Kia Forte
Every model year 2016–2024: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.
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Every Kia Forte model year
Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per yearWhich model year the record favours
Source: recalls and complaints per year on the roadOn the filed record so far, the 2020 is the cleanest Forte year we hold, and the 2023 the one to check hardest. The 2023 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.
Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.
What owners filed about the Kia Forte, by system
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.
What changed year to year
Source: computed from the filed record- 2023: best combined mpg 35 → 34
- 2022: 5 → 4 EPA configurations
- 2020: 3 → 5 EPA configurations
- 2019: best combined mpg 32 → 35; 6 → 3 EPA configurations
- 2018: 9 → 6 EPA configurations
- 2017: best combined mpg 30 → 32; 10 → 9 EPA configurations
In the studies
Source: computed from the same record, method on each pageCommon questions about the Kia Forte
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsWhich Kia Forte year is the best used buy?
On the recall record, the 2020 Forte comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 78 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.
What Kia Forte years should I avoid?
2023 has the weakest recall record in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Forte model year ranked, with the reasons.
How many recalls does the Kia Forte have?
Across model years 2016–2024, NHTSA has posted 15 recall campaigns for the Kia Forte. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.