2018 Kia Forte: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2018 Kia Forte

No generation-wide weak spot is flagged in GarageIntel’s research for this year and model. A specific car can still have its own problems, so get it inspected.

2018 Kia Forte recalls

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2018 Kia Forte. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• Airbags

  Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

  Details 22V031000

  Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.

• Engine & cooling

  A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Details 21V260000

  Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage.

  Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pan, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC210.

• Doors & latches

  A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

  Details 21V622000

  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 number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

  Fix: 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.

2018 Kia Forte safety investigations and free repairs

No open safety investigations.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Doors and locks: Kia has developed a software upgrade that can be installed on the vehicle to restrict the operation of the vehicle's ignition system should a locked vehicle be the subject of a break-in and theft attempt without the key.

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2018 Kia Forte safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

136 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, about average.

Other Kia Forte years

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024