2010 Kia Forte problems & reliability
221 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Kia Forte, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
13 complaints report injuries (14 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2010 Kia Forte vehicles were involved in 50 fatal crashes with 25 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 74 | 33% |
| Air Bags | 41 | 19% |
| Power Train | 23 | 10% |
| Tires | 23 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 19 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 17 | 8% |
| Wheels | 17 | 8% |
| Exterior Lighting | 15 | 7% |
| Steering | 11 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 10 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 77,500 miles (middle 50% between 42,250 and 110,000 miles), based on 142 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My check engine light came on and I got it checked out and had a c1053 code show up. The repair shop told me I had a recall but my car is 2010 so it’s not falling within the recall year range.”
Service Brakes · filed Apr 21, 2026
“The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte with a five-speed transmission. The contact received notifications for NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V363000(Air Bags) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000(Service Brakes, Hydraulics), as well as other manufacturer recalls. The contact made an appointment at a dealer and had the vehicle…”
Power Train · filed Apr 20, 2026
“The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to a dealer for several recall repairs, and repair under Manufacturer Recall Number: SC165A. After the recall repairs were performed, while driving approximately 60 MPH on the highway with the clutch engaged and the vehicle in gear, the…”
Power Train · filed Apr 20, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
Audit Query AQ23002 · opened Nov 17, 2023 · open
- Loss of Motive Power
Defect Petition DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
- Air bags may be disabled during crash
Preliminary Evaluation PE18003 · opened Mar 16, 2018 · closed Aug 30, 2019 · led to recall 18V363000
Technical service bulletins
85 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2010 Kia Forte. The 10 most recent:
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2102 FLIGHT #501) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting an important Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update…
PI2102_OWNR_501 · Other · issued Mar 4, 2026
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…
PS797 · Other · issued Dec 9, 2025
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2102) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2010-2011 MY Kia…
PI2102_OWNR_401 · Other · issued Jul 1, 2025
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…
TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326 (PI2102Y/Z) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information…
PI2102YZ_TSB_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 7, 2024
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2102) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin…
PI2102_OWNR_301 · Other · issued Nov 5, 2024
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 replaced.
TSB_TRA046_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2024
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2102) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2010-2011 MY Kia…
PI2102_OWNR_201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2024
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required…
TSB_TRA046_R3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 18, 2022
SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326 (PI2102Y/Z) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (PI2102) titled "Knock Sensor…
PI2102YZ_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 9, 2022
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2010 Kia Forte has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2010 Kia Forte?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 77,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.