2024 Kia Forte
The 2024 Kia Forte is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize sedan with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forte FE, is EPA-rated at 34 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 26 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.
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Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forte FE | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 30 | 41 | 34 | $1,950 |
| Forte | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 28 | 39 | 32 | $2,100 |
| Forte | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 27 | 35 | 30 | $2,250 |
| Forte | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 22 | 31 | 26 | $2,600 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 47079, 47080, 47078, 47077.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forte, Forte FE | 7 / 10 | California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| Forte | 5 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV70 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
| Forte | 5 / 10 | Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 / California LEV-III ULEV70 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sedan/Saloon |
| Doors | 4 |
| GVWR class | Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 2 L |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 147 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Driver assistance
Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking, Rear cross-traffic alert
Optional: Blind-spot monitoring
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: GT, GT Line, LX, LXS). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 182.7 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 70.9 in |
| Height | 56.7 in |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 in |
| Track, front | 60.6 in |
| Track, rear | 60.6 in |
| Curb weight | 2,769–3,012 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 61/39 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 4-door Sedan, GT 4-door Sedan. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
The cheapest ownership win
Insurers price the 2024 Forte very differently, and the gap between the best and worst quote on the same car and driver is usually larger than any option you are weighing on this page.
How to compare cover →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2024 Kia Forte. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2024 Kia Forte, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2024 Kia Forte
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Forte →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database6 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported
2.0 per 10,000 built · Kia reported 128,227 Forte built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2024: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 11
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
On October 4, 2026, at approximately 27,870 miles, my 2024 Kia Forte GT-Line unexpectedly shut off while I was driving and making a right-hand turn into a parking lot. The vehicle was in Drive when the engine shut off. The instrument cluster continued to indicate “D” and displayed the message: “Engine Off!
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while a friend was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle was pulling to the right. Suddenly, the vehicle bounced up and down, pulled over and crashed into a railing, and the driver was forced to stop the vehicle using the parking brake.
This malfunction started in August of 2025 within 12 months of buying this new vehicle. A airbag sensor was replaced, then a national bbb case found the same malfunction only this time it includes the whole safty system failure. I gave the manufacturer a year and they have not corrected the malfunction.
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the "all cylinders misfiring" message was displayed on the instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Forte GT. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH on an off-ramp and making a right turn, the lane assist feature had malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to steer and crash into the guard rail. During the incident, the passenger side of the vehicle was damaged along with the guard rail.
Headlights shut off while driving at night. The right turn signal was on and was in a right hand turn when the car hit a small dip. There was the sound that you hear when you turn on the key when the car hit the dip and the healights went off.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Reported by Kia itself: 6 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 7 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 4.7 per 100,000 built. Every Forte model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 11% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Electrical System, Suspension, Power Train, Engine, Structure.
- TSB_ENG263 Service bulletin2026-08-05 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolved misfire events on some 2020–2024MY Forte (BDm) produced from January 1, 2019 through September 30, 2024, and 2020–2022MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from November 1, 2018 through May 31, 2022 equipped with a Gamma 1.6L T‑GDI engine. In certain cases, misfi
- TSB_ELE422 Service bulletin2026-05-28 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for sup
- TSB_ELE417 Service bulletin2026-04-14 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing USB for installation on applicable Kia vehicles. The software downloads and USB preparation process is similar across all supported platforms; however, in‑vehicle installation procedures vary by head unit type.
- PS797 Other2025-12-09 · Back Over Prevention — Warnings
- PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane
- TSB_GEN103 Service bulletin2025-11-13 · Unknown Or Other
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TIRE MOBILITY REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the Tire Mobility Kit (TMK) sealant can or TMK bag assembly on certain 2023-2024MY Forte (BDm) models produced from March 01, 2023 thorough November 30, 2023. Lower ambient temperatures can create a vacuum effect inside the TMK sealant can, causing the sealant can cap to open, resulting in the tir
- TSB_TRA046_R5 Service bulletin2025-04-17 · Power Train
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is
- TSB_ENG222_R8 Service bulletin2025-04-03 · Engine
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the table on pages 9 and 10 for applicable models and engine
- TSB_ELE378 Service bulletin2025-03-20 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem in certain 2016-2025MY Kia vehicles listed on page 3 that are equipped with Kia Connect Services. The affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: remote Start/Climate Control function not working, vehicle Status on the Kia Access App not updating, con
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
At the New York inspection station
Source: New York State DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2024 Kia Forte failed the emissions check on 0.27% of first inspections — lower than the 1.5% for every 2024 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.2% (every 2024 vehicle: 0.74%).
failed emissions
2,594 initial inspections of 2,575 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2024 Forte | Every 2024 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 0.27% | 1.5% | 2,209 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 1.2% | 0.74% | 2,594 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.04% | 0.17% | 2,594 |
| Miles driven a year | 8,995 | 9,424 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 21,031 | 21,104 | odometer at inspection |
New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2024 vehicle” is every 2024 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).
Forte by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2024 Forte
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2024 Kia Forte have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2024 Kia Forte. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2024 Kia Forte?
NHTSA gave the 2024 Kia Forte 4 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (100/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2024 Kia Forte?
Across the 4 EPA-rated configurations of the 2024 Kia Forte, the best EPA combined figure is 34 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2024 Kia Forte?
Transport Canada measured it at 182.7 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 56.7 in tall, on a 106.3 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 2,769–3,012 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2024 Kia Forte?
Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2024 Kia Forte, most often about unspecified, engine, air bags. Of those, 6 involved a crash, 2 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2024 Kia Forte?
The EPA smog rating for the 2024 Kia Forte runs 5 to 7 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III SULEV30, California LEV-III ULEV70, Federal Tier 3 Bin 30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2024 Kia Forte?
The manufacturer has filed 22 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2024 Kia Forte, most often covering electrical system, suspension, power train. The most recent is dated 2026-08-05. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
How does the 2024 Kia Forte do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2024 Kia Forte failed the emissions check on 0.27% of first inspections — lower than the 1.5% for every 2024 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.2% (every 2024 vehicle: 0.74%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 4 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 4 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 26 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 1 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 22 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 7 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.