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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)

1 of 303 complaints match · Lights · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 3, 2021LightsFire

I believe that something within brake light assembly has caught fire at one time. The plastic I. Which holds the brake light bulb is melted to the point that I had to purchase a new brake light assembly because I can no longer replace the bulb because it is melted beyond repair.

NHTSA ODI 11442512

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 →