Engine
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Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
217 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Forte Koup cite engine, 49% of all 445 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.
“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that oil was leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that at start-up the check engine and low oil pressure warning light remained illuminated with an abnormal burned oil odor. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was failing and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (ENGINE); as a possible cause for the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.”
“Airbag warning light has came on had a mechanic run codes and it says all air bags unresponsive. Now my car is refusing to start. If continue to try it eventually starts. Major oil leak and consumption along with knocking. Along with my break lights not working occasionally along with my head lights and brights not working at all”
“The systems affected appear to be engine, powertrain, and vehicle speed control. My 2014 Kia Forte, VIN [XXX] has approximately 118,000 miles. Since purchase in November2025 from Wondries Toyota, the vehicle has had repeated high RPM, poor acceleration, and loss of power when entering freeway on-ramps and driving uphill. It struggles to accelerate while merging into faster traffic, creating a safety risk as vehicles behind approach at higher speeds. Two different mechanics verbally advised that there may be an oil leak or oil consumption issue affecting the catalytic converter. I replaced the catalytic converter a couple months ago, but it became clogged again and the power loss continues. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem has not been inspected by the manufacturer yet, and I don’t have a written diagnostic report at this time. There was no crash, fire, injury, or fatality, and no police report. Warning lights are unknown. The exact incident date is approximate. The issue has been ongoing since after purchase and occurs multiple times, especially during freeway merging and uphill driving.”
“I received the recall paper in the mail I did everything I was asked to do I. Received a final determination letter stating they was going to fix it and reimburse me for the incidental repairs the vehicle and rental car and they never did anything and now my car is no longer in my possession. They had me pay to tow it to Kia then it got impounded from there and now I don't know where it is”
“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the vehicle was denied repairs due to lack of engine oil maintance records. The contact stated that after the vehicle was powered on with the ignition key, an abnormal fuel odor would leak into the interior cabin and the engine would shudder. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was denied recall repaires due to lack on maintance records. The vehicle was not repaired due to costs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.”
“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that while exiting the contact's residence and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that seconds later, the contact noticed fire coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was unoccupied. The contact attempted to extinguish the fire with two residential fire extinguishers. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The fire inspector informed the contact that the fire was caused by an unknown fluid. The vehicle was not inspected by the insurance company. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred moments after the vehicle was parked. The contact referenced a recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine); however, the contact stated that the recall notification was not received. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. In addition, the contact was informed that the recall had been open for a long period of time. The contact was informed that there was no mailing address on file for…”
Showing 6 of 217 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.