2013 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
The engine has been making humming noise which is getting louder with time
Not an incident but I have noticed a whining noise and also a knocking noise coming from the engine and I've been told that it could be lifters or pistons not sure which but alot of others have complained about the same noises on their vehicles. If they were faulty from being built shouldnt the manufacturer replace these parts? That can be costly and if people are like me on a fixed income, I simply cant afford to come out of pocket for these repairs! They should have recalls on these parts. My car needs these replaced now and I just cant afford it like I'm sure many others cant. Yall should be ashamed of yourselves for selling vehicles that you cant stand by! The whole engine probably needs replacing now. Just something that you all should be aware of, in which I'm sure you are...and just refuse to address the issues
On 11/20/2024 I spoke to Denise Sanchez , she is the service manager for KIA and the reason of the call was about a complaint from Joel Sambrano one of her associates that was very unprofessional when I first called to set up the appointment for the recall. On 11/24/2024, I had a towing company delivered my 2013 KIA Forte to the service department at the Laredo KIA dealership for a recall on the engine. That day I did received a call from her telling me that my vehicle was there, but supposedly I did not had an appointment. I was upset with her because twice I had spoken to her about me taking the vehicle there and she was telling me that I didn't. Three weeks passed and I never heard of the dealership, so I called them and requested to speak to her, she informed me that my vehicle was parked in the back still and that they haven't had my vehicle checked because I did not have an appointment. So I told her that since she took it upon herself to do that, I was going to file a complaint against her with I did with corporate office. I was given this case#[XXX] by Monica, and she said that she will call me back with the status of my vehicle. A week passed and I got a call from the Laredo KIA dealership telling me that I had to go to the dealership to pick up my battery, and take them back the battery after it was recharged or a new battery because my vehicle won't start. That sounded to me very offensive so I told her that it wasn't my fault that the manager kept my vehicle all that time there, so the battery got damaged also so that was her fault and she needed to deal with that situation. A few days later I contacted corporate again but I found out that the complaints that they were making, they were sending them to her and she was the one responding to those complaints against her. I spoke to the manager Mario and he said to me that he was going to assist me with this , but till this day hasn't done anything to fix the issue other than giving me excuses. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Driving one day and check engine light came on. Car began to stutter and a billow of white smoke came from rear. Vehicle was disabled. Towed to Kia dealership. Dealership states they are doing a cylinder test. The car has been at the dealership since 08/14/2023. I have reached out to the dealer 5 times and have not gotten a response. Each time I have called I have been told that a service advisor will call me back. They won’t even tell me what’s wrong or causing the car to shut off and overheat. Car starts normally and then within ten minutes white smoke appears from the exhaust. Also hot liquid steams off engine. Last time I contacted the dealer was on 11/30/23. They said a service advisor would call me back. It is currently 12/12/23 and my issue is still not resolved. Car is still at dealership and has not moved. I am the second owner of the vehicle and have a extended warranty through a third party.
Hi, I brought my car to a local kia dealer for the open recalls stated above and the dealership Crain Kia has refused to fix it for a unknown reason. The dealer inspected it and told me they needed to stop because of the engine being a used one? it was not clear on exactly why but that is all they told me. I know that the recall is for engine fire and safety so its not clear as to why they would refuse to fix it
The engine pistons seized while going slow turning a corner and brought my car to a sudden stop. There were no engine lights on before it seized and after it happened there are still no engine lights on yet it no longer can function. Essentially after the starter turns over, the engine just makes a loud clunking noise. Oil levels are full, coolant full, and with the radio off there weren't any noises coming from the car until it stopped dead in the road. My safety was at risk when it happened because at midnight after coming back from a long movie, on a dark winding road, the car seized and I couldn't get it all the way over. I was so scared a car would come around the corner and hit my car, my wife and myself while we waited. My insurance company towed the car to a repair shop and they gave me a $6500 repair bill. I called a Kia dealership, specifically the repair shop talking though the issue and next steps and they said not to bring it into the dealership because they aren't able to fix it and instead to send it to a junk yard. This issue has no warning lights, no red engine lights, no odd sounds coming from the engine, no oil leaks present prior to the engine seizing and essentially left me and my wife stranded in a dangerous situation.
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while parked, a passerby observed fire emanating from the engine compartment. The origin of the fire was unknown. The police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a lot where it was deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Was driving at approximately 60 MPH and heard an abnormal knocking noise sound coming from the engine compartment. The knocking noise occurred whenever the accelerator was pressed. No warning light was illuminated. Took car to mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine rod bearings needed to be replaced. Car had 205,000 miles at the time of engine failure and has been well maintained with records.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the dealer refused to complete the recall repair because additional repairs were needed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and determined that the vehicle should be repaired. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Sudden rod bearing failure on a well maintained Engine. Other 2013 Kia Koups have recalls for the engine, but this specific vin does not and experiences the same problem with the THETA II engine. Engine is destroyed at 190,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine started producing a knocking sound, maybe a couple weeks later experienced catastrophic Engine failure, with a portion of the engine being thrown from the bottom of the engine block.
A summary of the issue resolved but not recognized by Kia Motors. Engine knocking. Was checked and replaced. 2013 Kia Forte EX VIN: [XXX] SEDAN 4DR 2.0L I4 F DOHC 16V GASOLINE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. Paid $4,384.00 for replacement. This engine should be added to the NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall Report 20V-750 - vehicle 4. But it is not, WHY?!?!?! Same vehicle as 2014 model and that engine (2.0L) is on the recall report. Same engine and same problem but NHTSA did not include my model engine. Please reconsider and add this engine to the recall report. Kia will not fully acknowledge fault for these engine failures. I have reported this to Kia Motors and they closed my case as unresolved because no recall was reported. Case # [XXX] submitted 2/12/2019. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
So I bought my car used at a Kia Dealership. When I got my car I noticed that my cars engine was ticking. So I took it in. They said that I needed to replace the fan because it was worn down and that my extended warranty covers it. but went on to say well those Kia's make and model and year just make noise like that. So why say my fan needs replacing implying the cause of the noise and then go on to say that. I've googled and done a ton of research it feels like and asked ,many mechanics who might think what it is. and they all say its coming from the engine. and the amount of people complaining about the same problem. and some bought there car brand new so.... there is something going on that they dont want us to know.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the RPMs started to fall, and the vehicle began to stall. The vehicle failed to shift to the intended gear. The RPMs dropped to 0. The contact was able to get the vehicle to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer denied the engine replacement despite the remedy stated that the engine would be replaced if deemed necessary. The dealer stated that the ECU update was needed prior to the engine failure. The manufacturer confirmed that the engine should be replaced and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The dealer declined to replace the engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the issues regarding the dealer. The manufacturer confirmed that the ECU needed to be updated first. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine fire
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was unaware if there were any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while having a routine oil change at an independent mechanic, he was informed there was a ticking noise coming from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the vehicle had experienced rod bearings failure, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
1. The engine failed and is available for inspection upon request. 2. The car died in the middle of an interstate, I could have been rear ended putting the safety of myself and others in jeopardy. 3. As attached, an independent service center confirmed that the oil light was on, but there was oil in the car. They couldn’t find the problem. 4. The vehicle was inspected by an independent service center. 5. The oil warning lamp illuminated about 5 minutes prior to engine failure. The engine had been making knocking noises for at least 5 years. I asked mechanics multiple times to see if there was an issue with the engine because it would make so much noise but every time they came back and said they couldn’t find a problem. The engine had quit around 9/20/21 and Paul’s garage said there was a clog in the lines so they did a crankcase flush and the car was up and running again. Every time I took the car for maintenance after that they did a preventative crankcase flush. This time the engine died and I was told it is locked up. In the file I have uploaded there are 4 invoices from maintenance and repairs done to the car that I feel might relate to the issue.
No warnings driving vehicle started to hear a tapping noise Park the vehicle two days later started vehicle to take to shop belt blew off in pieces car stopped locked up would not restart no warning lights no loss of anything just stopped after one day of tapping told motorized seized did contact Kia also looked up information regarding what it could be and it matches the other issues customers are having and have had with their motors yet told no recall although all same symptoms
CONSTITUENT HAS EXPERIENCED A TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE WITH THEIR 2013 KIA FORTE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY THEIR VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE KIA ENGINE SAFETY RECALL
I was driving to work on the freeway on Saturday, while driving my oil light came on one second later the engine stopped working and all lights came on including he engine light. I pulled over turned it off and on and it would not start. A transmission shop and Kia dealership did a diagnostic and said the engine ceased. Something in the engine failed knocking down an d the part failed
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, she was accelerating to overtake another vehicle and the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact noticed that the check engine and check oil light warning lights were illuminated. The contact coasted off the roadway and turned off the vehicle. The contact was not able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that she lifted the hood and noticed that smoke was coming from the driver’s side of the engine compartment. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer; however, a dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be diagnosed since the engine was inoperable. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Engine has started making ticking/clicking sound that appears to be common in Kia's . Vehicle has been well maintained, regular oil changes, etc. It seems other Kia's with the same engine, and seemingly same problem, have been recalled. A quick google search shows that the ticking issue is very common with kia's. Hopefully this can be added to a recall. Thank you.
October 2021 vehicle shut off and loss power while stopped at red light, was able to restart and proceed. Vehicle then shut off again and would not restart Engine light illuminated(approx 75,000). Was towed to dealer and was diagnosed as needing and oil control valve replacement. Valve was replaced. Several days following repair engine light would sporadically illuminate would be on for several days then would go off for weeks at a time. Vehicle is again now experiencing same issues with shutting off while stopped, and also having issues accelerating at times.(101,000 miles) Oil is also changed regularly. I am the first owner of the vehicle and now that the 10 years are up and 100,000 miles have now passed, i am worried i will be left without my only transportation and means to provide for family
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The 2013 Kia Forte has 84 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.