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Vehicle speed controlPart report

2012 Kia Forte Vehicle speed control Problems

Complaints
14about this part
Share
5%of 292 total for the year
Median mileage
25,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 2012 Kia Forte, 5% of the 292 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 25,000 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My 2012 Kia Forte 2.0l engine keeps making a ticking, knocking noise. Took it in for service and the dealer said that they could not locate the issue, but that I may just need an oil change. Oil was severely low, even though oil was just changed. There were no leaks identified. Also, my car has a jerking issue when accelerating. The car sometimes gets thrown forward without a check engine light being thrown. This especially happens on the interstate, or if the car has been driven for longer than 20 minutes. This is an extreme safety issue.”

NHTSA complaint #11388894, filed 2021-01, 153,000 miles

“When starting my vehicle in park, I put it in reverse, and it barely goes. It seems to lack power, or is being bogged down. It almost comes to a complete stop, and then it suddenly kicks in, and jerks you backwards very fast. It is scary because I could easily hit something or crash, because the car becomes almost out of control. You never know when it is going to kick back in either. I have taken it to the Kia dealer, but they said it did not do it for them of course. So I am stuck with a car that is having a lot of issues. I don't have the money to fix them right now. …”

NHTSA complaint #11190284, filed 2019-03, 95,000 miles

“My 2012 Kia Forte has a problem with the engine suddenly racing, and acting like it is out of gear. I have taken it to my mechanic and they keep telling me that they can't find the problem. I also get problems with the brake lights: I get told that they're out when they aren't. I do regular maintenance and oil changes on my vehicle. It started in april, 2014, at first occasionally, but now it is almost constant. If the problem is not found and fixed, I am in danger of losing my transmission and worse....updated 12/10/15”

NHTSA complaint #10733474, filed 2015-07, 50,000 miles

“September 24th at 6:30 a.m. Traveling at 65mph on 91 freeway. Start to slow and then stop for traffic. Traffic starts to speed up and my vehicle goes into ?limp mode?. Car rev meter goes up to about 5, but car will not go faster than approx. 35 MPH. Then within 20 seconds car surges forward and regains speed and rev counter drops to normal. Take car to Kia dealer its plugged into the computer. At 3pm he says there are no error codes. He and I take it for a test drive for approx. 20 miles and it does not replicate the problem. …”

NHTSA complaint #10640520, filed 2014-10, 25,000 miles

“Driving in a shopping center parking lot. Made a right turn into an alley. Vehicle then rapidly accelerated through the alley and then smashed into a tree. Can't remember if brakes were applied or not. It all happened very quickly. Kia Forte was totaled and driver was hospitalized with extensive injuries (foot broken, hand broken, vertebrae damage) hospitalized approx. 5 days and nursing home approx. 10 days. Last visit to surgeon for smashed foot (to remove metal pins) was in april of 2013. …”

NHTSA complaint #10610525, filed 2014-07, 1,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Vehicle speed control: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202323%
202214%
202111%
202045%
201975%
2018107%
2017176%
20161410%
201552%
2014143%
201321%
2012145%
2011106%
201094%

Other parts of the 2012 Kia Forte

Engine
161 complaints
Brakes
52 complaints
Air bags
37 complaints
Electrical system
32 complaints
Exterior lighting
23 complaints
Other or unknown
21 complaints
Fuel system
11 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
11 complaints
Steering
9 complaints
Body and structure
9 complaints
Engine cooling
5 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2012 Kia Forte

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology