NHTSA Safety Recalls
2018 Kia Forte Recalls
The 2018 Kia Forte has 3 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on January 25, 2022.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2018 Kia Forte. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 3
- Owner complaints
- 136
- Crashes reported
- 13
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
3 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2018 Kia Forte, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
3 recalls on the 2018 Kia Forte
Air bags
- Campaign
- 22V031000
- Reported
- January 25, 2022
- Vehicles affected
- up to 410,619
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2017 Forte, 3 other models
Latches/locks/linkages: trunk lid: latch
- Campaign
- 21V622000
- Reported
- August 9, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 253,074
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 401, interior trunk release
- Same campaign
- also 2016–2017 Forte, 1 other model
Engine and engine cooling: engine: oil/lubrication: pump
- Campaign
- 21V260000
- Reported
- April 13, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,069
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2017 Forte
2018 Kia Forte complaints by year
NHTSA has received 136 owner complaints about the 2018 Kia Forte, the newest on September 2, 2026. Of these, 13 describe a crash (10%) and 3 a fire; owners reported 9 injuries.
In complaints about the 2018 Kia Forte, the component group named most often is the engine (42%), followed by the air bags (12%) and the electrical system (12%).
1 of the 2018 Kia Forte's 3 recalls also concerns the air bags.
Where 2018 Kia Forte owners gave the mileage (51 complaints), the median was 33,937 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine57
- Unknown Or Other30
- Air Bags16
- Electrical System16
- Vehicle Speed Control10
- Fuel/Propulsion System8
Complaints received, by year
| 2018 | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 15 | |
| 2020 | 12 | |
| 2021 | 9 | |
| 2022 | 22 | |
| 2023 | 17 | |
| 2024 | 26 | |
| 2025 | 18 | |
| 2026 | 10 |
Complaints about the 2018 Kia Forte peaked in 2024, when NHTSA received 26. 32% arrived between 2017 and 2021, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2018 vehicles, the 2018 Kia Forte drew 1.0× the complaints of the median Kia Forte year in the same window: 8th highest of the 13 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 136 complaints about the 2018 Kia Forte are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Forte by model year
Other 2018 Kia models
Newest record on this page: September 2, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted