The 2016 Kia Forte has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 253,074 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 198 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard…
Consequence
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
Complaints by component
ENGINE
63
2crashes3fires2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
20
2fires
POWER TRAIN
16
2crashes2fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
15
1crashes1fires1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
14
1crashes
AIR BAGS
13
11crashes1fires9injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
10
1crashes
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
9
WHEELS
6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
1fires
Total complaints198
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Unknown it makes a ticking noise check engine light came on and oil isn't low. Recently bought it.”
“Unknown it makes a ticking noise check engine light came on and oil isn't low. Recently bought it.”
“Unknown it makes a ticking noise check engine light came on and oil isn't low. Recently bought it.”
“This forte was not neglected and it was not abused. Nearly 90% of its miles came from highway commuting and interstate travel. It was completely stock, never modified, never driven hard. More importantly, it received fully synthetic oil changes every 3k-4k miles since new, well ahead of what kia…”
“While driving on I-95 at 60mph the car began to jump as it attempted to shift gears and the speed stalled to where it slowed down to 20mph and would not go any faster. The car slowed while I was in the fast lanes of the highway and I had to work my way to the right to the slower lanes to avoid…”
“While driving on I-95 at 60mph the car began to jump as it attempted to shift gears and the speed stalled to where it slowed down to 20mph and would not go any faster. The car slowed while I was in the fast lanes of the highway and I had to work my way to the right to the slower lanes to avoid…”
“Point 1)cvvt pin was sheared off. Not available for inspection, was replaced and discarded by kia. Point 2)the vehicle had a rough start and stalled out while stopping. Had to have the car towed to the dealership. Point 3) unknown point 4) no point 5) the check engine light would come on and off…”
“I am filing a formal complaint regarding serious safety and mechanical problems with my vehicle. The brakes do not function properly and I have to add brake fluid every few days, which indicates a possible leak or brake system failure. This creates an extremely dangerous driving condition. The…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Kia Forte as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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