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What 67 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 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 (67)Crash / fire / injury (10)Engine (22)Steering (9)Electrical system (8)Transmission & drivetrain (7)Airbags (6)Body & structure (3)Fuel system (3)Seat belts (3)Tires (3)Brakes (2)

2 of 67 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Apr 24, 2026SteeringCrash

The contact owned a 2021 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the steering wheel locked independently, causing the vehicle to veer off the road into a construction site. The contact stated that the air bags did deploy. The contact stated that she sustained noise and neck injuries, including placenta rupture, causing early labor. Medical attention was required. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11733681

Sep 13, 2021SteeringCrash

while coming to a stop, the passenger side front wheel locked up forcing the car into a sharp right had turn which put the car into a ditch, striking cement barrier at bottom of ditch. car likely totalled

NHTSA ODI 11432804

Working with the data? Download all 67 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 2021 Kia Forte Koup verdict →