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2011 Kia Forte Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Critical

214 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.74 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical23V652000 Park outside

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module

engine compartment fire while parked or driving can raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.

Serious18V363000

Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module

If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.

Serious16V070000

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Cooling Unit And Lines

If enough transmission fluid leaks out, the transmission may not function properly and the vehicle may stop moving, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission cooler hose, free of charge. The recall began March 30, 2016. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC129.

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2011 Forte vehicles manufactured August 27, 2010, to November 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a transmission fluid cooler hose that may have been improperly manufactured, resulting in a transmission fluid leak.

Complaint volume

214 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

44Crashes
23Fires
49Injuries
2Deaths

Across 214 complaints. Severity Index 1.74.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine45 · 21%Air Bags34 · 16%Power Train17 · 8%Service Brakes, Hydraulic17 · 8%Electrical System16 · 7%Unknown Or Other13 · 6%Service Brakes11 · 5%Vehicle Speed Control10 · 5%
  1. Engine — 45 reports
  2. Air Bags — 34 reports
  3. Power Train — 17 reports
  4. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 17 reports
  5. Electrical System — 16 reports
  6. Unknown Or Other — 13 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 11 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 10 reports
  9. Exterior Lighting — 8 reports
  10. Structure:Body — 7 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2010 (3) · 2011 · 2012 (4) · 2013 (5) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (1) · 2017 (3) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (2) · 2020 · 2021 (2) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (3) · 2024

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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