Home · 2016 Kia Forte Koup · Complaints

What 134 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 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 (134)Crash / fire / injury (21)Engine (66)Electrical system (21)Transmission & drivetrain (16)Speed control (14)Airbags (13)Brakes (10)Lights (9)Fuel system (7)Wheels (6)Body & structure (5)

5 of 134 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 11, 2024EngineCrash2 injuries

We used to have a 2016 Kia Forte5 LX hatchback we been having problems with this vehicle the car would stall and it was having electrical problems like my turn signals not working even when the bulbs were replaced and same thing to the brake lights prior after I noticed the problem with the car was going to take it in to get ot looked at and serviced when exiting my home with the car and turning left the vehicle stalled while in drive I did have my emergency flash on but the other cars didn’t seem to notice the vehicle got t boned and we got in to a accident when trying to get this issue resolved

NHTSA ODI 11619374

Apr 23, 2024BrakesEngineCrash

I was attempting to park in a parking spot that I use regularly at Dollar General. As it was coming to a stop, the brakes failed. I was pushing the brake pedal down. The car started to rev up and speed forward on it's own. It lunged forward jumping the curb and into the pillar. It wouldn't stop going forward. So I had to put it in reverse. As I did that, I put the brakes on as well as the ebrake. It was wanting to speed in reverse for a second. So I threw it into park and turned it off. My family and I went into the store to let the car settle down. Then we was able to drive it home and park it. So it's currently sittling in our driveway here at home.

NHTSA ODI 11584848

Jun 30, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel systemFire

Car engine caught fire driving on freeway. No apparent reason

NHTSA ODI 11423010

Oct 22, 2018Electrical systemBody & structureEngineFire

THE KIA FORTE CAUGHT FIRE AS MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE (THE CAR WAS IN MOTION). WE HAD ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR JUST OVER A YEAR. I AM UNSURE WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE HOWEVER, THE INSURANCE REVIEWER ADVISE THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE. MY HUSBAND BARLEY MADE IT OUT OF THE CAR BEFORE THE INSIDE WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR WAS A COMPLETE LOSS IT WAS HARDLY RECOGNIZABLE ONCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO GET THE FIRE OUT.

NHTSA ODI 11141847

Jan 3, 2018Transmission & drivetrainAirbagsBody & structureEngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA FORTE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE MATS ON THE FLOOR BEGAN TO SMOKE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE SUN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED FREQUENTLY REGARDLESS OF THE SPEED SHE WAS TRAVELING. THE CONTACT ALSO HAD CONCERNS WITH THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THE VEHICLE TRANSFERRED GEARS ON ITS OWN. THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE. KIA OF GREENVILLE (2424 LAURENS RD, GREENVILLE, SC 29607) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,865.

NHTSA ODI 11058265

Working with the data? Download all 134 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 2016 Kia Forte Koup verdict →