Nov 4, 2025Brakes
Right break light fills up with water. Consistently changing break light bulbs due to moisture in the break light.
NHTSA ODI 11697327
Home · 2018 Kia Forte Koup · Complaints
What 134 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (15)Engine (57)Airbags (16)Electrical system (16)Speed control (10)Transmission & drivetrain (8)Body & structure (7)Fuel system (7)Lights (6)Steering (5)Brakes (4)
4 of 134 complaints match · Brakes · clear filters
Sep 21, 2025Electrical systemSpeed controlBrakes
ABS light, parking break light, tire pressure light, ESC light, and outdoor temperature and climate control all flicker and the speedometer stops working. Multiple cars with same make and model have same issue and are constantly in and out of the dealer with the issue unresolved.
NHTSA ODI 11688679
Feb 11, 2024AirbagsBrakesCrash1 injury
Brakes completely locked up during my attempt to stop the vehicle does have abs and that is supposed to allow the wheels to keep moving so that you can try to maneuver and when I made contact with the other vehicle the airbag never deployed
NHTSA ODI 11571352
Jun 2, 2018Brakes
VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH 28 MILES ON 4/10/2018. THE VEHICLE MAKES A GRINDING NOISE UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES. IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT SPEED YOU ARE AT THE BRAKES GRIND IN REVERSE OR DRIVE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. KIA DEALERSHIP ALREADY REPLACED CALIPER SAYS IT'S NORMAL NOISE WHEN KIA FORTE IS STOPPED. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ANYONE EXPERIENCED SAME ISSUE
NHTSA ODI 11099280
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 2018 Kia Forte Koup verdict →