2011 Kia Forte Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA FORTE. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL KNOCKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE, THE OIL PRESSURE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SHOALS UNIVERSITY KIA (4109 N JACKSON HWY, SHEFFIELD, AL 35660, (256) 978-1000) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EXTENSION WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS THEN INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
IN 2016, JUST A FEW MONTHS PAST THE FIVE YEAR WARRANTY, ENGINE STARTED MAKING NOISE. $5K REPAIR. ENGINE HAD BROKEN ENGINE BEARING CAUSING KNOCK SOUND. LESS THAN 50K MILES. MANY MODELS THAT YEAR RECALLED FOR ENGINE PROBLEMS, SAME MODEL IN SURROUNDING YEARS RECALLED FOR ENGINE PROBLEMS, ONLY TWO REMANUFACTURED ENGINES IN COUNTRY WHEN I NEEDED A REPLACEMENT. THIS SHOULD'VE HAD A RECALL. IT'S A COVER UP BY KIA.
2011 KIA FORTE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ILLUMINATED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. *LD THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT TH INTAKE MANIFOLD WOULD CAUSE A FIRE. *JS
AT 120,000 MILES A LOUD KNOCKING NOISE BEGAN COMING FROM THE ENGINE AT ENGINE START. IT PERSISTS AND SOUNDS ALMOST LIKE AN ELECTRIC SEWING MACHINE - TAKA TAKA TAKA TAKA. THE SOUND GETS LOUDER WHEN I ACCELERATE AND DECREASES WHEN I DON'T PRESS THE GAS PEDAL. THE NOISE DECREASES SLIGHTLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS FULLY WARMED UP BUT IT IS STILL AUDIBLE. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO SPECIALIZES IN ENGINES, HIS DIAGNOSIS WAS "ROD BEARINGS NEED REPLACEMENT" I HAVE STARTED SEARCHING FOR THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND BECAME AWARE OF SAFETY RECALL SC147. UNFORTUNATELY THIS RECALL DOESN'T INCLUDE THE KIA FORTE MODEL. I SAW IN MY RESEARCH ONLINE THAT MANY OTHER FORTE OWNERS WERE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES. IN ADDITION, MY CAR'S ENGINE "THETA II" 2.0 LITER APPEARS TO BE THE SAME ENGINE THAT IS INCLUDED AMONG THE RECALLED MODELS INCLUDED IN SC147. I AM WONDERING WHY THE KIA FORTE IS NOT INCLUDED AS IT SEEMS TO BE SUFFERING FROM THE SAME ISSUE. IS THIS A QUESTION OF ACCOUNTABILITY, OR LACK THEREOF ON KIA/HYUNDAI'S SIDE.
PUSH ROD BEARING
THE ENGINE HAS BEEN MAKING A TICKING CLICKING SOUND WHEN AT IDLE AND WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW. NOT SURE IF IT GOES AWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS OR BECUASE OF THE POOR NOISE PROOFING OF THE CAR THAT DROWNS OUT THE SOUND. ANYWAY I STARTED LOOKING ONLINE TO SEE IF PEOPLE HAD THE SAME ISSUE. THEY DID AND COSTING ANYWHERE FROM 5000 TO 7000 FOR THE ENGINE TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF "PISTON, ROD KNOCKING ISSUES". FURTHERMORE, I'VE LEARNED THAT KIA HAS RECALLED THE ENGINES IN SEVERAL OF THEIR OTHER MODELS. THIS RECALL WAS PUT INTO PLACE BECAUSE THE ENGINES ARE "STALLING" AND POSING A SAFETY HAZARD. THIS CAR CAN NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL THE ENGINE IS REPLACE. MY RESEARCH SEEMS TO TELL ME THAT THIS MODEL LINE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST BEFORE PEOPLE GET INJURED. SEEMS LIKE THE SAME ISSUES AS THE ENGINES WITH THE RECALL ARE HAVING.
THE ENGINE IS MAKING A LOUD TICKING SOUND SO I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM 11 MONTHS EARLIER. THEY TOLD ME THE ENGINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND IT WILL COST ABOUT $7,000. I PAID $9,000 FOR THE CAR 11 MONTHS AGO AND IT ONLY HAS 77,000 MILES ON IT. I'VE LEARNED THROUGH SOME EXTENSIVE RESEARCH THAT KIA HAS RECALLED THE ENGINES IN SEVERAL OF THEIR OTHER MODELS. THIS RECALL WAS PUT INTO PLACE BECAUSE THE ENGINES ARE "STALLING" AND POSING A SAFETY HAZZARD. THIS CAR CAN NOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL THE ENGINE IS REPLACE. ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED AND THE ENGINE STILL GAVE OUT AT ONLY 77,000 MILES. THE DEALER IS BERLIN CITY IN GORHAM, NH. THE R.O. PRINT OUT OF CODES AND ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE IS HALF A PAGE LONG AND INCLUDES BLUE SMOKE FROM EXHAUST, MISSFIRING ON TWO CYLINDERS, KNOCKING, FLASHING "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT", LEAKING HEAD GASKET, ETC. MY RESEARCH SEEMS TO TELL ME THAT THIS MODEL LINE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST. SEEMS LIKE THE SAME ISSUES AS THE ENGINES WITH THE RECALL ARE HAVING.
I WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT ROUGHLY 65 MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL. ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A VERY LOUD BANG, TACHOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO, OIL STARTED SPRAYING ALL OVER FROM UNDERNEATH CAR. I MANAGED TO COAST THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND FOUND A FIST-SIZED HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. SHARDS OF METAL AND OIL WERE ALL OVER THE ROAD, CREATING A HAZARD. EVEN THOUGH THIS ISSUE IS THE SAME AS OTHER KIA VEHICLES WITH THE SAME 2.4L THETA ENGINE, ACCORDING TO KIA, MY VEHICLE'S ENGINE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL OF THOSE ENGINES. KIA CLAIMS THAT BECAUSE THE FUEL SYSTEM IN MY CAR IS NOT "GDI", IT IS NOT INCLUDED. EVEN THOUGH, BY KIA'S OWN ADMISSION, THE ISSUE IS DUE TO CRANKSHAFT ISSUES, WHICH HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM. MY VEHICLE'S ENGINE AND THE RECALLED ENGINES SHARE THE SAME CRANKSHAFT,AND THE SAME OEM PART NUMBER, EVEN. YET, SOMEHOW BECAUSE THE FUEL SYSTEM IS NOT "GDI", MY ENGINE ISN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. KIA NEEDS TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND INCLUDE FORTE 2.4L NON-GDI ENGINES IN THE RECALL AS WELL. MY CAR HAS BEEN SITTING NOW FOR OVER A YEAR WAITING FOR AN ENGINE.
"A SOUTH KOREAN WHISTLEBLOWER REPORTED CONCERNS LAST YEAR TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA), WHICH WILL PROBE THE TIMELINESS OF THREE RECALLS CARRIED OUT IN THE UNITED STATES AND WHETHER THEY COVERED ENOUGH VEHICLES." MY 2008 KIA OPTIMA (174000 MILES) WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH SIMILAR ISSUES BY A KIA DEALER (THE ENGINE BEARINGS FAILED ACCORDING TO THE TECH., WITH METAL IN THE OIL FILTER) THE SOUND IT MAKES IS ALSO HEARD, THOUGH LESS OBVIOUS WHEN DRY STARTING MY 2011 KIA FORTE. PLEASE LOOK INTO INCLUDING BOTH OF THESE CARS IN THE RECALL. IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS A DESIGN FLAW., PS: I REGULARLY CHANGE THE OIL 3-4000 MILES ON BOTH CARS,. REFER TO ARTICLE: HTTPS://WWW.YAHOO.COM/NEWS/M/ABB24D07-A29F-3A32-A689-DFB220B11F54/SS_FEDS-OPEN-INVESTIGATION-INTO.HTML
UPON ENTERING A HIGHWAY, A KNOCK OCCURRED AND AS RPM DROPPED THE KNOCKING SUBSIDED. NEXT DAY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND WHILE WHILE IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET, VEHICLE STALLED AND RPM DROP TO ZERO. CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON AN ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ENGINE "LOCKED UP"
I TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE A COOLANT LINE RECALL INSTALLED. THE SERVICE MANAGER AND LATER A MECHANIC REMARKED THAT THE ENGINE HAD A SERIOUS "KNOCK" AND BOTH MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE EITHER NEEDED TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED. IT ONLY HAS 81K MILES. SUBSEQUENTLY, WHEN I ASKED ABOUT POSSIBLE TRADE IN VALUE I WAS INFORMED THEY WOULD ONLY GIVE ME $500. NOW I SEE THERE ARE RECALLS IN MOTION FROM BOTH HYUNDAI AND KIA FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL DURING OPERATION. THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THE RECALL AFFECTING THE FORTE VERSION, BUT IT DOES HAVE THE 2.0 LITER ENGINE WHICH IS INCLUDED IN AN UPCOMING RECALL.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA FORTE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING FROM THE RADIATOR HOSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE HOSE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE HOSE WAS REPLACED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED THE TEST DRIVE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS DAMAGED FROM LACK OF TRANSMISSION FLUID DUE TO THE FAULTY HOSE, AND RECOMMENDED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,600.
KIA FORTE 2.4L AUTOMATIC 6 SPEED, CHECK ENGINE CODE P200A FOR INTAKE RUNNER ISSUE - , APPARENTLY DEFECTIVE PART WAS REPLACED BY SHOP(WARRANTY)BUT COMPUTER STILL REPORTING THE CODE, DEALER SHOP INDICATED KIA MOTOR HAS NOT AVAILABLE UPGRADE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. CONCENR NOW, THIS ISSUE MAY AFFECT INTAKE-EXHAUST-CATALYTIC SYSTEM IF VEHICLE EXPERIENCE ANOTHER ISSUE, UNABLE TO DETECT DUE TO A PRIOR CHECK ENGINE STATUS NOT CLEARED.
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Quick Summary
The 2011 Kia Forte has 38 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.