Model year 2016 · Midsize Cars, Large Cars, Compact Cars

2016 Kia Forte: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings

EPA rates the 2016 Kia Forte at 24–30 mpg combined across 10 versions. NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 138 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Safety recalls

EPA combined mpg

24–30

NHTSA overall rating

5/5

Recall file dated Oct 27, 2026 · EPA file dated Sep 29, 2026 · updated Oct 27, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT

NHTSA lists this vehicle as FORTE KOUP.

Check your own car: enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls for that exact vehicle, and contact a Kia dealer to schedule the repair — safety recall repairs are free. The list below covers the whole model year, so not every recall applies to every car.

2016 Kia Forte recalls

NHTSA's recall file lists 1 safety recall for the 2016 Kia Forte, newest first.

Latches/locks/linkages: Trunk lid: Latch

NHTSA 21V622000 Reported Aug 9, 2021

Filed by: Kia America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. SC216)
Units affected: 253,074 (estimate)
Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

Recall summaries are written by NHTSA from manufacturers' defect reports. Dates are when NHTSA received the report.

2016 Kia Forte fuel economy by version

EPA city/highway/combined estimates for each engine, transmission and drive combination. Annual fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year (55% city, 45% highway) at EPA's current fuel-price assumptions; your cost will vary.

2016 Kia Forte EPA fuel economy
Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	Fuel	City/Hwy/Comb	Fuel cost/yr	CO2 g/mi
Forte	1.8L 4-cyl	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/36/29 mpg	$2,300	303
Forte	1.8L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	26/37/30 mpg	$2,250	294
Forte	2.0L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	24/35/28 mpg	$2,400	315
Forte 5	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	21/29/24 mpg	$2,800	370
Forte 5	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	21/28/24 mpg	$2,800	368
Forte 5	2.0L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/33/28 mpg	$2,400	319
Forte Koup	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	22/29/25 mpg	$2,700	353
Forte Koup	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	22/29/24 mpg	$2,800	360
Forte Koup	2.0L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/34/28 mpg	$2,400	314
Forte Koup	2.0L 4-cyl	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	24/33/27 mpg	$2,500	323

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (U.S. DOE and EPA), file dated Sep 29, 2026. Each version links to its FuelEconomy.gov record.

EPA estimates come from standardized lab tests so cars can be compared fairly; real-world mileage depends on speed, weather, load, tires and driving style.

2016 Kia Forte crash-test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the tested versions. More stars mean a lower chance of serious injury in that type of crash. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2016 Kia Forte NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk	Forward collision warning
2016 Kia Forte 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars	10.3%	No
2016 Kia Forte 5 HB FWD	Not rated	Not rated	5 stars	4 stars	10.3%	No
2016 Kia Forte Koup 2 DR FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	—	No

Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program), checked Oct 26, 2026.

Star ratings compare vehicles of similar size and weight; a frontal rating for a large pickup is not directly comparable with one for a small car.

2016 Kia Forte owner complaints

Owners have filed 138 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Forte, most recently on Oct 3, 2026. 16 mention a crash, 6 a fire, 13 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.

Most-cited components in 2016 Kia Forte complaints
Component named in complaints	Mentions
Engine	68
Electrical system	21
Power train	16
Unknown or other	15
Vehicle speed control	14
Air bags	13
Exterior lighting	10
Service brakes	10
Fuel/propulsion system	6
Wheels	6

Source: NHTSA consumer complaint files (complaints received since January 1, 2015). One complaint can name several components.

Had a safety problem with your vehicle? You can report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem.

Other Kia Forte model years

Kia Forte by model year
Year	Combined	Recalls	Complaints	Overall rating
2024 Forte	26–34 mpg	0	26	4/5
2023 Forte	26–34 mpg	3	66	4/5
2022 Forte	26–35 mpg	1	28	4/5
2021 Forte	28–35 mpg	2	69	4/5
2020 Forte	28–35 mpg	0	78	4/5
2019 Forte	31–35 mpg	2	150	4/5
2018 Forte	25–32 mpg	3	136	5/5
2017 Forte	25–32 mpg	3	305	5/5
2015 Forte	24–30 mpg	1	259	5/5

All Kia Forte years compared · Decode a VIN

Other 2016 Kia models

2016 Kia Cadenza 2016 Kia K900 2016 Kia Optima 2016 Kia Rio 2016 Kia Sedona 2016 Kia Sorento 2016 Kia Soul 2016 Kia Sportage

Sources

Recalls: NHTSA recall flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010), dated Oct 27, 2026, plus a live check of api.nhtsa.gov in your browser.
Complaints: NHTSA consumer complaint flat files (COMPLAINTS_RECEIVED), counts only — we do not republish complaint text.
Crash tests: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API.
Fuel economy: FuelEconomy.gov vehicles file (U.S. DOE and EPA), dated Sep 29, 2026.
NHTSA, EPA and DOE do not endorse OpenVIN. Vehicle names identify vehicles only; OpenVIN is not affiliated with Kia.