2020 Kia Forte: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 71 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 0 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
71
Complaints
0
Recalls
9
Crash reports
2
Fire reports
6
Injuries
135.2
Severity index
Severity index 135.2 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 103 2020 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2020 Kia Forte ranks 8 of 103 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 92% of its model-year peers. See the full 2020 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 24 | 33.8% |
| ENGINE | 15 | 21.1% |
| POWER TRAIN | 15 | 21.1% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 11 | 15.5% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 5 | 7.0% |
| AIR BAGS | 4 | 5.6% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 4 | 5.6% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 4.2% |
The single most-reported system is UNKNOWN OR OTHER, cited in 24 of 71 complaints (33.8%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 6 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 17 |
| 2024 | 8 |
| 2025 | 15 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 12 |
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 2.2x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.