What 439 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Forte Koup

I was getting into my car when I noticed that it was full of smoke, I then opened my hood and trunk. My trunk was on fire from a wire that had came down. I was only about to pull it out and put it out. Insurance said it will most likely be deemed a total loss.

NHTSA ODI 11752279

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that while exiting the contact's residence and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that seconds later, the contact noticed fire coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was unoccupied. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire with two residential fire extinguishers. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The fire inspector informed the contact that the fire was caused by an unknown fluid. The vehicle was not inspected by the insurance company. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred moments after the vehicle was parked. The contact referenced a recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine); however, the contact stated that the recall notification was not received. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. In addition, the contact was informed that the recall had been open for a long period of time. The contact was informed that there was no mailing address on file for the mailing of recall notifications. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

NHTSA ODI 11733982

After T-boning a Toyota Prius, my air bag did not go off and my driver seat belt did not lock. As a result, I suffered a collapsed right lung, my left hand punched the windshield fracturing my wrist and had to have surgery from that. Also suffered my 7th right rib fractured. There was no warning lamps and no shop or dealer mentioned any of the malfunctions.

NHTSA ODI 11641554

Airbags failed to deploy after rear end collision.

NHTSA ODI 11542393

My car was parked overnight in front my house on the street, and I remote started it around 4 pm. As I was looking out the window to check if the car started- I saw it moving forward. I ran out of the house and within a few seconds- the car rolled into my neighbor's truck and sustained damage to the hood and frame. This is a safety issue because the car is a push start car- and should not have started and moved. Luckily it hit a parked car and not a person. The remote start came with the car when I bought it from the kia dealership in 2013. I called kia corporate and have an appointment to get the car looked at the closest dealership. I did not have any warning lights- but I did have my car recently serviced (oil change and valve cover repaired). I also am dealing with a clogged catalytic convertor due to a leaky valve cover- and was told by kia corporate this may be covered under a class action lawsuit.

NHTSA ODI 11530152

on or about 6-6-2023 store employee Tim Creel was airing up the tire on the passenger side front of the vehicle. Tim used a kia air compressor which comes standard with a lot of today's Kias instead of spare tire. The tire pressure reached 32 psi when Tim unplugged the 12v connector. As he went to walk away he noticed flames coming from under the plug in spot. The vehicle proceeded to keep a fire going for several minutes as the other employee Eddie pulled up and put it out with a fire extinguisher. The owner mark then advised a report be made. The D'Iberville police and fire dept showed up. They issued a case number of 23-01640 by officer IPOCK. Please find attached photos kind regards Timothy Creel

NHTSA ODI 11527256

The contact owned a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while it was parked outside her residence. The origin of the fire was unknown. The fire started from the rear of the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire, and the report was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 196,781.

NHTSA ODI 11517052

My car caught on fire out of nowhere when i pulled into my grandmother's driveway. I had smelt smoke maybe 10 minutes before I arrived but assumed it was from someone starting a fire while I was driving. No smoke had started forming while I was driving. The smoke rolled out from the dash board area and kept spreading once I had arrived and got out to get my grandma from inside. My entire car was engulfed in flames within minutes. The firefighters informed me that they had put out another kia that same day and that there was active recalls for fires on kias. I kept my car at a tow lot for almost 3 months waiting on kia to inspect it. They claimed it was an outside source but I have video proof of us trying to put out the fire and the moment i pulled into the driveway. Kia is a terrible company and deserves no money for their cars. All of my stuff I was moving with was in the vehicle with me and Kia took no blame. They are lucky her house didnt catch fire too because it was almost close enough

NHTSA ODI 11515767

Warning lights starting flashing and vehicle went into "limp mode". Before I could completely pull over the engine started smoking. Taken to the dealer and while they were able to confirm the rod bearing was the failure, it also caused other failures so Kia wouldnt cover it under the warranty. I've did arbitration but still no help.

NHTSA ODI 11511334

My car caught on fire out of nowhere when i pulled into my grandma's house. I was unaware of a recall until I was advised by the firman that put my car out that they had also put another kia out the same day and it had a recall. Upon searching I found this recall. I contacted kia and went through their claims process. They inspected my vehicle and are still claiming it didnt come from inside the dash board which is where the fire originated when I tried to put it out before it got out of hand. I have a video that proves i pulled in and it caught fire spontaneously. Kia has but me through trauma with that fire and I am lucky to still have a job with the work I missed without a vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11509413

I was driving on the highway going 50 mph where the vehicle suddenly shut off and started smoking. I exited the vehicle to take a look and the entire engine compartment was on fire. I only had the car for 2 months and was never made aware of any recalls on the car

NHTSA ODI 11499686

Husband was attempting to back auto out of driveway and when he put it in reverse, car accelerated on its own and hit the corner of our house. He then put it in drive and the car again accelerated on its own hitting the corner of our garage and then went through the garage door. The car is totaled. I called the Kia dealership where we purchased the used car and they said there was nothing they could do about it. They said I would have to call Kia consumer relations which I have tried numerous times and am put on hold each time for 30-45 minutes. I haven’t been able to reach anyone to talk to. I looked up Kia corporate number and got the same results. I cannot get through to talk to anyone about this matter. The car is a 2014 with 124000 miles on it. We had it at the dealership 1 week prior to this incident to the tune of $1650.00 in repairs and now must pay a $1000.00 deductible to get the garage and house repaired. We no longer had collision or comprehensive insurance on the vehicle due to a recent hailstorm and were paid out by our insurance company for what they thought the car was worth.

NHTSA ODI 11491814

The contact owned a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that his VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on the street in front of his residence, the vehicle caught fire. The fire burned the nearby curbside and lawn as well. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle remained parked in front of the contact's residence and was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11475921

On June 24, 2022 I was driving my vehicle on 435N to work. My steering wheel jerked to the left and started spinning out of control. I was driving at 60mph in the inside lane. When my steering jerked it caused me to turn headfirst into the inside wall. I proceeded to spin out of control across 3 lanes of rush hour traffic, clipping a second vehicle, before smashing into the outside wall and then resting in the outside lane horizontally. I was rushed to the emergency room where I suffered a broken back. Upon looking at the recalls and safety issues with my vehicle there was a recall #17V773000 for the brake pedal stopper; a most recent

NHTSA ODI 11471011

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the engine stalled. The contact pulled safely off the road. The contact stated the check engine light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and attempted to drive it home. The contact said that the engine began to make a knocking noise and again stalled. The contact had the vehicle towed to her house and then to the dealer. The dealer mechanic started the vehicle and smoke began to issue out from under the hood. The mechanic turned the vehicle off, no more smoke or fire was noticed after the hood was opened. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11459552

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH a knocking type noise was suddenly present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle suddenly stalled and shut off causing the vehicle to abruptly reduce speed. The vehicle was restarted but the failure continued to occur. While examining under the hood black smoke was present coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number 20V750000 (Engine). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 129,000.

NHTSA ODI 11459572

My car was hit in an accident & my air bag light popped on but they didn’t deploy. The light is still on and that was over 2 months ago.

NHTSA ODI 11449400

My Kia Forte when I put it in reverse it will jerk back then pause and hardly push itself backwards I have no control same as putting the car into Drive. I also consistently hear water in the bottom of my car swishing around.

NHTSA ODI 11440761

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while his son was driving at 45 mph, the engine failed and smoke was coming from the engine. The contact's son was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure, and no oil was found in the oil reservoir. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to another dealer, Koons Annapolis Toyota (1107 West St, Annapolis, MD 21401), and the dealer sent documents from the previous dealer, Kia of Bowie, to the manufacturer. The Koons Annapolis Toyota dealer had the vehicle towed to Alexandria Car Clinic (3235 Colvin St, Alexandria, VA 22314) for the engine replacement. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. However, the manufacturer closed the case without notifying the contact and had not responded to the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 66,800.

NHTSA ODI 11440229

There was a car accident car was totaled my wife was stuck in the seat the seat belt broke would not unlatch they had to cut her out. There not supposed to break. What if the car cought fire?

NHTSA ODI 11439306

I purchased a 2014 Kia Forte on August 24, 2013. On August 26, 2021 I reported an electrical fire in the trunk of my car to the dealership. I was told not to drive the car but to tow it. My car was towed home because the dealership was closed by the time the tow truck arrived. The insurance company totaled the vehicle. I would still have my vehicle if this electrical fire had not occurred. The dealership stands on they sell and maintain the cars only. They performed the regular maintenance on the vehicle. They never noted any electrical issues. After 3 weeks they also said the car was totaled. They referred me to the makers in California. They had not reported the fire to them. After 2 months of going back and forth , Kia corporate determined they can not find what caused the electrical fire. Therefore they are not responsible. It was not declared arson. My car caught fire in the parking lot where I work in southern Louisiana while I was in northern Mississippi on the job. The car was locked and both keys were with me. The wires, the trunk door, the cloth covering over the top of the trunk, and back window burned. Some water bottles, sprite bottles and the empty bag of cat food they were placed on the day before burned. The plastic binders, the bottom of the trunk, and the spare tire space did not burn. It is clear the car had a defect. The fire could have reached the gas tank and caused an explosion. The wires burned causing the fire. The car set itself on fire. Even though the car is under the 10 year, 100,000 mile Waranty. They will not acknowledge the defect, the warranty, or responsibility. I was told by the Kia representative of my claim that they determined the light bulb did not cause the fire so there is nothing they can do. They could not determine what did cause the fire. They said they are not responsible. I believe they knowingly sold vehicles that would catch fire to a clueless public and did nothing to fix the electrical defects.

NHTSA ODI 11437958

UNKNOWN My 2014 Kia Forte Ex has been having randon acceleration problems. I just bought it from an O'Brien dealership a couple months ago. It has also caused the breaks to not want to work. I was in an accident due to this and crashed into the car in front of me pretty hard. My infant and boyfriend were in the car. I noticed the cruise control turned itself on right before the crash and I was trying to turn it off. The damage luckily wasnt that bad. But the car keeps driving itself and the brakes not working. This happens almost every time I turn the car on now. The break pads are still brand new, as I and my dad have checked them. I have tried contacting the dealership about it but they haven't got back. This car is unsafe and I will not continue to drive it. There are no warning lights or messages popping up.

NHTSA ODI 11436406

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming excessive oil and there was oil leaking onto the ground. The contact had to put 1 to 2 quarts of oil for every trip. There was also smoke coming from the engine and a loud knocking noise was heard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on four separate occasions and the dealer refilled the oil. However, the dealer could not diagnose the failure. The contact stated that the dealer attempted to make her sign a waiver but when she refused, the dealer would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that the vehicle may catch fire. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer but was not able to speak to a live representative. The failure mileage was 54,498.

NHTSA ODI 11429886

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that her vehicle hydroplaned while driving at 65 MPH, which caused her to lose control of vehicle. The contact hit the right guardrail three times on the passenger side of her vehicle. The air bags did not deploy after multiple impacts. The contact nor her passenger needed medical assistance; however, they did both suffer minor scrapes and soreness. A police report was filed. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent tow yard but was then towed to the contact's home where it remained in her possession. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be deemed destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11423546

In May 2021 my daughter was in a bad car accident while driving my 2014 Kia Forte. The airbags did not go off and the seatbelts never tightened. Fortunately her and her passenger were not seriously injured and only received bruises on their knees and sore necks. There was so much damage to the front end of the car it was totaled by our insurance company. No warning lights were seen that day or even prior to the accident showing that the airbags weren't working properly. My car was not part of 6/18/18 Kia Forte recall#SC165 for airbags and seatbelts. The recall was for Kia Forte 2010-2013. While my Kia was a 2014, I did take possess of it in 2013. Starting in January 2014 I brought the car back to the dealership many times because of all the electric issues I was having with it. Since the dealership could not replicate the codes while the car was there Kia refused to look into or fix the problems. Electrical issues included doors not unlocking, doors not being able to be opened from inside or outside, windows not opening, headlights coming on while the car was parked, emergency flashers turning on without pushing the button, while driving traction/anti-slide light came on without a reason.

NHTSA ODI 11423216