2024 Kia Forte

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
26–34 mpgcombined; city 22–30, highway 31–41; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$9,550–$12,490U.S. average; Ohio $8,540–$11,160 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
4 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
26filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2024 Forte. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about the 2024 Forte. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Unknown or other9200
Engine8000
Air bags7201
Electrical system6000
Power train4100
Exterior lighting2000
Lane departure2200
Service brakes2000
Suspension2101
Forward collision avoidance1100
Fuel/propulsion system1000
Seat belts1101
3 more parts
Steering1100
Structure1000
Visibility/wiper1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2010232
  2. 2011162
  3. 2012306
  4. 2013211
  5. 2014445
  6. 2015260
  7. 2016138
  8. 2017305
  9. 2018136
  10. 2019149
  11. 202078
  12. 202169
  13. 202228
  14. 202365
  15. 202426

Every Forte year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2024 Forte. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 22 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2024 Forte, the latest on Aug 5, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (8), engine (3), power train (3), suspension (3), equipment (2).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2024 Forte.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2024 Kia Fortes for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: midsize cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Forte
Front-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline28 / 39 / 32
Forte
Front-Wheel Drive		1.6 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (AM-S7)Regular Gasoline27 / 35 / 30
Forte
Front-Wheel Drive		1.6 L, 4 cyl, turboManual 6-spdRegular Gasoline22 / 31 / 26
Forte FE
Front-Wheel Drive		2.0 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline30 / 41 / 34

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data