Buyer Research

2014 Kia Forte — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $5,000–$9,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 14 Kia Forte years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The first year of the second-generation Forte — new body, new 1.8L and 2.0L engines — and the biggest record of any Forte we have read: 440 complaints, 36 of them fires. Half of it is the engine, which ticks, knocks, loses power on the on-ramp and in 26 cases burned; Kia recalled it in 2020 for engine-compartment fires. The cooling fan resistor has its own fire recall. Behind those two are a steering coupler that clicks and lets the wheel wander, and an airbag light that comes on with the horn and wheel buttons dead — a clock spring. It is a comfortable, well-equipped compact that costs less than a Civic of the same age, and the reason is on this page. Buy one only with all three recalls closed, the engine recall's outcome on paper, a silent cold start, and a steering wheel with no free play at rest. Otherwise the 2016 or 2017 of this same generation is the safer money.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 440 owner complaints for the 2014 Kia Forte, and 3 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 50% of them are about one thing — the engine. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

3 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2014 Kia Forte

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Engine ticks, knocks, loses power on the freeway and can burn — 26 fires; the recall inspects and can replace it (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 20V750 covers the 2012–2015 Forte for engine-compartment fires while driving; dealers inspect for oil and fuel leaks, run an engine test and make repairs that, as we read the remedy, can include a replacement engine. What 221 owners describe: a tick from worn bearings at 120,000 miles on a serviced car, a knock under hard throttle and a top speed that fell from 65 to 45 mph, a car that stalled at 40 mph and then burned on the way home, a private-party purchase that knocked, shut off and smoked 500 miles later with the wiring melted under the engine cover. Both the 1.8L and the 2.0L GDI appear. Ask for the recall repair order and read what it says — 'tested, passed' and 'engine replaced' are very different outcomes. Then start it cold and listen for a full minute.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $2,500–$5,500 for a replacement engine otherwise — around 79% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (221); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Cooling fan resistor overheats and melts — fire risk, and ten fires filed under the electrical system (recall)High — wallet impact

Recall 15V015 covers 2014 Fortes built December 5, 2012 to April 17, 2014 — which is most of them: the radiator cooling fan resistor can overheat and melt, and a melting resistor can start a fire. Dealers replace the resistor and, on cars built up to January 27, 2014, the multi-fuse unit as well, free. The 56 electrical complaints on this year include ten fires and a string of cars that shut down while driving with the ABS, traction, power-steering and radio all dying at once. Check the VIN, and with the hood open after the drive, look at the fan resistor and fuse box on the driver's side for brown or bubbled plastic and smell for hot electrics.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $80–$250 for a resistor at a shop if the recall was missed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (56); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Steering coupler wears out — clicking, play in the wheel, a jerk over bumpsMedium

63 steering complaints, and 31 of them use the word 'coupler': the flexible plastic coupler between the electric power-steering motor and the column wears, and the wheel clicks, pops, develops side-to-side play at rest and jerks over bumps; one dealer confirmed lost responsiveness. Owners point out that Kia extended the coupler warranty on the Soul and Hyundai recalled it on the Elantra, while the Forte got neither — we cannot confirm any Forte coverage, so assume you pay. The part is cheap; the labour is under the dash. At the car, engine off, rock the wheel gently left and right and feel for a dead spot or a click before the tyres move.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$500 for the coupler installed; $800–$1,500 if a shop insists on the whole column

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (63).

Airbag light on with the horn and steering-wheel buttons dead — clock spring; 21 crashes with no deploymentMedium

The pattern in the 62 airbag complaints is specific: the airbag light comes on with no crash, the horn stops working or works when it feels like it, the buttons on the steering wheel die, and the dealer names the clock spring — the coiled ribbon cable inside the steering column that feeds the driver's airbag. Until it is replaced the driver's airbag is offline. Twenty-one of these complaints are crashes with no deployment, including a front end torn off at 60 mph; some of those may be the same clock spring, and none of it is something a buyer can inspect beyond the light. Press the horn and every wheel button, and watch the airbag light go out after key-on.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$700 for the clock spring installed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under airbags (62).

Brake pedal stopper pad crumbles — brake lights stuck on, cruise will not set (recall)Medium

Recall 17V773 covers the 2012–2014 Forte: the rubber stopper pad on the brake pedal arm breaks up, the brake light switch plunger stays extended, and the brake lights stay lit with the pedal released. Cruise control will not engage, and the shifter can leave Park without the pedal. The remedy is a new pad, free, and it is a few dollars at a parts counter. Of the 28 brake and 22 exterior-lighting complaints on this year, the ones with detail are this. With the car parked and off, walk behind it: brake lights on means the pad is gone.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $5–$100 for the pad at a shop

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (28), the lights (22); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Tick or knock from the engine in the first minute from cold
✗Smell of hot plastic under the hood after the test drive
✗Steering wheel with side-to-side play or a click before the tyres move
✗Airbag light on, or a horn and wheel buttons that do not work
✗Brake lights lit with the car parked and switched off
✗Any of the three recalls open on the NHTSA VIN lookup

Good Signs

✓All three recalls shown complete on the NHTSA VIN lookup, with the 20V750 outcome on the repair order
✓Replacement engine fitted, with the invoice and a mileage at install
✓Silent cold start and a steady idle with a dark dash
✓Steering coupler replaced, with the invoice
✓Horn and every steering-wheel button working, airbag light out after key-on
✓Cooling fan resistor and multi-fuse unit replaced under 15V015