161 NHTSA owner complaints · 2 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 10.73
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the TPMS, red brake light, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was jumping and jerking during acceleration and deceleration. After restarting the vehicle, there was resistance while accelerating, and the jerking persisted. The contact stated that the failures started one week after the…
The centered high mounted brake light overheated during normal vehicle operation. The plastic bulb socket and housing melted, causing the bulb to dislodge and fall into the interior of the vehicle. The bulb was extremely hot and burned holes through an interior fabric item that was stored in the rear cargo area for less than 15 minutes. There was no collision or modification involved. This created a potential fire ha…
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an unusual ticking sound and smoke coming from under the hood. In addition, the contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed smoke that was coming from the HECU fuse box. The vehicle wa…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 18V363000 | Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Modu | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedo… |
| 23V652000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Tract | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 20… |
EPA combined 28 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,200
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (48 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 70/100, computed from 161 NHTSA complaints and 2 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for the 2011 Kia Forte Koup, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 01/06/2018. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.