Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2010 Kia Forte, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine74
- Air bags41
- Tires23
- Power train23
- Electrical system19
- Service brakes17
- Wheels17
- Exterior lighting15
- Steering11
- Unknown or other10
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 14 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 50 2010 Forte vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 25 people died inside them, and 3 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2010 Kia Forte failed the safety check 4.20% of the time — 68% more often than the average 2010 passenger car (2.50%). Median odometer at inspection: 122,739 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 4 variants: combined 8.3–9.2 L/100 km (about 26–28 mpg US), CO₂ 191–212 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forte · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.4 | 7.0 | 8.3 |
| Forte · Compact · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 7.0 | 8.4 |
| Forte · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.3 | 7.5 | 9.1 |
| Forte · Compact · Regular gasoline | 10.6 | 7.4 | 9.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 2010 Kia Forte.
| 2021040 1 Feb 2021 | Engine Issue: Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an eng… |
| 2018301 8 Jun 2018 | Airbag On certain gasoline and hybrid engine vehicles, the circuits within the airbag control unit may become damaged. This could cause the airbags and seat belt prete… |
| 2013324 25 Sept 2013 | Electrical On certain vehicles, the stop lamp switch may fail and cause intermittent operation of the brake lights. Failure of the brake lights to illuminate when the brak… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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.
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Kia told its dealers about the 2010 Kia Forte: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010510 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326 (PI2102Y/Z) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (PI2102) titled Knock Sensor Detection System - ECU Logic Improvement for 2010-2011MY Forte and Forte Koup (TD)vehicles equipped with Theta 2.4L MPI engine, produced from February 24, 2009 through May 3 |
| 11010509 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2102) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (PI2101) titled Knock Sensor Detection System - ECU Logic Improvement for 2011MY Sorento (XMa) vehicles equipped with Theta 2.4L MPI engine, produced from October 24, 2009 through June 24, 2011. Specifically, this bulletin provides instructions on which procedures to follow if, after installation of the KSDS, any one of the subject vehicles below return to the |
| 11000787 | This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced. |
| 10251423 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2102) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2010-2011 MY Kia Forte & Forte Koup vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update will be done free of charge and will only involve the addition of newly developed computer software for the Engine Control Unit ("ECU"). |
| 10226555 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced, refer to applicable vehicles in the chart starting on page 2. |
| 10214151 | SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326 (PI2102Y/Z) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (PI2102) titled "Knock Sensor Detection System - ECU Logic Improvement" for 2010-2011MY Forte and Forte Koup (TD) vehicles equipped with Theta 2.4L MPI engine, produced from February 24, 2009 through May 31, 2011. Specifically, this bulletin provides instructions on which procedures to follow if, after installation of the KSDS, any one of the subject vehicles below return to the dealer with Diagnostic Trouble |
| 10202226 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR OF C-MDPS MOTOR, ECU, WORM GEAR AND/OR STEERING COLUMN HOUSING - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) Motor, Electronic Control Unit (ECU), Steering Column Housing, or Worm Gear Assembly. When the steering wheel is rotated a scraping noise can be heard originating from the lower bearing on the Worm Gear Assembly on some 2010MY~ Kia m |
| 10201529 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFORMATION FOR HEADLAMP CONDENSATION AND MOISTURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to some Kia models that may exhibit fogging, condensation, and/or moisture inside a headlamp assembly. Generally, a fogging condition is considered normal and can be eliminated by turning on the headlamps with the engine running for up to 30 minutes or during normal driving conditions. Headlamp assembly replacement WILL |
| 10195110 | TSB_ENG057_R1_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194708 | TSB_FUE017_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194706 | TSB_CHA020_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194672 | TSB_TRA030_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194568 | TSB_ENG058_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194567 | TSB_GEN031_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194566 | TSB_ENG059_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194556 | TSB_ENG051_R1_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194553 | TSB_BOD049_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194551 | TSB_TRA026_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10194503 | TSB_ENG070_R1_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED |
| 10190347 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: THETA 2.4L MPI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2102) - This bulletin provides information related to a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to install the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) in order to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. |
| 10190346 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2010-2011 MY Kia Forte and Forte Koup vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter MPI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update will be done free of charge and will only involve the addition of newly developed computer software for the Engine Control Unit ("ECU") (PI2102). |
| 10190345 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Product Improvement Campaign (PI2102). |
| 10190344 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Managers that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage on 2010-2011 MY Forte and Forte Koup vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter engines, manufactured from February 24, 2009 through May 31, 2011 (PI2102). |
| 10190343 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage on 2010-2011 MY Forte and Forte Koup vehicles equipped with 2.4-liter engines, manufactured from February 24, 2009 through May 31, 2011 (PI2102). |
| 10189545 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR OF C-MDPS MOTOR, ECU, WORM GEAR AND/OR STEERING COLUMN HOUSING - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS) Motor, Electronic Control Unit (ECU), Steering Column Housing, or Worm Gear Assembly. When the steering wheel is rotated a scraping noise can be heard originating from the lower bearing on the Worm Gear Assembly on some 2010MY~ Kia m |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
Loss of Motive Power
Air bags may be disabled during crash
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation