Home · 2012 Kia Forte Koup · Complaints

What 303 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 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 (303)Crash / fire / injury (40)Engine (173)Brakes (50)Airbags (37)Electrical system (33)Lights (23)Speed control (15)Transmission & drivetrain (12)Fuel system (11)Body & structure (9)Steering (9)

5 of 303 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 10, 2025BrakesAirbagsEngineFire

The contact's cousin owned a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked unattended by the privacy fence. The contact was alerted by her nephew and observed that the vehicle was on fire. The front windshield had shattered, and smoke was visible inside the cabin. The fire appeared to originate from the dashboard area. The contact used a fire extinguisher to suppress the flames with the assistance of her brother. The local fire department arrived on the scene and completed extinguishing the fire. The airbags deployed during the incident, and the fire department declared the vehicle a total loss. Upon investigation, the contact was able to link the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Air Bags). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11692569

Oct 31, 2024BrakesFire

The contact owned a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the seat belt warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while he was occupying the parked vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and the contact noticed fire coming from underneath the hood. The contact immediately exited the vehicle. The contact stated that the hood became engulfed in fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that the vehicle burned to the ground from the front end to the rear seats. There was no injury sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was awaiting to be towed and to be totaled. The contact became aware that the VIN was in included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulic), which the contact related to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 348,000.

NHTSA ODI 11622886

Feb 6, 2020SteeringAirbagsBrakesCrash1 injury

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.

NHTSA ODI 11307568

Aug 10, 2018AirbagsBrakesFuel systemCrash

I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN INTO A PARKING SPOT AT A CORNER STORE PARKING LOT. AS I WAS TURNING THE ACCELERATER DROPPED TO THE FLOOR. I PUSHED THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY AND IT STILL PULLED FORWARD. I IMPACTED THE FRONT LEFT CORNER OF THE STORE CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE WALL OF THE STORE. ALSO DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR HEADLIGHTS, FENDER, TIRE WELL LINING AND MORE. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON OR AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I JUST RECEIVED A LETTER TODAY IN THE MAIL ABOUT RECALL ISSUES. KIA HAS NOT WARNED ME OF ANYTHING AND I TAKE MY CAR TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED I'M TRYING GET HELP WITH THIS. I'M LOOKING FOR LAWYER NOW BECAUSE I JUST GOT THIS INFORMATION. AFTER OWNING THIS CAR SINCE 2012. I'M WORKING ON THE CLAIM NOW SO THE FULL REPORT IS NOT DONE.

NHTSA ODI 11119248

Aug 12, 2013Speed controlBrakesFuel systemCrash

I WAS BACKING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY APPROX. 3 FEET WHEN THE CAR LURCHED BACKWARDS AT FULL RPM WHILE THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THE GAS PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE ONLY WAY I COULD GET THE CAR TO STOP WAS TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION. IT WAS LIKE THE BRAKES WEREN'T WORKING AND THE THROTTLE WAS STUCK. THIS "PROBLEM" CAUSED DAMAGE TO A SUPPORT BEAM OF A CARPORT CAUSING IT TO FAIL AND FALL ON A CAR PARKED UNDERNEATH. I KNOW THERE ARE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS SUCH AS THIS ON THIS EXACT CAR, WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN ANY INVESTIGATIONS AND/OR RECALLS ON THIS CAR? THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CAR. BY THE WAY, THIS WAS A RENTAL CAR AND NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10534939

Working with the data? Download all 303 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 2012 Kia Forte Koup verdict →