2018 Kia Forte: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle	2018 / kia / forte
known issues	6 clusters (reviewed 2026-07-30)
complaints	136 on file (2018-04-06 → 2026-09-02)
recalls	3
investigations	0
fars	91 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Trunk latch failure and unintended openingLATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES8 complaints2019-06 → 2024-04forte-2018-trunk-latch-failure

11585280 The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the trunk door erroneously opened. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions
11222215 TRUNK IS CONSTANTLY POPPING OPEN, ALTHOUGH NO ONE IS HITTING THE BUTTON ON THE KEYS NOR PULLING THE LEVER. I CAN BE IN THE HOUSE WITH MY KEYS ON THE COUNTER AND IT WILL POP OPEN
11437671 My trunk will not open at all, I have had this issue since July and received a letter about recalls on certain Kia fortes yet mine was not included in the recall

Exterior light moisture intrusion and bulb burnoutEXTERIOR LIGHTING4 complaints2022-07 → 2026-04forte-2018-light-moisture-bulb-burnout

11697327 Right break light fills up with water. Consistently changing break light bulbs due to moisture in the break light
11625127 The left rear blinker light has gone out 4 times in the last 2 years. The most recent replacement for the passenger rear blinker stopped working within 12 hours of replacement
11473893 Water in the rear tail light. Dealer is trying to collect money from me, even though the other service tech said if it was not moisture but water retention that is would be under warranty

Ignition immobilizer absence and vehicle theftELECTRICAL SYSTEM3 complaints2022-10 → 2023-09forte-2018-immobilizer-theft

11490900 My vehicle was broken into and attempted to be stolen. My Kia was made within the years that is a KNOWN issue that thieves can simply use a USB to start the car. There is no immobilizer switch on the ignition
11528748 There was a recall for my car for the software update as there is no immobilizer. I had this done on May 30th 23. This was to correct the problem to prevent others from stealing my car by just using the USB cable

Engine failure and seizure after oil lossENGINE31 complaints2019-08 → 2026-03forte-2018-engine-failure-oil-starvation

11704388 While driving on U.S. 69 highway in Overland Park, Kansas, the engine in my 2018 Kia Forte suddenly failed without warning. I was entering the northbound lanes from the 95th Street on-ramp and was accelerating to merge at about 50 mph
11720401 Recently, while my boyfriend was driving my vehicle, the engine suddenly lost power without warning. He had the accelerator pedal fully depressed, yet the vehicle would barely move. He was fortunate to safely maneuver the vehicle off the road
11695139 the engine was burning oil unknown to me. You had an oil change completed at 101k miles and 106k miles and there was no oil left in the engine per mechanic. This caused the check engine light to turn on

Engine stall while driving requiring restartENGINE18 complaints2020-08 → 2026-02forte-2018-stall-while-driving

11518101 Car shuts down for no reason. At low speeds, the car shuts down, oil light, check engine light and battery ligh illuminate. Have to stop, place the car in park, restart engine and drive again but car keeps stalling
11454672 When driving the car will stall. I was in a parking lot moving forward at 3mph, hit the brakes and the car stalled. After work the other night, while exiting one freeway ti enter another driving about 45mph, the car just stall and shut off
11479502 last fall my car would turn off while i was parked or driving at low speeds, i brought it to my Kia dealership and they could not find an issue, it happed a few more time in the winter, then in this summer it started happing more and more

Air bag non-deployment in collisionsAIR BAGS9 complaints2018-06 → 2024-04forte-2018-airbag-non-deployment

11478137 The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the contact rear-ended the vehicle in front of her however the air bags failed to deploy. The air bag warning light was illuminated
11153084 TAKATA RECALL. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND CRASH HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED BUT THE AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED
11463202 The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated she was at standstill at a parking space when another vehicle backed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
136	2018-04-06	2026-09-02	13	3	ENGINE:57; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:30; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:16; AIR BAGS:16; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:10

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
22V031000	25/01/2022	AIR BAGS	Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.	Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.	Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.
21V622000	09/08/2021	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH	Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."	A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.	Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
21V260000	13/04/2021	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP	Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage.	A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.	Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pan, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC210.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	91	legacy-code	0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2018 Kia Forte vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2018/kia/forte

@misc{wrenchpro_2018_kia_forte_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2018 Kia Forte},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2018/kia/forte}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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