Buyer Research

2020 Kia Forte — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $10,000–$14,500. 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

Second year of the BD Forte: the 2.0L Atkinson engine and Kia's IVT, a pushbelt CVT. 75 complaints and no recalls is a modest record, but what is in it is expensive — 27% is the engine (oil consumption, a plugged catalytic converter, a handful of outright seizures) and 21% is the powertrain, mostly the IVT giving up between 50k and 100k miles. Two engine failures were reported with a fire. Kia's 10-year/100k powertrain warranty does not follow the car to a second owner in full, so check what is left on this VIN before you count on it. Buy one that has a documented oil-consumption history you can read, a smooth cold test drive on the IVT, and a catalytic converter that is not throwing P0420 — or negotiate hard for the risk.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 75 owner complaints for the 2020 Kia Forte, and no 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. The largest single group is the engine at 27%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

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

Known Issues for the 2020 Kia Forte

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

2.0L Nu engine burns oil, clogs the catalytic converter, and in a few cases seizesHigh — wallet impact

Twenty complaints, one with a fire. The pattern owners describe: oil consumption creeps to a quart per thousand miles, the check engine light comes on with P0420 (catalyst efficiency), and a shop finds the converter fouled by burnt oil. A minority go further — knocking, smoke, a rod through the block on the highway. Ask the seller how much oil it uses between changes, pull the dipstick cold, and scan for P0420 before you drive it. Ask a Kia dealer whether this VIN has any engine or emissions coverage left; the catalytic converter is normally covered to 8 years/80k under federal emissions rules, which many 2020s are just past.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,200–$2,500 for the catalytic converter; $5,000–$8,000 for an engine — around 65% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (20).

IVT (Kia's CVT) fails outright or loses drive on the highwayHigh — wallet impact

Sixteen powertrain complaints, most of them the IVT: sudden loss of drive at speed, RPM surging while road speed drops, a car that will not go past 5 mph, and at least one replacement transmission that failed within days. One report is a sheared camshaft phaser pin (codes P0014/P0017), which is an engine-side cost. On the test drive, listen for whine, feel for shudder from a stop, and watch the tachometer on a steady 65 mph cruise — it should hold, not hunt. Kia extended IVT coverage on some models; a dealer can tell you what applies to this VIN.

Repair cost (estimate): $4,000–$6,500 for a replacement IVT — around 53% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (16).

Crankshaft position sensor stalls, random no-start, and a run of burnt-out bulbsMedium

The electrical cluster is three different things. A failing crankshaft position sensor drops the dash, trips the forward-collision warning and stalls the engine — a $150–$400 fix once diagnosed. Several owners report the car refusing to start at random with nothing found by the dealer. And one owner replaced headlight, brake-light and DRL bulbs repeatedly, which points to a voltage or ground fault worth a charging-system test. Check that every exterior light works and ask whether the car has ever failed to start.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$700

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (11).

Forward-collision warnings that fire with nothing aheadLow

Five owners report the collision-avoidance warning lighting up on an empty road, sometimes after a long stretch on cruise control, with the dealer finding nothing. Usually a dirty or misaligned radar/camera or a sensor fault; the dash will tell you if the system has disabled itself. Not a wallet problem unless the sensor needs replacing, but a nuisance you should see on the test drive if it exists.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$900

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (5).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Oil level low on the dipstick, or a seller who says it 'just uses a little'
✗Stored or pending P0420 on a cheap OBD scan
✗IVT that shudders from a stop or surges RPM while cruising
✗Dash warnings or a stall on the test drive, even once
✗Any exterior bulb out — check them all

Good Signs

✓Oil-change receipts at 5k or better, with the level checked between changes
✓Kia dealer confirms remaining powertrain warranty on this VIN in writing
✓A smooth, quiet IVT pull from 0 to 60 with a steady tachometer at cruise
✓A clean scan with readiness monitors set
✓Original catalytic converter with a passed emissions test in the last year