2023 Kia Forte problems & reliability
61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Kia Forte, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 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 components.
5 complaints report injuries (5 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2023 Kia Forte vehicles were involved in 26 fatal crashes with 20 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 14 | 23% |
| Electrical System → | 10 | 16% |
| Engine | 9 | 15% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 9 | 15% |
| Power Train | 8 | 13% |
| Suspension | 8 | 13% |
| Unknown / Other | 8 | 13% |
| Lane Departure | 6 | 10% |
| Air Bags | 5 | 8% |
| Structure | 4 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 17 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Unknown. During a basic collision Avoidance maneuver performed by myself on the highway at speed of aprox 60MPH the steering suddenly became non-responsive, resulting in my inability to maintain directional control and cause a collision. The vehicle continued traveling before coming to its final resting position…”
Suspension · filed Sep 6, 2026
“Electrical system failed while operating vehicle on major highway. All lights flashed, system shut off, power steering locked up.”
Electrical System · filed Aug 24, 2026
“The right front lower control arm has completely broken/fractured during operation. Kia has previously issued safety recalls SC283 (NHTSA 23V649) and SC306 (NHTSA 24V244) for this exact vehicle model year due to improperly manufactured right front lower control arms that can crack and fail. My vehicle was manufactured…”
Suspension · filed Aug 9, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
46 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2023 Kia Forte. The 10 most recent:
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…
TSB_ENG263 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 5, 2026
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…
TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2026
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…
TSB_ELE417 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 14, 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
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…
TSB_GEN103 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 13, 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: 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…
TSB_ELE378 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 20, 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: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5WSOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a…
TSB_ELE338_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 9, 2025
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 2023 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 2023 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.