Lemon Law Check › 2018 Kia Forte
Complaint counts by vehicle system, from 134 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Kia Forte:
| Engine | 38 complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 22 complaints |
| Electrical system | 14 complaints |
| Air bags | 14 complaints |
| Power train | 8 complaints |
| Exterior lighting | 6 complaints |
"My radio speakers will sound like there are blown. at a certain speed, i will break and the seat will move in the passenger side and sometimes in the driver side by itself."
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/31/2024
"On 12/12/2021 my car stalled while driving. i started it up got to my destination, when leaving just a few minutes later it stalled again. on 12/13/2021 i was almost rear-ended when my car stalled while turning a corner on my way to work. on 12/14/2021 my car stalled two more …"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/27/2021
"This complaint is not against any incident on this vehicle per say but concerning kia customer care. i am a potential buyer of this vehicle from autonation 104 here in denver, co. and, i contacted kia to provide me with the vehicle recall information so that i can be better ed…"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/22/2022
| Air bags 25/01/2022 · 22V031000 | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the ele… |
|---|---|
| Latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch 09/08/2021 · 21V622000 | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicle… |
| Engine and engine cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump 13/04/2021 · 21V260000 | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage. |
Recall repairs are performed free of charge at franchised dealers. Check your specific vehicle with the free VIN recall checker.
If the same warranty problem has needed 2+ repair attempts — or your Forte has spent 30+ days out of service — it may qualify for a buyback, replacement, or cash compensation under your state's lemon law. Manufacturers pay the legal fees in most states, so the case review costs you nothing.
Check My Forte — Free →Based on 134 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas for the 2018 Kia Forte are engine, unknown or other, electrical system.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2018 Kia Forte. Recall repairs are always free at franchised dealers regardless of warranty status.
A specific vehicle qualifies as a lemon based on its own repair history, not the model's overall record. If your Forte has had engine or other warranty problems repaired 2–4 times without success, or has spent 30+ days in the shop, it may qualify under your state's lemon law — attorneys evaluate this free of charge.
Researching this car as a buyer instead? Read the full Carivo review of the 2018 Kia Forte.
All recall and complaint figures on this page come directly from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) federal records for this make, model, and year, fetched at page build time and cached daily. Complaint excerpts are owner-submitted reports to NHTSA, lightly truncated. Carivo is an independent data site, not a law firm; lemon law eligibility is determined solely by attorneys under your state's statute.