What 289 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Forte

Vehicle: 2012 Kia Forte Recall: NHTSA 23V-652 (Kia SC284) – HECU/ABS fuse recall My vehicle underwent this safety recall in 2025. The dealership replaced the HECU fuse. Immediately upon leaving the dealership after the recall repair, the same warning lights returned. I contacted the dealership immediately before fully leaving the area to report the issue. I also contacted Kia Corporate after the warning condition returned. Kia was aware the warning lights returned immediately after recall completion. I was advised if the vehicle later entered limp mode again, to contact Kia roadside assistance for towing support per prior guidance. The warning condition was not resolved by the recall repair. The brake warning light remained present, additional warning indicators later appeared, and the vehicle ultimately entered limp mode in January 2026, resulting in loss of reliable transportation and safety concerns. Due to this condition, I was forced to rely on a rental vehicle for an extended period at significant personal cost totaling several thousand dollars. I'm a single parent with a child requiring ongoing medical appointments, making reliable transportation essential. Kia only approved a limited "goodwill payment" of $191.40 for an earlier rental period, while refusing reimbursement for the substantially larger rental costs incurred after the recall failure and progression to limp mode. When the vehicle entered limp mode, I had to arrange towing because Kia assistance was not available as they closed out the recall. Kia is now requiring out-of-pocket diagnostic payment before determining whether the issue is related to Recall 23V-652, despite the warning condition returning immediately after recall repair and later progressing to limp mode consistent with the original failure symptoms. I am reporting a potentially ineffective recall remedy and unresolved recurrence of the safety condition addressed under Recall 23V-652.

NHTSA ODI 11745725

the VCM motor has a "coupler" that operates intake manifold runner, this coupler brakes apart , causing vehicle to loose engine power, engine light comes on, code P200. kia dealer recommends to replace the intake manifold that comes with new VCM motor, if you replace it you're self then you need to take vehicle to kia dealer to have them update software for the new VCM.

NHTSA ODI 11664831

Engine keeps turning off when driving at 65 mph it also jerks accelerate by itself loosen power it occurs occasionally, engine smells burn oil and engine light comes on. Dealer has failed to reproduce failure and now they want to charge me $185 to run a full diagnose this problem started after 8/16/2017 after dealer service

NHTSA ODI 11615119

The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH. The ABS and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11563578

MY 2012 KIA FORTE 2.0L ENGINE KEEPS MAKING A TICKING, KNOCKING NOISE. TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AND THE DEALER SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT LOCATE THE ISSUE, BUT THAT I MAY JUST NEED AN OIL CHANGE. OIL WAS SEVERELY LOW, EVEN THOUGH OIL WAS JUST CHANGED. THERE WERE NO LEAKS IDENTIFIED. ALSO, MY CAR HAS A JERKING ISSUE WHEN ACCELERATING. THE CAR SOMETIMES GETS THROWN FORWARD WITHOUT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEING THROWN. THIS ESPECIALLY HAPPENS ON THE INTERSTATE, OR IF THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR LONGER THAN 20 MINUTES. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11388894

WHEN STARTING MY VEHICLE IN PARK, I PUT IT IN REVERSE, AND IT BARELY GOES. IT SEEMS TO LACK POWER, OR IS BEING BOGGED DOWN. IT ALMOST COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP, AND THEN IT SUDDENLY KICKS IN, AND JERKS YOU BACKWARDS VERY FAST. IT IS SCARY BECAUSE I COULD EASILY HIT SOMETHING OR CRASH, BECAUSE THE CAR BECOMES ALMOST OUT OF CONTROL. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO KICK BACK IN EITHER. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE KIA DEALER, BUT THEY SAID IT DID NOT DO IT FOR THEM OF COURSE. SO I AM STUCK WITH A CAR THAT IS HAVING A LOT OF ISSUES. I DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THEM RIGHT NOW. I AM NOT WORKING, AND THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD ME THE CAR RIPPED ME OFF. I HAVE ALREADY PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO IT. IT SEEMS TO DO IT THE WORST WHEN IT RAINS FOR SOME REASON.

NHTSA ODI 11190284

WHEN DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT FLOW OF TRAFFIC MOTOR SHUTS DOWN AT HIGH SPEED AND ON THE HIGHWAYS.

NHTSA ODI 10979188

I BOUGHT A 2012 KIA FORTE EX HATCHBACK WITH 60,000 MILES ABOUT A MONTH AGO. TWO INSTANCES HAVE OCCURRED WHICH I BELIEVE MIGHT BE RELATED. FIRST TIME I WAS TRAVELING @ 65MPH AROUND A 50MPH CURVE ON CRUISE CONTROL. I HIT A BUMP, AND CRUISE CONTROL SHUT OFF AUTOMATICALLY. NO BIG DEAL, I JUST PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS AND RESET THE CC AFTER THE CURVE. HOWEVER, YESTERDAY, I WAS NEARING THE BEGINNING OF A MERGE RAMP TO GET ON THE INTERSTATE. I WAS TURNING AND ACCELERATING WHEN I HIT A POTHOLE AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. INSTEAD OF MERGING ONTO THE INTERSTATE, I COASTED @ 5-10 MPH UNTIL I COULD REACH THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURNED THE KEY OFF AND THEN IMMEDIATELY STARTED THE CAR BACK UP. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS AND THE CAR RAN LIKE A TOP. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND I AM LUCKY I DIDN'T GET REAR-ENDED (THIS WAS AN ON/OFF RAMP, SO CARS WERE PILING UP BEHIND ME AND HONKING DUE TO MY SLOW SPEED). I HAD THE CAR CHECKED BY A MECHANIC BEFORE I BOUGHT IT AND HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NO CEL, THERE WAS A CODE IN THE COMPUTER FOR THE 'YAW' SENSOR (HE TOLD ME IF THE CAR RUNS OK, HE WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT REPLACING IT). KNOWING THIS, I HAVE TURNED OFF THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL IN HOPES THAT THE ISSUE IS RELATED AND WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN IF THE ESC IS OFF. CAR IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND WAS WELL TAKEN CARE OF BY PREVIOUS OWNER.

NHTSA ODI 10872290

MY 2012 KIA FORTE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE SUDDENLY RACING, AND ACTING LIKE IT IS OUT OF GEAR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO MY MECHANIC AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THAT THEY CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. I ALSO GET PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE LIGHTS: I GET TOLD THAT THEY'RE OUT WHEN THEY AREN'T. I DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND OIL CHANGES ON MY VEHICLE. IT STARTED IN APRIL, 2014, AT FIRST OCCASIONALLY, BUT NOW IT IS ALMOST CONSTANT. IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT FOUND AND FIXED, I AM IN DANGER OF LOSING MY TRANSMISSION AND WORSE....UPDATED 12/10/15 *BF

NHTSA ODI 10733474

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 KIA FORTE. DURING COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO EXCEED 2000 RPMS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10682098

SEPTEMBER 24TH AT 6:30 A.M. TRAVELING AT 65MPH ON 91 FREEWAY. START TO SLOW AND THEN STOP FOR TRAFFIC. TRAFFIC STARTS TO SPEED UP AND MY VEHICLE GOES INTO ?LIMP MODE?. CAR REV METER GOES UP TO ABOUT 5, BUT CAR WILL NOT GO FASTER THAN APPROX. 35 MPH. THEN WITHIN 20 SECONDS CAR SURGES FORWARD AND REGAINS SPEED AND REV COUNTER DROPS TO NORMAL. TAKE CAR TO KIA DEALER ITS PLUGGED INTO THE COMPUTER. AT 3PM HE SAYS THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES. HE AND I TAKE IT FOR A TEST DRIVE FOR APPROX. 20 MILES AND IT DOES NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I ADVISE HIM THAT IT HAS DONE THIS TWICE BEFORE BUT ONLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. OCTOBER 1 AT 6:40A.M I AM TRAVELING TO WORK ON THE 91 FREEWAY. I AM DOING 65 MPH AND START SLOWING DOWN TO APPROX. 20 MPH AS I PASS THE 55 INTERCHANGE. AGAIN TRAFFIC SPEEDS UP RAPIDLY. I AM IN THE MIDDLE LANE. I ACCELERATE AND IT GOES INTO ?LIMP MODE?. THE CAR WILL NOT GO FASTER THAN APPROX. 35/40 MILES PER HOUR. THE ESC LIGHT COMES ON. CARS ARE GOING PAST ME AS I AM IN A MIDDLE LANE AND I NEARLY GET REAR ENDED AS A CAR BEHIND ME DOES NOT REALIZE MY SPEED. I PULL INTO THE SLOW LANE JUST IN CASE I NEED TO PULL TO THE HARD SHOULDER. I CONTINUE SLOWLY 5 MILES TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY BY WORK. I NOTICE A BURNING SMELL. I GET OUT OF MY VEHICLE AND SMELL A VERY STRONG SMELL OF BURNING THAT SMELLS ALL OVER BUT APPEARS TO BE VERY MUCH STRONGER ON THE REAR DRIVERS SIDE AREA. I TURN THE ENGINE OFF. WHEN I TURN THE ENGINE BACK ON THERE IS NO WARNING INDICATOR ON. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10640520

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

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

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