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2022 Kia Forte: engine and transmission complaints

ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
38%
8 of 21 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

38% of relevant owner complaints on the 2022 Kia Forte are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.

Better than 57% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 5 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 31%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
8
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
26
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
1
3 crashes · 2 injuries

Complaints by component

UNKNOWN OR OTHER9 · 35%
ENGINE4 · 15%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE4 · 15%
STEERING3 · 12%
SUSPENSION3 · 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2 · 8%

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 2022

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

POWER TRAIN09/15/2025
The contact leased a 2022 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to respond while the gear shifter was in reverse(R). There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was test-driven, and the dealer became aware that the transmission was s…
ENGINE04/07/2025
Hi I had my Kia forte GT 2022 for 3 years and my engine light has been on for about 3 months now . I get a check up and an oil change regularly. It comes on and goes off . I told my mechanic and he said I might have to get a new transmission. I only had this brand new car for 3 years . Is there a defect in these Kia fo…
ENGINE04/01/2025
In early 2025, I encountered a serious issue with my 2022 Kia Forte GT, a manual car with 76,000 miles and a 1.6L turbo Gamma engine. I took it for a routine oil change at a local non-Kia shop, but they refused, finding metal particles in the oil, suggesting engine damage. Worried, I towed it to a Kia dealership for a …

Three of 8 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 (1)

STEERING:COLUMN
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rio and Forte vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering c…

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

Before you buy a 2022 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.