2018 Kia Forte: What to check before buying

Sudden engine failure is the dominant pattern. The car stalls at stops or while braking, loses power while merging at highway speed, or starts knocking and grinding before quitting. Many reports describe oil running out between changes and no warning light until after the damage. Mechanics often say the engine needs replacing. Failures cluster between 67,000 and 90,000 miles, with some past 100,000. Replacing crankshaft or camshaft sensors does not fix it. Second owners and owners missing oil-change receipts report being denied warranty coverage. One report involves a crash.

Half of these reports concern a recall repair part that dealers did not have, leaving owners waiting with no failure yet. The rest describe engine trouble. The car fails to accelerate, oil is found extremely low, and knocking follows until the engine needs replacement despite repeated dealer visits. Another report describes a strong fume odor, sludged oil blamed on missed changes, and warranty coverage denied.

Airbags failing to deploy in crashes is the main complaint, and it is serious. Eight reports involve crashes and eight involve injuries, including frontal impacts at 50 mph where the airbags did not deploy. Owners also describe the airbag warning light flickering or staying on for weeks, sometimes right after dealer work on the airbag system, with repair quotes up to $3500. A few reports filed here describe engine stalling or a trunk opening unexpectedly instead.

Theft is a recurring theme. Owners say the car has no immobilizer and can be started with a USB cable, and some report break-ins and stolen cars even after a dealer software update. Other reports describe dashboard warning lights flickering while the speedometer quits, the car slipping into ECO mode and slowing on a freeway merge, no-start clicking, and stalling at 35 mph. The trunk popping open on its own also appears. One report describes an engine-bay fire while driving after the check engine light came on.

Shifting problems lead this category. The transmission stays in sixth gear, skips gears, refuses to shift into second, or suddenly feels like it is in neutral while the shift lever sticks in Drive. Owners describe weak acceleration when changing lanes on the interstate, shaking at 30 mph, and a loud roar under throttle. Rough idle on nearly new cars, within the first few hundred miles, appears in early reports. Some complaints describe the engine dying in traffic and restarting with hesitation. One report is crash-related.

Hesitation after pressing the accelerator is the main complaint. The car pauses or will not pick up speed while merging or changing lanes, sometimes with the revs climbing and no movement. Dealers report they cannot reproduce it or find a code. Other reports describe a gas pedal that sticks, one at 1,462 miles, and a car that surged forward at startup and caused a foot injury requiring stitches. One report pairs a tapping engine noise with weak acceleration.

Few of these reports describe a pure steering defect. Heavy steering after the engine shuts off at speed, making it hard to pull over, is the clearest safety issue. Owners also describe a clicking noise when turning in either direction and rattling over speed bumps. One car with under 2000 miles had a front wheel turn inward after a pop. Other reports cover sliding into another car despite braking, with no airbags deploying, and sudden loss of acceleration.

Rear bulbs failing repeatedly is the most common lighting complaint, with blinkers, tail lights, and the license plate light going out, sometimes within hours of replacement. Water collecting inside the rear tail light also appears. One owner measured dim low beams lighting only 85 feet of road. Unrelated reports filed here describe a corroded subframe and engine cradle with a loose lower engine mount causing violent vibration, a fuel door that will not open, and an oil pan leak.

The trunk opens by itself while the car is parked and turned off, sometimes repeatedly. Other owners describe the opposite problem: a trunk that will not open at all or will not latch securely when closed. One report says a previously replaced trunk latch failed again. Reported mileages range from 33,500 to 82,734, with no clear clustering. None of these reports involve a crash or injury.