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2023 Kia Forte

Gas Midsize car

202420232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
D
Safety Signal
62 / 100
DSafety Signal · 62 / 100
3Recalls · 2 critical
61Complaints · owner reports
4★Crash rating · NHTSA overall
34 mpgFuel economy · best combined
⚠️
Active NHTSA advisory: do not drive. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and see the recall details below.

The 2023 Kia Forte is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forte FE, is EPA-rated at 34 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of D. Owners have filed 61 complaints, most often about steering. NHTSA crash-tested it at 4 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Forte FEGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl304134$1,850
ForteGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl283932$1,950
ForteGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo273530$2,100
ForteGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo223126$2,400

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2023 Kia Forte is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (3)

Suspension

critical
Do not drive215 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Risk: Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC306. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 23V-649.

NHTSA campaign 24V244000 · reported Apr 1, 2024 · Kia America, Inc.

Suspension

critical
Do not drive3,866 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Risk: Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC283.

NHTSA campaign 23V649000 · reported Sep 22, 2023 · Kia America, Inc.

Steering

high
939 vehicles

Problem: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control.

Risk: A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the front left steering knuckle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 12, 2023. Owner may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC259.

NHTSA campaign 22V906000 · reported Dec 8, 2022 · Kia America, Inc.

Owner complaints

61 complaints filed

11 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 5 injuries, 1 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2022: 1 · 2023: 18 · 2024: 14 · 2025: 15 · 2026: 13

Most-cited components

  • Steering — 14
  • Forward Collision Avoidance — 13
  • Electrical System — 10
  • Engine — 9
  • Power Train — 8
“I have been driving my car, utilizing the Adaptive Cruise Control, and on a few occasions, have received a 'Check Forward Safety System' error message. Additionally, when utilizing the Adaptive Cruise Control, my vehicle does not recognize the vehicle in the lane directly in front of me, but instead, will recognize the…”Jul 14, 2023 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report
“I’m an owner of a brand new a 2023 Kia for less than one year. While driving home from work which is 8 miles drive on a Friday, while sitting at a red light I heard a crack or pop to see that my windshield had spontaneously cracked on the driver side. When I got home, I measured it to be 8 inches, starting at the fra…”Jul 10, 2023 · Visibility/Wiper · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated while pulling out of the driveway and making a left turn, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven the vehicle and diagnosed but no issue was …”Jun 23, 2023 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

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.

Crash ratings

ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR FWD★★★★☆★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Forte model years

A

2024 Forte

0 recalls · 24 complaints

A

2022 Forte

1 recalls · 26 complaints

B

2021 Forte

2 recalls · 67 complaints

A

2020 Forte

0 recalls · 74 complaints

B

2019 Forte

2 recalls · 147 complaints

C

2018 Forte

3 recalls · 136 complaints

C

2017 Forte

3 recalls · 301 complaints

A

2016 Forte

1 recalls · 137 complaints

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). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 45351, 45352, 45350, 45349). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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