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Kia Forte.

The best Kia Forte years are 2022, 2011, 2013, and no year drew much more than the average car's complaints. Across 2010-2022, it has a Lemon Index of 50, where 100 is the average car and lower is better.

Reliability by year, 2010 to 2024.

50Lemon Index · 100 = average car

Better than average. Whole model, 2010-2022: 2× fewer complaints than average.

Best year 2022 · Worst year 2019

Kia Forte
Photo shows a Kia Forte. Dinkun Chen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · background removed

Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.

2010651.5× fewer complaints2011283.6× fewer complaints2012402.5× fewer complaints2013342.9× fewer complaints2014821.2× fewer complaints2015502× fewer complaints2016502× fewer complaints2017801.2× fewer complaints2018402.5× fewer complaints2019841.2× fewer complaints2020452.2× fewer complaints2021442.3× fewer complaints2022156.7× fewer complaints202344early read · 2.3× fewer complaints202422early read · 4.5× fewer complaints

Best years to buy

2022.

2022156.7× fewer complaints than average2011283.6× fewer complaints than average2013342.9× fewer complaints than average

Years to avoid

None.

No Kia Forte year drew much more than the average car's complaints.

Quick answers.

Is the Kia Forte a good car?

Yes, it draws fewer complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2010-2022: Lemon Index 50; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: the best is 2022 and the worst is 2019.

What are the best Kia Forte years to buy?

By owner complaints per car sold: 2022, 2011, 2013.

What Kia Forte years should you stay away from?

No Kia Forte year drew much more than an average car's complaints.

How many recalls does the Kia Forte have?

34 safety recalls across the 15 model years we track. Most: 2013 (5), 2012 (4), 2010 (3). Each year's page lists them.

What are the most common Kia Forte problems?

Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name engine, transmission & drivetrain and electrical most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.

Every year in one table
YearIndexCompared with averageComplaintsTop complaintRecallsCrash testMPG
2010651.5× fewer complaints than average49tires (31%)3—26–30
2011283.6× fewer complaints than average25transmission & drivetrain (28%)3★★★★☆26–30
2012402.5× fewer complaints than average34airbags (18%)4★★★★☆26–30
2013342.9× fewer complaints than average29engine (28%)5★★★★☆26–30
2014821.2× fewer complaints than average62tires (18%)3★★★★☆24–29
2015502× fewer complaints than average38airbags (26%)1★★★★★24–30
2016502× fewer complaints than average52engine (27%)1★★★★★24–30
2017801.2× fewer complaints than average99engine (27%)3★★★★★25–32
2018402.5× fewer complaints than average43engine (26%)3★★★★★25–32
2019841.2× fewer complaints than average83transmission & drivetrain (45%)2★★★★☆31–35
2020452.2× fewer complaints than average36electrical (22%)0★★★★☆28–35
2021442.3× fewer complaints than average49engine (24%)2★★★★☆28–35
2022156.7× fewer complaints than average20automatic emergency braking (20%)1★★★★☆26–35
2023442.3× fewer complaints than average65steering (23%)3★★★★☆26–34
2024224.5× fewer complaints than average26engine (31%)0★★★★☆26–34

Lemon Index = safety complaints filed with the government within 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model year. 100 is average, lower is better. How it works

Kia Forte transmission problems by year →

Updated

Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data