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EnginePart report

2019 Kia Forte Engine Problems

Complaints
38about this part
Share
25%of 150 total for the year
Median mileage
16,500miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 38 complaints about the engine of the 2019 Kia Forte, 25% of the 150 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 16,500 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

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

“Everytime I am on the highway, then either come to a complete stop or try to turn to go up a hill. It won't kick in to gear. Thd rpms go way up and it almost stops running. Its been happening like for a week now. Its getting worse. My headlights also seem like they are pointed to low to the ground. Please help I use my car for work. Thank you”

NHTSA complaint #11348606, filed 2020-08, 16,500 miles

“With less than 8k miles on our Forte we were driving down the highway at 70 MPH when the oil light went on. We moved to the right lane and within seconds all of the warning lights were on and the car would not accelerate at all. We coasted off the highway to find oil spilling from the car. When we pulled the oil stick it was bone dry and smoking. We were towed to our dealership and told this is the 3rd or 4th engine they have seen with this issue and they are replacing our entire engine. …”

NHTSA complaint #11265766, filed 2019-10, 7,800 miles

“Problem 1, long crank hard start. Have to cycle the ignition key several times to get engine started. No PCM codes. Had to Kia dealer multiple times. Cannot duplicate issue. Problem 2, instrument cluster goes blank, radio goes blank and engine stalls while driving. This is a safety concern.”

NHTSA complaint #11306811, filed 2020-02, 62 miles

“My car has cut off on me going down the road and it cut back on I have had where the car is slow at acceleration and trying to stall out on me and causing a car to almost hit me in the bumper cause of it the car only has 112,580 miles and have not been able to drive the car since march 13,2026 due to this issue and not feeling safe to drive it”

NHTSA complaint #11734155, filed 2026-04

“Have had the car since it had 30,000 on it. It was one year old when we bought it. We changed the oil every three months faithfully. The car has 77,000 miles on it now and needs a new engine. The Kias with this type of engine have been recalled, but this car was not. I have had three mechanics tell me that Kia just built this engine poorly. Is there anything that can be done?”

NHTSA complaint #11603854, filed 2024-07

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2024831%
2023914%
2022414%
20212232%
20202026%
20193825%
20185742%
201714548%
20166649%
201515861%
201421649%
201310755%
201216155%
20114529%
20107433%

Other parts of the 2019 Kia Forte

Transmission and drivetrain
48 complaints
Electrical system
23 complaints
Other or unknown
22 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
17 complaints
Exterior lighting
15 complaints
Steering
9 complaints
Vehicle speed control
7 complaints
Air bags
6 complaints
Lane departure
5 complaints
Brakes
4 complaints
Engine cooling
4 complaints
Fuel system
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2019 Kia Forte

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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