What 146 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Kia Forte Koup

The transmission had a recall 2 years ago and they gave me a new one (KIA). I am having issues with my transmission again

NHTSA ODI 11735430

Transmission was getting stuck in gear and slipping intermittently would cause the car to not accelerate over 20mph especially in the cold unless you switched it to the manual mode and manually shifted up two gears ans then back down two gears. If you looked at the tach while it did this is would bounce between 500 and 1500rpm and then would stutter and bounce between 1500 and 2500rpm until you did the manual gear trick. Eventually it started making a strange noise. I have serviced it on time and complained to Kia before about the issue which they stated they could not repeat so there was nothing they could do at that time and now when I took it back to Kia they stated its an internal trans issue and it now needs to be replaced but there was nothing they could do as it was now out of warranty. The car has less the 95k on it. I've had cars that had well over 400k on them in the past and still ran like new. The trans should not be failing already.

NHTSA ODI 11722394

When turning on the car the check engine light comes on. Then when accelerating there is a clicking noise and smoke coming from the engine.

NHTSA ODI 11715716

My daughter was driving on the highway. She was driving at 65 mph and then the car started to jolt a couple of times. She kept driving and then it started to feel sluggish and lost some power. Would not accelerate over 45 mph. She was almost rear ended several times and people continually swerving in and out around her as she couldn’t maintain the car at a normal pace. It eventually wouldn’t go over 35 mph. Extremely DANGEROUS speed on a highway commute. She was able to finally get off highway. The car stalled. No warning lights ever lit. She was close to home at this point. Drove it home with barely any power. Got it towed to the dealer and transmission was blown and they will not cover it because it’s past warranty of 5 yrs (2nd owner). The car is a 2019 with 53k miles. It should not need a new transmission. Apparently this car is now having many transmission issues. There was a service campaign issued by Kia back in 2018, 2020, and 2022 for this exact problem. Clearly there is an ongoing issue with their transmission. But since it is not a recall, the consumer has no way of know this until after it’s too late. When a transmission just shuts down without any warning, this is a MAJOR safety issue as you no longer are able to properly drive the vehicle. This should be a RECALL. Not an in-house technical bulletin announcement. There’s an abundance of safety concerns associated with this. Let’s not wait for somone to get killed in a car crash because it’s not being corrected by doing a recall on these transmissions that is a continual ongoing issue.

NHTSA ODI 11691425

Have only 70000 miles on it and Kia refuses to replace the transmission that went out and they have lied to me repeatedly and need to be held accountable!

NHTSA ODI 11606688

I accelerated from a stop to turn onto the a road. Upon doing so, the car made loud sputtering and grinding noises. So I pulled it off the road and checked it out and that’s when I noticed that the engine was sunk towards the driver’s side. I got it towed to a local repair shop for them to take a look at it. When they called me I was told the transmission mount had snapped in half as well as the front drive axle and the water pump was broken. So then I called Kia and asked if there were any recalls on my car for any of those parts as this was not normal wear and tear. Of course there wasn’t so I asked if there’d be any way that I could get these repairs refunded because this is not normal, the car was never in an accident nor do I jump on the hood and kick the crap out of my car, they told me to take into a Kia repair center for them to take a look at it and send pictures to Kia to get them to possibly refund it. So I towed from the first repair shop to the Kia repair center for them to look into it. The guy at the Kia repair center took a look at it and communicated with Kia on his end about the parts that were broken to try and get a refund issued. The Kia repair center told me the transmission mount bolts snapped which caused the engine to fall and break the front drive axle as well as the water pump. They told me I was lucky I wasn’t going faster when it happened because the engine would’ve just fallen out, which would’ve cause myself and potentially others to get into a serious wreck. I drive on the interstate every day for work, so I can imagine how bad that would’ve been. Of course Kia didn’t want to refund the repairs because my car wasn’t under warranty and they said something would’ve had to have happened recently to cause the bolts to break. That is ridiculous because short of a collision I don’t know anything that would’ve caused the bolts to just snap. Again, I just pressed the gas and that happened. It’s not normal wear and tear. $1600 repair cost

NHTSA ODI 11579161

suffered an immediate loss of engine while driving due to the crankshaft wearing a hole in the block

NHTSA ODI 11575574

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had previously received an unknown recall notification regarding the transmission. The transmission was not replaced; however, the transmission control module software was updated in January 2021. The contact stated that the failure had recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,959.

NHTSA ODI 11543124

I have always gotten my oil changed on time and even had it changed a few days before my engine failed. I was driving down the road going home from work when my car started making a ticking sound that soon turned into a hard knocking sound coming from the engine. My car then shut off in the middle of traffic while at a red light. I tried to start it back up but nothing was happening. My check engine light never came on to give me any type of warning that the engine was in bad shape. Took it to the Kia dealership where it took over a month and a half to get someone to look at my car and give me an answer as to what was wrong with it. Kia knows that the engines in these cars are not built to last and that they could have failed before reaching 100,000 miles. I was also hung up on by someone from the Kia consumer hotline. I feel Kia should be responsive and held accountable as far as paying for the repairs and me not coming out of pocket. I will not be dealing with Kia ever again.

NHTSA ODI 11525664

I was driving down expressway and my car started to make rattling noise and Clanking noise from the engine and then my car wouldn’t start it kept stuttering. My 2019 Kia forte was stalling it was not accelerating past 3k rpm’s and then the engine would completely shut off. Now my car has been out of commission for a few weeks

NHTSA ODI 11514417

Hesitates to start. Spudders when in drive “D”. Must drive in “S” sport to stop the spuddering.

NHTSA ODI 11488518

The car I currently have was recalled in 2020 one year before I brought the car . For POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT . I could have been in a really bad car accident September 18 . My car completely shut off while I was making a right turn right in the middle of the street won’t start just dead . I had to push my car to the nearest store so I can get it towed ! . The dealership sold me this car probably not knowing it was recalled That’s a safety issue

NHTSA ODI 11486658

The transmission failed while on the interstate/freeway while trying to merge into traffic. The vehicle lost power and would not accelerate even though the engine was revving up in RPMs. The vehicle is available. The transmission was replaced with a "Refurbished Transmission" through Warranty by KIA. Two days later the car began jerking and the check engine light came on. The vehicle was returned to the Dealership. The car was then returned to me, the owner, only to have the Check Engine light come back on, so the car was returned a third time for "Transmission" related issues. The vehicle in question has been at the dealership for over two months as the Dealership tells me that they are going "back and forth with KIA Techline" to figure out the issue. The initial Transmission failure was confirmed by the KIA Technicians and reproduced prior to the "Refurbished" transmission being put in. The vehicle and component have been inspected by the KIA Technicians who say they cannot solve the issue and are currently working with KIA Techline to solve the issue. The only prior symptoms were briefs moments of hesitation in acceleration from the vehicle when on the interstate/freeway. This series of events began at the beginning of December 2021 and the vehicle is still in the shop as of April 3, 2022.

NHTSA ODI 11459467

Driving along the highway and transmission failure occurred, causing engine RPM to jump sky high and rapid deceleration without warning or brake lights. Luckily we were not hit by any other cars and were able to pull get off the highway onto the service road. Check engine light came on and the car wouldn't move. Turned the car off and back on after a few minutes and the transmission wouldn't move forward without massive RPM and no faster than 12mph or so. This is the SECOND time this has happened. I didn't report the first time because figured it was a one-off occurrence. The first time we had 26,000 miles on the car, this time, the new transmission went out after only 8,000 miles. All services have been performed by the Kia dealer directly. Car is back at Kia dealer for the transmission replacement again. No confidence in keeping the car given they replaced it with the same transmission that had problems twice!

NHTSA ODI 11453371

My car was vehicle was driving on the highway over 200 miles away from home when I was driving about 65 mph the speed limit. When trying to accelerate on the Highway my vehicle would jump from 2,000 RPMs - 4,000 RPM not going faster. As I hit the gas my speed decreased and I pulled over the side of the road. When I tried to turn on/off my car the check engine light randomly appeared and I was stuck on the side of the road unable to accelerate. My car could have been rear ended on the Highway with Speed Limit of 65 MPH and I could have died if I didn't think quickly and pull to the side of the road. The dealer that the car towed to confirmed my car's transmission needed to be replaced. The only prior warning was my car's acceleration was decreased after Recall SC199 was completed by the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11444762

I got this car from the dealer at auction , so I am the second owner , power train warranty voided for 2nd owner , at my 90k miles , my transmission shaft has been broken due problem with the same year 2019 recall , dealer refused to fix it because I am out of warranty . I bought another transmission and still have the same problem , the car is unuseable at all .

NHTSA ODI 11433431

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning while depressing the accelerator. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V459000 (Power Train) which was linked to the failure. Upon taking the vehicle to a dealer, the mechanic was initially unable to repair the recall due to the part not being available. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer for nearly a month and immediately upon return of the vehicle, the failure persisted. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer where and was informed that no fault was found with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had worsened, and the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage approximately 52,000.

NHTSA ODI 11422281

In May 2020, transmission started bouncing up and down on the highway. Then the transmission started skipping. When I came to a stop and tried to start again, there was almost no power going to the transmission. It created an extremely dangerous situation while trying to drive through an intersection with oncoming cars. The dealership replaced the transmission. in May 2021 356 days after the the second transmission was installed, it happened again and created another extremely dangerous situation when I tried to pull out into traffic and had no power. Kia is again going to replace the transmission but is going to use the same one that was installed originally and the replacement one. I think there should be an investigation into the transmission kia is using.

NHTSA ODI 11417679

My car is a 2019. Pretty much brand new car. I got a voluntary emissions recall notice in the mail in December 2020. The notice said something about a computer software update but I wasn't have any problems with my car at that time and I've been working non stop on the front lines since the Covid pandemic started. Well little did I know that while driving home from work one evening in April my whole car would break down! According to the dealership/service dept it needs a whole new transmission! Now I am stuck paying for a rental out of pocket or hitch hiking to work. The service dept has had my car for 3 weeks now. :( I believe the recall notice should say MANDATORY or worded saying "your car will break down on you"!

NHTSA ODI 11417698

I'VE BEEN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE FCW (FORWARD COLLISION WARNING) NOT WORKING PROPERLY OVER A YEAR. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WOULD CORRECT ITSELF, BUT THE PROBLEM BECAME MORE PREVALENT, AND WITH RESEARCH, OTHERS HAVE SAID THEY'VE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM AS WELL. THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN I'VE BEEN MERGING ONTO AN INTERSTATE AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 60-65 MPH NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED THE GAS. YESTERDAY WAS WHEN THE REAL ISSUES BEGAN. I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET WHEN MY ENTIRE SYSTEM BLACKED OUT. I COULD SEE ANYTHING ON THE SCREEN, AND THIS WAS SURPRISING TO ME BECAUSE I HAD JUST TAKEN MY CAR TO A LOCAL KIA AND THEY SAID THEY HAD UPDATED THE SYSTEM. ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES LATER I VISIT A LOCAL STORE TO PICK UP A FEW ITEMS. THE CAR HAD TO BE OFF ONLY 2 OR 3 MINUTES, WHEN I RETURN AND STARTED TO START THE CAR IT SPUTTERED AND WOULD 'TURN OVER.' I ATTEMPTED A FEW MORE TIMES AND IT FINALLY DID SO. MY CAR ONLY HAD ABOUT 26,000 MILES, THERE IS NO WAY I SHOULD BE EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS AS SUCH, AND I GET IT SERVICED REGULARLY. LASTLY, I WAS ON MY WAY HOME AND I STOPPED AT A FAMILY MEMBERS HOUSE TO PICK UP SOME THINGS AND I PARKED ABOUT 10-15 FEET FROM THE HOUSE AND I LEAVE THE CAR IDLING IN PARK. BEFORE I EVEN WALK AWAY FROM THE CAR, I STOOD AT MY CAR DOOR TALKING FOR ABOUT A MINUTE OR 2. I'M IN THE HOUSE FOR ABOUT 15-20 MINUTES THEM ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE IS A LOUD THUD OUTSIDE. MY CAR HAS MANAGED TO FALL OUT OF GEAR AND ROLL INTO MY FAMILY MEMBERS PORCH. IT SUSTAINED SOME DAMAGE TO THE DRIVERS SIDE BUMPER AND FENDER. WITH MORE RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL AS WELL. THIS CAR IS BASICALLY A LEMON.

NHTSA ODI 11394266

ON A RANDOM TRIP OF OURS, MY VEHICLE HAD STARTED JOLTING A BIT FURIOUSLY AT SOME MOMENTS, REVVING INTENSELY AT THE MOST INAPPROPRIATE TIMES, HAVING INCREDIBLE TROUBLE IDLING OR DRIVING IN GENERAL ONCE AT A STOP SIGN/LIGHT. AT TIMES, THE CAR WILL NOT MOVE AS I HAVE MY FOOT PRESSED ON THE GAS, AND MAYBE AFTER 10 SECONDS OF DOING SO, THE VEHICLE WILL JOLT IMMENSELY, ALMOST INJURING ME IN THE PROCESS. I FIRST THOUGHT I HAD WATER IN MY GAS TANK, BUT AFTER ASSESSING THAT SITUATION AND NO FIX, I THEN REPLACED THE SPARK PLUGS AS I FIGURED THEY MAY HAVE WENT OUT, MAINLY BECAUSE AT 30,000 MILES THEY ARE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR MY VEHICLE. BUT AFTER THAT ALSO DID NOT WORK, I THEN LOOKED TO SEE IF MY VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS, WHERE I FOUND OUT A LOT! OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE EXACT PROBLEM, AND IT MADE SO MUCH MORE SENSE! THE CVT(TRANSMISSION) USE RADICALLY SWITCHING GEARS AS I AM DRIVING, CAUSING MANY UNNECESSARY PROBLEMS FOR ME! MY VEHICLE IS ONLY AT 31,500 MILES, AND SHOULDN'T BE HAVING THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS. I HIGHLY BELIEVE WE NEED TO RECALL THE CVT TRANSMISSION OF THE 2019 KIA FORTE, FOR THEY HAVE NOT BEEN BROKEN IN CORRECTLY. I STILL PROCEED TO TAKE SMALL TRIPS WITH MY VEHICLE TO SEE IF THERE IS A FIX, BUT IT STAYS THE SAME. WHEN DRIVING AROUND 60 MPH, THE CAR WILL STOP SPEEDING UP, AND RATHER WOULD STAY REVVING OUT OF CONTROL. TWICE I HAVE COME TO A PROBLEM WITH BEING STOPPED AT A RANDOM LOCATION, AND IT WOULD REV ALMOST TO REDLINE, BUT NO MOVEMENT AT ALL.

NHTSA ODI 11388517

I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON MA 495 NORTH NEAR HAVERHILL MA WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR WAS OVER-REVVING AND NO POWER WAS GETTING TO THE WHEELS. I HAD TO PULL OVER ON A BUSY HIGHWAY. I WAS LUCKY I MADE IT TO A REST STOP. I TALKED TO THE TECH AT KIA AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BEING A "COMMON THING" AND I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THANKFULLY IT IS UNDER WARRANTY STILL. I FEEL KIA'S COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR CUSTOMER SAFETY IN THIS MATTER IS APPALLING. LOSS OF POWER LIKE THAT CAN CAUSE A MAJOR CRASH AND POTENTIAL LOSS OF LIFE. IF THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM THEY SHOULD DO A RECALL ON THE VEHICLES AND REPLACE EVERY TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ODI 11365987

THE IVT TRANS WENT BAD WITH OUT WARRING I WAS DOING 70 MPH ON I 77 IN NC WITH CRUSE ON . THEN THE ENGINE TACKED UP TO 7000 RPM A FUE TIMES THEN I SHIFTED TO SPORT MODE THE RPMS STOPED JUMPING AROUND TILL I GOT TO HICKORY NC . WHEN DRIVING TO DEALER SHIP THE CAR WOULD NOT HARDLY PULL ITS SELF/ NO WARRING LIGHTS OR ANY TYPE OF WARRING OF LOST OF POWER. OTHER THEN HIGH RPM ON THE ENGINE. THE CAR IS AT DEALERSHIP NOW TO GET A NEW TRANS . IT ONLY HAS 17500 MILE ON IT THIS IVT IS TRASH AND DANGEROUS. IT WILL KILL SOME ONE THAT DONT KNOW AUTOS

NHTSA ODI 11365803

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE RPMS WOULD REV UP TO APPROXIMATELY 4,000 RPMS OR MORE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEY WOULD INTENTIONALLY SLOW THE VEHICLE TO REDUCE THE RPMS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IDLE AT A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD UNINTENTIONALLY. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT WHERE THE VEHICLE STALLED HOWEVER, THE TIRES CONTINUED TO SPIN WITHOUT MOVING THE VEHICLE FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GENE MESSER KIA (6006 19TH ST, LUBBOCK, TX 79407, (806) 776-5600) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE SAME DEALER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT RECEIVED A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC TEST OR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 24,000.

NHTSA ODI 11352979

IVT TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR HAS ABOUT 27K MILES, PURCHASED AT 22K USED. AFTER DRIVING OFF THE HIGHWAY FROM 70MPH TO A NEAR STOP AT THE FEEDER ROAD STOP SIGN, THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE, SEEMS LIKE THE GEAR RATIO DID NOT ADJUST BACK DOWN. THEN NOTICED SEVERE JERKS WHEN TRANSMISSION TRIES TO CHANGE THE GEAR RATIONS, AND RPM WOULD SHOOT UP ERRATICALLY. TOOK IT TO THE NEAREST KIA DEALER, HAD TO WAIT ABOUT 10 DAYS FOR AN APPOINTMENT. THEY CONFIRMED A TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND REPLACED TRANSMISSION IN ABOUT 5 DAYS.. NOT SURE HOW LONG THIS WILL LAST. DEFINITELY A SCARY AND SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DESIGN

NHTSA ODI 11342510