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2014 Kia Forte: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
63%
227 of 359 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

63% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2014 Kia Forte are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 84% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 82 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 51%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
227
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
441
this model year
Fires reported
36
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
3
32 crashes · 29 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE215 · 49%
STEERING63 · 14%
AIR BAGS62 · 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM57 · 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER50 · 11%
SERVICE BRAKES28 · 6%

The years either side

2010
57%
100 of 232
2011
57%
69 of 161
2012
73%
189 of 305
2013
72%
128 of 211
2014
63%
227 of 441
2015
76%
171 of 259
2016
68%
78 of 137
2017
70%
172 of 301
2018
58%
68 of 136
2019
64%
85 of 147
2020
50%
34 of 75
2021
48%
29 of 67
2022
38%
8 of 26
2023
30%
16 of 61

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other compact cars with no elevated signal in 2014

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPUL01/28/2021CRASH3 INJURED
BEFORE EXITING BUT DURING DEPARTURE OF PARKING LOT FOR APARTMENT BUILDING KEEPING BRAKE PEDAL FULLY DEPRESSED WITH TRANSMISSION GEARED IN REVERSE THE VEHICLE QUICKLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY TOOK OFF AND SPED OUT OF CONTROL BACKWARDS UNTIL STOPPED BY SUDDEN IMPACT WITH A TREE RESULTING IN NUMEROUS BODILY INJURIES TO TRAUMATIC …
STEERING,SUSPENSION,ENGINE06/26/2022CRASH1 INJURED
On June 24, 2022 I was driving my vehicle on 435N to work. My steering wheel jerked to the left and started spinning out of control. I was driving at 60mph in the inside lane. When my steering jerked it caused me to turn headfirst into the inside wall. I proceeded to spin out of control across 3 lanes of rush hour traf…
ENGINE07/24/2018FIRE1 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 KIA FORTE. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE CONTACT DETECTED AN ABNORMAL ODOR. ALSO, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, SMOKE WAS SEEN COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND FLAMES APPEARED FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FI…

Three of 227 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (3)

ENGINE
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An …
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2014 Forte and Forte Koup vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunge…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014 Kia Forte vehicles manufactured December 5, 2012, to April 17, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the cooling …

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2014 Kia Forte

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.