RecallRadar

Home → Kia → Forte → 2023

2023 Kia Forte Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Critical

95 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.21 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical23V649000 Do not drive

Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Arm

Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC283.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Critical24V244000 Do not drive

Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Arm

Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC306. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 23V-649.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Serious22V906000

Steering:Linkages:Knuckle:Spindle:Arm

loss of steering control raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and replace the front left steering knuckle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 12, 2023. Owner may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC259.

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control.

Complaint volume

95 this model-year 9 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

16Crashes
7Fires
8Injuries
3Deaths

Across 95 complaints. Severity Index 1.21.

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

Steering13 · 14%Electrical System9 · 9%Engine9 · 9%Forward Collision Avoidan…7 · 7%Power Train6 · 6%Unknown Or Other6 · 6%Suspension6 · 6%Air Bags5 · 5%
  1. Steering — 13 reports
  2. Electrical System — 9 reports
  3. Engine — 9 reports
  4. Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings — 7 reports
  5. Power Train — 6 reports
  6. Unknown Or Other — 6 reports
  7. Suspension — 6 reports
  8. Air Bags — 5 reports
  9. Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking — 5 reports
  10. Structure:Body — 4 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 (3) · 2012 (4) · 2013 (5) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (1) · 2017 (3) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (2) · 2020 · 2021 (2) · 2022 (1) · 2023 · 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.

From the same data desk

Independent sites, same maintainer, same open-data standards.

TireFit
Is that tyre actually right for your car?
2,808 fitment guides
FuelFacts
What that trip really costs in fuel
Live consumption data
CostCompare
What things cost, city by city
2,123 comparisons