"How reliable is the 2015 Kia Forte?"

"Based on 320 NHTSA complaints, the 2015 Kia Forte has a median complaint mileage of 75000 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2015 Kia Forte?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2015 Kia Forte is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 320 total complaints filed."

2015 Kia Forte: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 320 complaints

320

Total Complaints

75,000mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

44,872 25th Percentile

75,000 Median Mileage

100,400 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

153

Unknown Or Other

Air Bags

Electrical System

Power Train

Service Brakes

Exterior Lighting

Fuel/Propulsion System

Vehicle Speed Control

Steering

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA FORTE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER CLOSING THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE DOOR, A LOUD ABNORMAL EXPLOSION NOISE EMITTED FROM THE BACK SEAT. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED AND GLASS SHATTERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE..."

"DRIVER WAS IN MIDDLE LANE DRIVING AROUND 55 MPH. FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. CAR BEGAN FLIPPING WHILE STILL IN THE ROADWAY, EVENTUALLY HIT A GUARD RAIL AND CONTINUED FLIPPING. DRIVER WAS EJECTED AND KILLED. AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED...UPDATED 11/13/15 *BF .....UPDATED 12/23..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine 153 complaints

25th: 68,000 mi Median: 86,000 mi 75th: 110,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 31 complaints

25th: 40,000 mi Median: 60,000 mi 75th: 75,000 mi

Air Bags 23 complaints

25th: 27,000 mi Median: 50,237 mi 75th: 82,500 mi

Electrical System 23 complaints

25th: 46,500 mi Median: 84,500 mi 75th: 110,250 mi

Power Train 17 complaints

25th: 39,500 mi Median: 72,500 mi 75th: 88,785 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 28 CA: 23 GA: 22 TX: 21 OH: 21 NC: 15 IL: 13 PA: 13 NY: 13 VA: 12

Who Files Complaints?

0.3%

Original Owners

99.7%

Second+ Owners

Kia Forte — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2010	310	70,000	Engine	35
2011	213	81,300	Engine	44
2012	398	80,000	Engine	34
2013	271	75,682	Engine	26
2014	634	77,000	Engine	60
2016	192	37,000	Engine	20
2017	422	36,650	Engine	38
2018	187	31,022	Engine	20
2019	201	10,201	Power Train	19
2020	88	5,000	Unknown Or Other	12
2021	92	21,234	Engine	13
2022	35	12,800	Unknown Or Other	5
2023	87	27,500	Steering	13
2024	37	-	Unknown Or Other	11

Active Recalls (1)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Engine

Campaign 20V750000 | 02/12/2020

An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.

Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, Kia dealers will update the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software,

Extend Your Engine Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage

Compare Kia Forte

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Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28