2019 Kia Forte problems & reliability
146 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Kia Forte, alongside 2 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.
5 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2019 Kia Forte vehicles were involved in 97 fatal crashes with 56 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train → | 47 | 32% |
| Engine → | 35 | 24% |
| Electrical System → | 22 | 15% |
| Unknown OR Other | 22 | 15% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 17 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting → | 15 | 10% |
| Steering | 8 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 6 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 5 | 3% |
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 11,412 miles (middle 50% between 3,750 and 35,200 miles), based on 63 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that after driving to the local store and turning off the vehicle, after returning to the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with a timing chain failure caused by low engine…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jun 16, 2026
“While driving, the Forward Collision Warning system activated unexpectedly without any apparent hazard or obstruction in front of my vehicle. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle suddenly lost speed and became very slow to accelerate. I was unable to safely increase my speed while traveling on a busy…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jun 1, 2026
“The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the contact had exited when the oil and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle rolled over to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and, upon inspection, noticed that an excessive amount of…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed May 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
102 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2019 Kia Forte. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 8, 2026
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC199 FL301) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting Voluntary Service Campaign to update the software programming on the…
SC199_OWNR_BD_3 · Emissions · issued Feb 19, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
TSB_CS2312_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 19, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder…
TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2025
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media…
CS2312_OWNR · Other · issued Dec 17, 2025
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
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: 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…
TSB_ENG222_R8 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 3, 2025
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…
TSB_ENG222_R7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT STRUT BEARING & SPRING PAD REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the…
TSB_CHA121_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 13, 2024
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 2019 Kia Forte has 2 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 2019 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 11,412 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.