NHTSA Safety Recalls
2021 Kia Forte Recalls
The 2021 Kia Forte has 2 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on May 5, 2022.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2021 Kia Forte. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 2
- Owner complaints
- 69
- Crashes reported
- 11
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
in complaints
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2021 Kia Forte, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
2 recalls on the 2021 Kia Forte
Steering: column
- Campaign
- 22V304000
- Reported
- May 5, 2022
- Vehicles affected
- up to 30
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2022 Forte, 1 other model
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
- Campaign
- 21V164000
- Reported
- March 11, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 142
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 208, occupant crash protection
- Same campaign
- also 2 other models
2021 Kia Forte complaints by year
NHTSA has received 69 owner complaints about the 2021 Kia Forte, the newest on October 4, 2026. Of these, 11 describe a crash (16%); owners reported 7 injuries.
In complaints about the 2021 Kia Forte, the component group named most often is the engine (32%), followed by the steering (13%) and the electrical system (12%).
1 of the 2021 Kia Forte's 2 recalls also concerns the steering.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine22
- Unknown Or Other18
- Steering9
- Electrical System8
- Air Bags7
- Power Train7
Complaints received, by year
| 2021 | 10 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21 | |
| 2023 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 13 | |
| 2025 | 11 | |
| 2026 | 9 |
Complaints about the 2021 Kia Forte peaked in 2022, when NHTSA received 21. 71% arrived between 2020 and 2024, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2021 vehicles, the 2021 Kia Forte drew 1.2× the complaints of the median Kia Forte year in the same window: 5th highest of the 13 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 69 complaints about the 2021 Kia Forte are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Forte by model year
Other 2021 Kia models
Newest record on this page: October 4, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted