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)

3 of 303 complaints match · Speed control · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 14, 2014Fuel systemSpeed controlCrash1 injury

DRIVING IN A SHOPPING CENTER PARKING LOT. MADE A RIGHT TURN INTO AN ALLEY. VEHICLE THEN RAPIDLY ACCELERATED THROUGH THE ALLEY AND THEN SMASHED INTO A TREE. CAN'T REMEMBER IF BRAKES WERE APPLIED OR NOT. IT ALL HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY. KIA FORTE WAS TOTALED AND DRIVER WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH EXTENSIVE INJURIES (FOOT BROKEN, HAND BROKEN, VERTEBRAE DAMAGE) HOSPITALIZED APPROX. 5 DAYS AND NURSING HOME APPROX. 10 DAYS. LAST VISIT TO SURGEON FOR SMASHED FOOT (TO REMOVE METAL PINS) WAS IN APRIL OF 2013. ACCIDENT REPORT ON FILE WITH CAPE CORAL POLICE (AGENCY CASE NUMBER [XXX]) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10610525

Jun 27, 2014Body & structureSpeed controlEngineCrash1 injury

300 MILES AFTER COMPLAINING TO DEALER OF SLIPPING FLOOR MAT STOPPING BRAKING AND RANDOM HIGH ACCELERATION-A REAL ACCIDENT OCCURRED AGAINST A BARRIER IN A PARKING GARAGE. MATS FLIP FAR MORE THAT AUDI AND TOYOTA RECALLS. ENTIRE CAR DAMAGED BY PREVIOUS ACCELERATION(RANDOM) OR BRAKES NOT WORKING DUE TO MATS. THE PARKING GARAGE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT 15 MPH AND SQUARE HEAD ON TO CEMENT BARRIER SEVERELY DAMAGING BUMPER, HOOD, FENDERS, GRILL, HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR ENGINE. I INJURED BOTH ARMS AND SKIN ABRASIONS ON CHEST-DUE TO AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING-SIMILAR TO RECENT RECALLS. DEALER RESPONSE WAS THAT FLOOR MATS ALWAYS GIVE AWAY FROM WEAR AND TEAR AT 17K MILES WITHOUT WARNING-CAUSING ME NEAR FATAL OTHER ACCIDENTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10606380

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 →