What 211 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Forte Koup

I PURCHASED THE CAR DECEMBER 2012; 2013 KIA FORTE EX. ABOUT A 9 MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR, I WAS DRIVING AND THERE WAS A LOUD KNOCKING NOSE IN THE ENGINE AND ABOUT A HOUR LATER THE CAR STALLED ON ME IN DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO, CA. I GOT THE CAR TOWED TO SACRAMENTO KIA (2820 FULTON AVE, SACRAMENTO, CA 95821). AFTER THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM, THEY SAID WHEN THE CAR WAS BUILT A FEW PARTS IN THE ENGINE WERE PUT IN INCORRECTLY WHICH CAUSED MY ENGINE TO BASICALLY OVER HEAT AND START TO FALL APART. SO THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE FREE OF CHARGE. AUGUST 17 2014 AWHILE AFTER THE NEW ENGINE WAS PUT IN MY CAR, THE CAR STALLED ON ME AGAIN WITH THE SAME KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. AT THE TIME I WAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING ABOUT 60MPH. AFTER THE CAR STALLED ON ME I COULD NOT GO ABOVE 30MPH NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL. I HAD TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY HOME ON THE FREEWAY WITH THE HAZARD LIGHTS ON GOING 30MPH. WHEN I GOT HOME I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SACRAMENTO KIA (2820 FULTON AVE, SACRAMENTO, CA 95821). IT TOOK THEM A FEW DAYS TO A WEEK FOR THEM TO CALL ME AND LET ME KNOW THE CAR WAS THERE. I CALLED TWICE EVERYDAY AND NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK WHEN THEY SAID THEY WERE BUSY. I DID NOT RECEIVE A PHONE CALL UNTIL THEY CALLED ME THE THIRD WEEK AND SAID THEY ARE ORDERING PARTS FOR THE CAR. I DID NOT AUTHORIZE ANYONE TO ORDER PARTS FOR THE CAR BECAUSE I DID NOT FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. TWO DAYS AGO SEPTEMBER 2 2014 WAS THE DATE I FOUND OUT THAT I NEEDED A WHOLE NEW ENGINE WHEN THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED A YEAR AGO. SO THIS WOULD BE THE THIRD ENGINE FOR MY BRAND NEW 2013 KIA FORTE EX I PURCHASED A YEAR AGO. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10630711

CAR BRAKE PEDAL WILL STICK AND NOT COME BACK UP. THIS HAS ALSO CAUSED TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT TO COME ON. ONLY OCCURS WHEN IT IS RAINING OR A LITTLE COLD OUTSIDE. 2013 KIA FORTE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10615195

I HAD TO REPLACE THREE OF MY TIRES ON MY 2013 KIA FORTE SX. THEY HAD SIDE WALL DAMAGE AND FORMED BUBBLES. THESE TIRES ARE THE WORST. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10605950

I BOUGHT THE CAR A YEAR AFTER IT WAS RELEASED AND IT SEEMS TO JERK AT HIGH SPEEDS WHEN GOING OVER MINOR BUMPS IN THE ROAD. ALSO SHAKES WHEN RIDING THROUGH HIGH WINDS. IT SEEMS EXTREMELY LIGHT WEIGHT AND IS HARD TO CONTROL IF THERE IS STRONG WINDS(15MPH) PRESENT WHICH EXTREMELY NERVE WRACKING ESPECIALLY TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES, OR WITH MY CHILDREN, OR ON THE HIGHWAY. THE JERKING SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING FOR MINOR BUMPS ON THE ROAD, MAKES ME FEEL THE CAR IS UNSAFE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10587708

WAS DRIVING ON THE CAR ON THE TURNPIKE, SET THE CRUISE CONTROL FOR 65 MPH. CRUISE STAYED ON FOR A FEW MINUTES, SHUT OFF AUTOMATICALLY AND BEGAN TO DECELERATE. ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE BY DEPRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE, ALTHOUGH RPMS DID INCREASE. HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN THE CAR OFF AND RESTART. DROVE REMAINDER OF DISTANCE W/O CRUISE CONTROL. CAR HAS HAD THIS SAME ISSUE INTERMITTENTLY. HAVE HAD TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE. CAR HAS BEEN ANALYZED BY THE COMPUTER WITH NO ISSUE FOUND. BOTH TIMES THEY HAVE RELEASED THE CAR SINCE THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10573547

AT APPROXIMATELY 11:30 A.M., TRAVELING ON A TWO LANE, PAVED ROAD, AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, HEARD A LOAD "POP." NOTICED REAR WINDOW HAD EXPLODED. PULLED OFF ROAD. ALL GLASS WAS STILL INTACT, BUT, IN A MILLION PIECES. THERE WAS NOT ANY NOTICEABLE HOLES, INDENTATIONS, OR ANY OBVIOUS SIGNS OF WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE DAMAGE. THERE DID APPEAR TO BE PRIMARY POINT OF WHERE THE DAMAGE WAS COMING FROM, ONE OF THE TOP DEFROSTER LINES. CURRENTLY WORKING WITH LOCAL DEALER, SAME AS WHERE I PURCHASED VEHICLE, TO REPAIR. APPEARS, MANUFACTURER WILL HANDLE, HOWEVER, NOT CERTAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10547824

KIA FORTE 2013 PURCHASED NEW AND HAD PROBLEMS WITH CAR WHEN DRIVING 55-70 MILES AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THE CAR SHAKES,TIRES MAKE NOISES LIKE THEY'RE FLAT,TROUBLE WITH STEERING,REALLY ROUGH RIDE,SMOKE CAME FROM ENGINE AND THE CAR HAS BEEN A PAIN CONSIDERING IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE NEW. IT ALSO LEAKS WHEN IT RAINS AND SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T SEE OUT REAR WINDOW. ALL THESE THINGS AND MORE WERE REPORTED TO KIA MOTORS WHO SENT ME TO DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP SCOFFED AT THE REFERRAL,STATED KIA MOTORS KNOWS ABOUT PROBLEMS AND ALLEGEDLY CHECKED FORTE REPORTING NOTHING CAN BE DONE AND NOTHING IS WRONG. THE CAR CONTINUES TO HAVE PROBLEMS AND IS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY PLUS FEELS UNSAFE. THERE SHOULD BE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY WITH KIA SOMEWHERE BUT THERE ISN'T...GUESS THAT'S THE BUSINESS CUSHION. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10524257

HIGHWAY DRIVING @ 65 MPH WITH A CROSSWIND GUSTING TO 25 MPH. ACROSS FRONT RIGHT FENDER. THE REAR OF THE CAR IS FAR TOO LIGHT TO HOLD IT TO THE ROAD STRAIGHT. BROADSIDE WIND IS OF COURSE A LOT WORSE. BEING PASSED BY A TRUCK YOU COULD ALMOST GET JERKED RIGHT UNDER IT. THERE SHOULD AT LEAST BE A SMALL FIN ACROSS THE TRUNK TO CATCH AIR AND MAKE SOME DOWN FORCE, BECAUSE THE TRUNK AREA IS SO SHORT IT MAY NOT EVEN CATCH AIR IF WIND TUNNELED. 30 YEARS OF DRIVING AND BEING A RETIRED PROFESSIONAL DRIVER TELLS ME THIS IS THE MOST UNSAFE CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10519537

2013 KIA FORTE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO MAJOR ENGINE DEFECTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THREE WEEKS AFTER HER DAUGHTER PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MALFUNCTION AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. SMOKE AND A VERY STRONG BURNING ODOR EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION. THE RADIATOR WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY. SINCE THE REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL, WHICH REQUIRED ADDING OIL TO KEEP IT AT FULL LEVEL. THE TAIL PIPE WAS DARK BLACK AND HEAVILY SOILED, WHICH INDICATED THE VEHICLE STILL HAD A SERIOUS PROBLEM. ONE MONTH LATER, THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED DELAYED ACCELERATION

NHTSA ODI 10510076

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CONTACT LOOKED THROUGH THE REAR VIEW MIRROR AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR WINDSHIELD GLASS PROJECTED AN UNUSUAL IMAGE WHICH DISTORTED HIS VIEW. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED BEING DRIVEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NOT A PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100.

NHTSA ODI 10495260

AT VEHICLE START - GAUGES ON DASH DID NOT WORK AND SHIFT LOCK WAS ENGAGED. UNABLE TO SHIFT VIA SHIFT RELEASE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS THE PROBLEM RESOLVED. *TR *JS

NHTSA ODI 10475215