2024 Kia Forte: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 20 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical and transmission. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

2024

Owner complaints: 20
Recalls: 0
Crashes reported: 5; 1 injury
Reliability: Good; 78/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/7 checked

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2

01Check that the airbag warning light turns off after startup, and ask for records of airbag sensor or voltage repairs.
02Ask for service records on stalling, water pump, clutch, or front radar calibration work, and test lane assist on a curve.

Cold start, engine bay, and underside

Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1

03Scan for stored codes, especially oxygen sensor, catalytic converter, and emissions faults, and confirm the check engine light stays off.

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4

04Shift through every gear and reverse from a stop, and listen for grinding with the clutch fully pressed.
05Accelerate from a stop and on a highway ramp, and feel for jerking, shuddering, or sudden loss of power.
06Creep slowly into a parking spot and confirm the car stops firmly when you brake.
07Drive over bumps at night with headlights on and watch for lights cutting out or the screen resetting.

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on other Forte years with the same design

These years share the 2024's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.

2023 Forte

53 owner complaints

Steering 12
Electrical 7
Transmission 7

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

Drive a straight, flat road with a light grip and reject the car if it pulls right or the wheel stiffens.
Turn sharply into a driveway in both directions and listen for clunking or clicking from the front end.
Have a mechanic check the lower control arms, trailing arms, and tie rods on a lift for bends or damage.

Open the 2023 checklist

2022 Forte

22 owner complaints

Engine 5
Steering 3
Transmission 2

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

Drive at highway speed and feel for steering that suddenly loosens and then stiffens again.
Check the front tires for uneven wear and ask whether the alignment has been redone often.
Have a mechanic inspect the front lower control arms and CV axles for cracks or damage.

Open the 2022 checklist

2021 Forte

64 owner complaints

Engine 13
Steering 8
Transmission 7

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

Check the dipstick; oil well below full suggests the consumption that precedes many engine failures.
Listen at cold start and idle for ticking, knocking, or rattling from the engine.
Ask for oil change records and confirm the drain plug is tight with no fresh leaks.

Open the 2021 checklist

Which Forte is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2024 Kia Forte. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

Version	Drive	EPA rating
1.6L 4-cyl	FWD	30 mpg
2.0L 4-cyl	FWD	34 mpg

The 2024 Kia Forte was sold in two versions. Confirm which one this is from the window sticker, the engine cover, or the VIN report before you compare prices.
Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Forte that averages well under the EPA 30 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2024 Kia Forte, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

Electrical5No crashes
The car shuts off while driving, sometimes on the freeway, and in that case the dealer could not reproduce the problem after short test drives. Several filings cite airbag system fault codes, a failed airbag sensor or unit, and a recurring voltage malfunction, with one owner saying the dealer refused the repair. Headlights also go dark at night after the car hits a dip or bump. When that happens the start-up chime sounds and the information screen resets to setup. All of these raise loss-of-control or crash protection concerns.
Transmission31 crash
Shifting failures lead these reports. Gears grind even with the clutch fully down, and first gear or reverse won't engage. The car may also jump into the wrong gear, and the problem continues after repeated clutch, flywheel, and transmission work. Other cars jerk and shudder when accelerating, refuse to start, or lose all power and shut off while driving. One of those came at about 11K miles, after a water pump replacement. One crash report says lane assist steered the car into a guard rail at about 25 MPH. The dealer could not find the cause.

In owners' own words

Excerpts from complaints Forte owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.

Electrical

Exposed electric wires, airbag system failure codes, breaks non resistance in functional limitation of human safety. Voltage malfunction involves hazardous crash impact results

Filed with NHTSA, March 2026

How the 2024 compares with other Forte years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2024 has the fewest owner complaints of the 7 Forte years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2024 Average of other years