The Kia Forte and the Hyundai Veloster share a parent company, a decade on the road, and a bad patch in the same component: Engine is the top complaint category on the Forte from 2011 to 2015 and again in 2017 and 2018, and on the Veloster in every scored year. The Forte year to avoid is 2014, with 439 complaints and a score of 44, and the years to treat with caution are 2012 (289 complaints, 67) and 2017 (301 complaints, 52). The Veloster years to avoid are 2012 and 2013, with 295 and 421 complaints and scores of 43 and 39. The Forte is a BUY in every year from 2018, and the Veloster in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Where the Forte's complaints come from
The Forte's record has one shape. Across 2,178 complaints and 14 model years, Engine leads by a wide margin in the bad years: 160 of the 2012 car's 289 complaints, 107 of the 2013 car's 195, 214 of the 2014 car's 439, 156 of the 2015 car's 258, and 144 of the 2017 car's 301. Nothing else comes close. The second category in 2014 is a tie between Steering and Air Bags at 62 each, and Electrical System has 56.
The recall campaigns on the same years tell a consistent story. Campaign 20V750000 (02/12/2020) covers the 2012 to 2015 Forte and Forte Koup for an engine compartment fire that can occur while driving. Campaign 15V015000 (16/01/2015) covers the 2014 car for a cooling fan resistor that may overheat and melt, an electrical fault in the engine bay, and Electrical System is fourth on the 2014 car's complaint list. On the 2017 and 2018 cars, campaign 21V260000 (13/04/2021) is for the oil pump on the 2.0-litre Nu MPI engine, where foreign particles can cause pump failure and engine damage. The record does not say why the 2016 car escaped: it has 2 complaints and a score of 93 on low evidence, and I would not treat a 2-complaint year as proof of anything.
Two other campaigns matter for the early cars. Campaign 18V363000 (01/06/2018) covers the 2011 to 2013 Forte for an air bag control unit that may short circuit in a crash and prevent the frontal air bags from deploying, and campaign 17V773000 (01/12/2017) covers the 2012 to 2014 cars for a brake pedal stopper pad that deteriorates and leaves the brake lights on. Service Brakes is the second complaint category on the 2012 car at 51 and on the 2013 car at 38.
Kia Forte: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 88 | BUY | 24 | 0 |
| 2023 | 75 | BUY | 61 | 3 |
| 2022 | 91 | BUY | 26 | 1 |
| 2021 | 82 | BUY | 67 | 2 |
| 2020 | 90 | BUY | 74 | 0 |
| 2019 | 76 | BUY | 147 | 2 |
| 2018 | 79 | BUY | 134 | 3 |
| 2017 | 52 | CAUTION | 301 | 3 |
| 2016 | 93 | BUY | 2 | 1 |
| 2015 | 72 | BUY | 258 | 1 |
| 2014 | 43 | AVOID | 441 | 3 |
| 2013 | 74 | BUY | 195 | 5 |
| 2012 | 67 | CAUTION | 292 | 4 |
| 2011 | 86 | BUY | 161 | 3 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Kia Forte model page.
The Forte from 2018
The third-generation car arrived for 2019 and the record changed with it. Engine drops from first to second in 2019 (36 complaints, behind Power Train at 47), then to 17 in 2020 and 22 in 2021. The 2019 car has two recalls, neither safety-critical: 20V459000 (05/08/2020) for a left front axle driveshaft that may not have been heat-treated, and 18V771000 (31/10/2018) for LED headlight aim. The 2020 car has 74 complaints, no recalls, and a score of 90, the highest on the Forte's record with medium evidence.
The 2021 to 2023 cars carry a cluster of steering and suspension campaigns that a buyer should know about. Campaign 22V304000 (05/05/2022) covers the 2021 and 2022 cars for a steering column bolt that may not be secured, which can cause the column to detach from the rack. On the 2023 car, campaign 22V906000 (08/12/2022) is for a front left steering knuckle that may crack, and campaigns 23V649000 (22/09/2023) and 24V244000 (01/04/2024) are both for a right front lower control arm that may have been improperly welded. Steering is the top complaint category on the 2023 car at 14, the only year on the Forte's record where it leads. The counts are small, 61 complaints and a score of 75, but the knuckle campaign is safety-critical and must be documented.
The Forte Koup
The Kia Forte Koup is the two-door version, on record from 2011 to 2017 with 1,512 complaints. Its record moves in step with the sedan's: 304 complaints in 2012, 211 in 2013, 441 in 2014 and 258 in 2015, with Engine leading every year at 173, 119, 215 and 156. The same 20V750000 and 17V773000 campaigns apply. Its 2014 car scores 56, a CAUTION rather than the sedan's AVOID, and its 2016 car is the one to have: 137 complaints, no recalls, a score of 91 on medium evidence. The 2017 Koup has no complaints on record, so its score of 90 rests on nothing.
The Veloster: 2012 and 2013
The first-generation Veloster's record is worst at the start. The 2012 car has 295 complaints and six recall campaigns, four of them safety-critical; the 2013 car has 421 complaints, 32.4 per year on the road, and a score of 39, the lowest in this guide. Engine leads both years, at 61 and then 170, and Electrical System is second on the 2013 car at 97. Steering is third in both years, at 42 and 58.
The 2012 recalls are specific. Two campaigns, 12V568000 and 13V051000 (07/12/2012 and 19/02/2013), cover panoramic sunroof assemblies weakened during installation, and Visibility is the second complaint category on the 2012 car at 55. Campaign 12V567000 (07/12/2012) covers the manual-transmission cars for parking brake components that bind. On the 2013 car, campaign 19V204000 (14/03/2019) covers the 1.6-litre turbo for engine management software that may cause pre-ignition, and that is the year Engine complaints peak. Campaign 23V132000 (28/02/2023) covers the 2012 to 2014 cars for a reverse park aid sensor that can short circuit.
The 2014 car is the surprise: 86 complaints and a score of 86. The 2015 car is fine at 136 complaints. The 2016 car slips to CAUTION with 221 complaints, 132 of them Engine, and campaign 20V746000 (01/12/2020) covers the 2015 and 2016 cars for connecting rod bearings that may wear prematurely.
Hyundai Veloster: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 94 | BUY | 23 | 1 |
| 2019 | 91 | BUY | 42 | 2 |
| 2017 | 94 | BUY | 49 | 0 |
| 2016 | 54 | CAUTION | 221 | 1 |
| 2015 | 76 | BUY | 136 | 2 |
| 2014 | 86 | BUY | 86 | 2 |
| 2013 | 39 | AVOID | 421 | 3 |
| 2012 | 43 | AVOID | 296 | 6 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Hyundai Veloster model page.
The second-generation Veloster
There is no 2018 model year on record; the second generation arrived for 2019. The 2017, 2019 and 2020 cars have 49, 42 and 23 complaints and scores of 94, 91 and 94, all on low evidence, and the 2021 car has no complaints at all and no verdict. Campaign 21V301000 (28/04/2021) covers the 2019 and 2020 cars with the 2.0-litre Nu MPI engine for piston oil rings that may not have been heat-treated, and campaign 19V311000 (17/04/2019) covers the 2019 car for a driver's door latch that can be damaged in a side impact. Engine still leads the complaint list in these years, at 18 and 8, but the totals are small.
How the three rank
The Forte Koup's 2016 and the Forte's 2020 are the best individual years with meaningful evidence. Across whole records, the Veloster has the widest spread, two AVOID years and three years scoring 91 or better; the Forte has one AVOID year and a run of BUY verdicts from 2018; the Koup is the sedan's record with a shorter tail. Among 2012 to 2015 cars, the Veloster 2014 and 2015 are the ones to take.
What to check before you buy
- On a 2012 to 2015 Forte or Koup, confirm campaign 20V750000 (engine compartment fire) is closed, and on a 2011 to 2013 car confirm 18V363000 (air bag control unit) and 23V652000 (ABS hydraulic control unit) as well.
- On a 2017 or 2018 Forte, ask for proof that the oil pump campaign 21V260000 was carried out, and ask for oil change receipts; Engine is 144 of the 2017 car's complaints.
- On a 2021 to 2023 Forte, check the steering column (22V304000), steering knuckle (22V906000) and control arm (23V649000, 24V244000) campaigns by VIN.
- On a 2012 Veloster with a panoramic roof, confirm both sunroof campaigns; on a 2013 turbo, confirm 19V204000; on a 2015 or 2016, confirm 20V746000 and listen for bottom-end noise on a cold start.
- On a 2019 or 2020 Veloster with the 2.0-litre engine, confirm 21V301000 and ask about oil consumption between services.
Summary
Avoid the 2014 Kia Forte and the 2012 and 2013 Hyundai Veloster; treat the 2012 and 2017 Forte and the 2016 Veloster with caution. Buy a 2018 or later Forte, a 2016 Forte Koup, or a 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019 or 2020 Veloster. The Engine category dominates every bad year on all three nameplates, and the recall campaigns on those years say why.