2020 Kia Forte problems and recalls

Owners filed 40 complaints on the 2020 Kia Forte in the last three full years, out of 78 on record. The most cited component is the Unknown Or Other.

78
Complaints
0
Recalls
9
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
6
Injuries
88.2
Severity index

Severity index 88.2 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 88.2p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 16 of 104 by severity index among 2020 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 85% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2020 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 26 complaints (33.3%)26 33%EngineEngine: 20 complaints (25.6%)20 26%Power TrainPower Train: 16 complaints (20.5%)16 21%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 11 complaints (14.1%)11 14%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 6 complaints (7.7%)6 8%Air BagsAir Bags: 5 complaints (6.4%)5 6%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 4 complaints (5.1%)4 5%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 3 complaints (3.8%)3 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2633.3%
ENGINE2025.6%
POWER TRAIN1620.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1114.1%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE67.7%
AIR BAGS56.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL45.1%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING33.8%

Complaints filed per year

010192019: 12020: 62021: 82022: 42023: 172024: 82025: 152026: 19 (partial year)192021222324252619
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20191
20206
20218
20224
202317
20248
202515
2026 (year to date)19
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 2.2x those in 2020 to 2022 (40 against 18).

Other Kia Forte model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 12 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-10-13. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.