE THEY OPENED THE OIL PAN, CHUNKS OF METAL CAME OUT AND THERE WERE GAPING HOLES IN ENGINE BLOCK. CLEARLY THIS ENGINE IS FACING THE SAME TERRIBLE FATE OF THE OTHER ENGINES RECALLED BY KIA; WHY WONT THEY ADMIT AND RECALL THE KIA ENGINES? AS SECOND OWNER, CAR IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY.

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WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BY ANOTHER CAR AT A SPEED THAT SHOULD HAVE CAUSE THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY BUT NONE DID. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED ON 12/26/19. I WAS HEADED SOUTHBOUND ON MINNESOTA AVE IN SIOUX FALLS, SD. I SLOWED DOWN TO TURN EAST WHEN A CAR HIT ME FROM BEHIND. THE IMPACT CAUSED MY CAR TO SPIN 270*. SHATTERED THE REAR DRIVER WINDOW. BENT FRAME. BUT NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED

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2012 KIA FORTE KOUP DRIVING ON A 45MPH ROAD WHEN WITHOUT WARNING ENGINE SEIZED CAUSING DANGEROUS SITUATION ATTEMPTING TO PULL CAR TO SIDE WITHOUT POWER. TOOK VEHICLE TO DELEARSHIP FOR WARRANTY SERVICE AS CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY WAS DENIED WARRANTY SERVICE FOR LUDICROUS REFUSAL TO ACCEPT MAINTENANCE RECORDS BECAUSE I SCANNED THE ORIGINALS AND WOULD NOT HAND OVER THE ORIGINALS. VEHICLE WAS IN PERFECT RUNNING ORDER AND I PROVIDED VIDEO EVIDENCE SHOWING KIA VIDEO I HAPPENED TO HAVE SHOT JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE ENGINE FAILED DEMONSTRATING CAR WAS RUNNING PERFECT WITHOUT ANY SHAKES, RUMBLES,ODD NOISES AND ABSOLUTELY NO "SERVICE ENGINE" OR OTHER WARNING LIGHTS. KIA TOOK 2 MONTHS TO EVEN GIVE ME A PRELIMINARY DECISION THAT WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIRS WITH NO OFFER TO ASSIST WITH A LOANER CAR OR RENTAL OR ANY OTHER ASSISTANCE. OPENED ENGINE UP TO FIND METAL SHAVINGS AND OTHER REMNANTS FROM MANUFACTURE FLOATING AROUND IN OIL PAN. UPON INVESTIGATING A LITTLE FURTHER DISCOVERED THAT KIA NEEDS TO HELD ACCOUNTABLE NOT ONLY FOR THE GDI THETA ENGINES THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED UNDER SC147 BUT ALSO THE MPI MODEL ENGINES LIKE I HAVE IN MY CAR. IN THE RECALL KIA CLAIMS METAL SHAVINGS FROM MANUFACTURE OF THE CRANKSHAFTS ON THE GDI ENGINES CAUSED THE ISSUES.......HOWEVER, THE EXACT SAME CRANKSHAFT DOWN TO THE PART NUMBERS ARE 100% IDENTICAL. PLEASE I IMPLORE YOU TO HOLD KIA ACCOUNTABLE NOT ONLY FOR THE GDI ENGINES BUT ALSO THE MPI AS WELL. THEY BOTH USE THE EXACT SAME PART KIA CLAIMS HAD ISSUES AND KIA CONTINUES TO LIE AND NOT HONOR THEIR WARRANTY.

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THE STEERING WHEEL CLICKS REALLY BAD. MY STEERING WHEEL COMPONENTS ARE NO LONGER WORKING. THE AIRBAG LIGHT HAS ALSO COME ON WITH THESE ISSUES.

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