Model year 2018 · Midsize Cars, Large Cars

2018 Kia Forte: recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings

EPA rates the 2018 Kia Forte at 25–32 mpg combined across 6 versions. NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 136 owner complaints for this model year. Its best NHTSA overall crash-test rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Safety recalls

EPA combined mpg

25–32

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

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.

2018 Kia Forte recalls

NHTSA's recall file lists 3 safety recalls for the 2018 Kia Forte, newest first.

Air bags

NHTSA 22V031000 Reported Jan 25, 2022

Filed by: Kia America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. SC226)
Units affected: 410,619 (estimate)
Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

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

Engine and engine cooling: Engine: Oil/lubrication: Pump

NHTSA 21V260000 Reported Apr 13, 2021

Filed by: Kia America, Inc. (manufacturer recall no. SC210)
Units affected: 4,069 (estimate)
Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage.
Risk: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pan, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC210.

Full recall record on nhtsa.gov

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

2018 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.

2018 Kia Forte EPA fuel economy
Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	Fuel	City/Hwy/Comb	Fuel cost/yr	CO2 g/mi
Forte	2.0L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	29/37/32 mpg	$2,100	279
Forte	2.0L 4-cyl	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/34/28 mpg	$2,400	314
Forte	2.0L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/33/28 mpg	$2,400	318
Forte 5	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	Automatic 7-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/30/27 mpg	$2,500	332
Forte 5	1.6L 4-cyl turbo	Manual 6-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	23/29/25 mpg	$2,700	353
Forte 5	2.0L 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	25/34/28 mpg	$2,400	317

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.

2018 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.

2018 Kia Forte NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Tested vehicle	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk	Forward collision warning
2018 Kia Forte 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars	10.3%	Optional
2018 Kia Forte 5 HB FWD	Not rated	Not rated	5 stars	4 stars	10.3%	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.

2018 Kia Forte owner complaints

Owners have filed 136 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Kia Forte, most recently on Sep 2, 2026. 13 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 9 injured people and 0 deaths. These are unverified reports; a complaint is not proof of a defect.

Most-cited components in 2018 Kia Forte complaints
Component named in complaints	Mentions
Engine	57
Unknown or other	30
Air bags	16
Electrical system	14
Vehicle speed control	9
Fuel/propulsion system	8
Power train	8
Structure: Body	7
Exterior lighting	6
Engine and engine cooling	5

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
2017 Forte	25–32 mpg	3	305	5/5
2016 Forte	24–30 mpg	1	138	5/5
2015 Forte	24–30 mpg	1	259	5/5

All Kia Forte years compared · Decode a VIN

Other 2018 Kia models

2018 Kia Cadenza 2018 Kia K900 2018 Kia Niro 2018 Kia Optima 2018 Kia Rio 2018 Kia Sedona 2018 Kia Sorento 2018 Kia Soul 2018 Kia Sportage 2018 Kia Stinger

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.