2011 KIA FORTE Complaints

TOOK MY 2011 KIA FORTE INTO THE KIA DEALERSHIP TODAY BECAUSE THE ENGINE IS MAKING A TICKING SOUND. I HAVE HAD TWO OTHER MECHANICS IN RECENT WEEKS TELL ME IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE LIFTERS AND/OR THE PISTONS INSIDE THE ENGINE. THE KIA MECHANIC REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A TICKING SOUND, BUT IN FORMED ME THE AIR BAG SENSOR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY $1100 TO HAVE THE AIR BAG SENSOR REPAIRED BEFORE I CAN SELL THE CAR. ALSO, MY BRAKES WILL OCCASIONALLY MAKE A VERY LOUD 'THUMP' WHEN I APPLY THEM, BUT THE KIA DEALER CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM.

I BOUGHT A 2011 KIA FORTE AND WAS HAVING ISSUES WHERE THE CAR SEEMED LIKE IT WAS DYING AFTER INITIAL STARTING OF THE VEHICLE AND SOMETIMES WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR. AFTER DRIVING IT SEEMS TO CORRECT ITSELF AND I BROUGHT IT INTO KIA. THEY PUT IT UNDER A SPECIFIC CLAIM NUMBER INCASE THE WARRANTY WENT OUT IT IS STILL COVERED. A FEW MONTHS LATER THE CAR STARTED TO NOT GO INTO GEAR EVEN MORE AND ISSUE OF DYING SEEMS MORE PREVALENT. NOW KIA IS TRYING TO SAY IT COULD BE A NUMBER OF THINGS WHICH ARE NOT COVERED BECAUSE THE WARRANTY IS UP FROM FACTORY, AND THE EXTENDED WARRANTY THEY CLAIM DOESN'T COVER POWERTRAIN WHICH LAST TIME I CHECKED POWERTRAIN INCLUDES SHIFTER/GEAR SHIFTER. THEY ARE NOW REFUSING TO FIX THE ISSUE BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS BUT HAVE SEEN THE ISSUE FIRST HAND. THIS CAR HAS LESS THAN 70,000 MILES AND 70% OF THE TIME YOU CANT PUT IT INTO GEAR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN SINCE IT COULD POP INTO ANY GEAR IT WANTED TO AND IF I AM DOING 70 MPH AND IT DECIDES TO GO INTO PARK IT WONT BE A FUN RIDE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA FORTE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE DRIVER SIDE SHOULDER AIR BAG INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED AND THE SEAT BELT LOCKED. THE KEY FOB WAS DEPRESSED AT THE TIME OF DEPLOYMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 68,000. UPDATED 11/12/15*LJ; UPDATED 4/5/18*JB *TR

IN A MULTI HIT CAR ACCIDENT, INITIAL 30 MPH FRONT END, THEN 20 MPH REAR HIT. SEAT BELTS DID NOT LOCK, AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY.

MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT THE TIME AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP ON HIM TAKING HIM TO THE LEFT AND HE HAD TO JERK IT BACK VERY HARD TO UNLOCK IT TO STAY ON THE ROAD, THANK GOODNESS THERE WAS NO ON COMING TRAFFIC. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND IT ALSO LOCKS WHEN PUT IN PARK AND I CAN'T GET IT TO START OR GET STEERING WHEEL TO MOVE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA FORTE. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE STRAIGHT ALTHOUGH THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TO THE LEFT. THE CONTACT INDICATED ONCE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED BACK TO THE RIGHT, THE STEERING WOULD OPERATE AS NORMAL. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 8/21/15*CN UPDATED 10/12/2017*CN

THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM (A/C) IS CREATING MOLD IN THE VEHICLE. KIA WILL NOT REPAIR AND HAS REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED A VERY STRONG ODOR WHILE RUNNING THE A/C AND WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. BOTH THE DEALER AND KIA MOTORS, USA HAVE DONE NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE MOLD ISSUE. BOTH ASPERGILLIUS/PENICILLIUM AND STACHYBOTRYS/MEMNOIELLA WERE FOUND IN GREATER ABUNDANCE IN THE INTERIOR AIR SAMPLE THAN IN THE EXTERIOR AIR SAMPLE. THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPANY PERFORMING THE TEST RECOMMENDED THAT "THE DUCT SYSTEM IN THE VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE TREATED WITH A FUNGICIDE TO KILL EXISTING MOLD SPORES AND HELP PREVENT NEW MOLD GROWTH." THE TEST RESULTS WERE SHARE WITH KIA MOTORS OF AMERICA, IRVINE CALIFORNIA, AND NO CORRECTIVE MEASURES OR REPAIRS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED BY KIA. I HAVE IDLED THE VEHICLE AND IT IS NO LONGER IN USE SINCE MY DAUGHTER DEVELOPED SERIOUS HEADACHES WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WITH THE A/C ON. I HAD TO PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE KIA IS JUST SITTING IN FRONT OF MY HOME SINCE IT IS NOT DRIVE ABLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUE AND I CANNOT GET ANY ACTION FROM KIA TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. MOLD IS NOT AN ISSUE JUST IN THE HOME AS WE HAVE FOUND IN THIS SITUATION. THE KIA TECHNICIANS WORKING ON THESE VEHICLES ARE INHALING MOLD, AND OWNERS DRIVING THESE VEHICLES ARE ALSO INHALING MOLD. GRANTED, IT IS NOT A MECHANICAL ISSUE, BUT IT DOES IMPACT THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF DRIVERS OPERATING A VEHICLE WITH MOLD IN ET A/C SYSTEM. A MECHANIC HAS SUGGESTED THAT THE EVAPORATOR CORE IN THESE VEHICLES MAY BE DEFECTIVE, OR A DESIGN DEFECT ALLOWS MOISTURE TO ACCUMULATE IN THE A/C SYSTEM AND DEVELOP MOLD. THANK YOU, *TR

CAR WOULD NOT COME OUT OF PARK. I HAD NO IDEA AT THE TIME WHAT THE ISSUE COULD BE BECAUSE IN THE KIA OWNERS MANUAL IT DOES NOT STATE THAT ONCE THE BRAKE LIGHTS GO OUT, YOU CAN NOT TAKE IT OUT OF PARK. CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR UNTIL I USED THE SHIFT LOCK RELEASE TO TAKE IT OUT OF GEAR. DROVE IT HOME AND FOUND A BLOWN FUZE (BRAKE LIGHT FUSE) .. REPLACED IT AND DROVE FINE (WHILE IT WAS DOING THIS THE ELECTRICAL SUSPENSION LIGHT CAME ON ALSO). FAST FORWARD 7 DAYS, WAS DRIVING OUT OF TOWN AND THE SUSPENSION LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY AND I KNEW THEN THE ISSUE WAS BACK. SURE ENOUGH. HAD TO TAKE IT TO A KIA DEALERSHIP OUT OF TOWN .. THEY REPLACED MY FUZE, BRAKE LIGHT BULB AND BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY SWITCH. FAST FORWARD A WEEK AND A HALF AND THE PROBLEM IS BACK ... KIA IS TELLING ME OVER $1000 AND I'M NOT GOING TO BE GUARANTEED THAT THIS WILL FIX THE PROBLEM. I'M A SINGLE MOTHER AND PURCHASED THIS CAR BECAUSE I FELT IT WOULD BE A SAFE CAR FOR ME AND MY SON AND NOW I'M STUCK WITH A CAR THAT IS NOT SAFE ... NO BRAKE LIGHTS ARE SERIOUSLY NOT SAFE AT ALL!!! *JS

2011 KIA FORTE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO INTERMITTENT ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE WOULD DROP TO AN IDLE. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD JUMP FORWARD, WITH THE SLIGHTEST TOUCH OF THE ACCELERATOR. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRADED THE VEHICLE. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING, THE BRAKES FAILED TO RESPOND AND THE CONTACT TO CRASHED INTO A LIGHT POST. THE VEHICLE THEN ACCELERATED FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.