2023 Kia Forte: What to check before buying

Pulling to the right is the main pattern. On straight, flat roads the wheel stiffens and the car drifts unless the driver holds it. Some reports start within the first 500 to 1,020 miles. Repeated alignments have not fixed it, and some dealers now say the car is driving as designed. Lane keeping can jerk the car back against the pull. Other reports describe clunking from the front end on turns, starting around 20,000 miles, and clicking when turning the wheel. Two filings involve crashes and one involves a fire, but neither points to a steering fault.

The engine shuts off while driving, sometimes at highway speed, and some cars then will not restart. Other reports describe the whole dash lighting up, gauges dropping to zero, blinkers and hazards failing, and an erratic backup camera. Dealers often find no codes and cannot reproduce the fault. One report describes the electronic parking brake fully engaging at highway speed. Low beam headlights burning out several times a year, misfire codes, and cabin fumes also appear. One filing involves a crash after a stall and a rollback on a hill.

Transmission failure is the main problem. Some cars have needed two or more transmission replacements within the first 6,000 miles, and replacement units reportedly fail again within 1,000 to 1,500 miles. Symptoms include whining, sudden loss of power while driving, and a car that shifts into reverse but will not move. Cars with a clutch show their own failures, including a sheared pressure plate and a clutch assembly that needed replacement around 36,000 miles. One owner reports a second engine and oil in the coolant.

Lane keeping assist steers the car out of its lane instead of holding it there. Drivers describe the system following the wrong lines and pulling toward exits, the next lane, or oncoming traffic, usually with no warning light. One filing reports a crash into a guard rail with airbag deployment and an injury after the car drifted right without an alert. Another describes random hard braking with a truck close behind. A rental car showed the problem at about 75 mph with about 30,000 miles.

Every complaint here is about airbags that did not deploy in a crash. All 3 filings involve collisions, including a driver-side impact at 45 to 50 mph, and 2 report injuries, such as a head striking the B pillar. One car was declared a total loss with no airbags deployed. None of the excerpts describe an inspection that confirmed a fault, so the cause is unknown.

The real concern is doors unlatching while the car is moving. In 2 reports, a locked and fully closed door came open at low speed, between about 10 and 20 mph, and set off the door warnings. One was the front passenger door and the other was the driver door. Neither driver found anything in the latch or frame that would explain it. The third filing describes damage from another vehicle while parked and does not point to a defect.

False automatic braking is the main complaint. The front radar mistakes cars in the next lane for cars directly ahead, so the car slows or brakes hard for no reason, including with adaptive cruise control on. Drivers also get 'Check Forward Safety System' or radar-blocked messages when nothing is blocking the sensor, and one warning light stayed on after a reset. One report puts the onset around 20,000 miles. Dealer responses have been inconsistent, and some dealers did not recognize the problem.

Lower control arm failure is the serious pattern. Reports describe control arms and a trailing arm wearing out by about 20,000 miles. In one case the front end collapsed on the road: the lower control arm broke, the inner tie rod bent, and the wheel came loose from the car. Other symptoms include clicking and rattling from the front passenger side, plus harsh, loud impacts over bumps and potholes. Ball joint replacement also comes up.