NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Kia Forte Recalls
The 2012 Kia Forte has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on September 25, 2023.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Kia Forte. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 292
- Crashes reported
- 20
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
23 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Kia Forte, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2012 Kia Forte
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- Campaign
- 23V652000
- Reported
- September 25, 2023
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,730,192
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire and injury
- NHTSA advisory
- park outside, away from buildings
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2011, 2013 Forte, 11 other models
Engine
- Campaign
- 20V750000
- Reported
- December 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 294,756
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2015 Forte, 5 other models
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
- Campaign
- 18V363000
- Reported
- June 1, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 507,587
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2011, 2013 Forte, 4 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
- Campaign
- 17V773000
- Reported
- December 1, 2017
- Vehicles affected
- up to 134,366
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2014 Forte, 1 other model
2012 Kia Forte complaints by year
NHTSA has received 292 owner complaints about the 2012 Kia Forte, the newest on September 18, 2026. Of these, 20 describe a crash (7%) and 23 a fire; owners reported 16 injuries and 3 deaths.
In complaints about the 2012 Kia Forte, the component group named most often is the engine (55%), followed by the air bags (13%) and the electrical system (11%).
1 of the 2012 Kia Forte's 4 recalls also concerns the engine.
Where 2012 Kia Forte owners gave the mileage (180 complaints), the median was 81,600 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine161
- Air Bags37
- Electrical System32
- Service Brakes30
- Exterior Lighting23
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic21
Complaints received, by year
| 2012 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 9 | |
| 2014 | 11 | |
| 2015 | 11 | |
| 2016 | 9 | |
| 2017 | 16 | |
| 2018 | 26 | |
| 2019 | 35 | |
| 2020 | 31 | |
| 2021 | 44 | |
| 2022 | 17 | |
| 2023 | 34 | |
| 2024 | 23 | |
| 2025 | 15 | |
| 2026 | 8 |
Complaints about the 2012 Kia Forte peaked in 2021, when NHTSA received 44. 12% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Kia Forte drew 0.9× the complaints of the median Kia Forte year in the same window: 9th highest of the 13 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 4/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 292 complaints about the 2012 Kia Forte are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Forte by model year
Other 2012 Kia models
Newest record on this page: September 18, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted