Buyer Research

2023 Kia Forte — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $14,500–$20,000. 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 facelift year, and the record is about the front end: three recalls for parts that hold the front wheels on — a left steering knuckle that can crack and a right lower control arm with a bad weld, the latter serious enough that Kia told owners to stop driving until it was replaced. Steering is the largest complaint cluster at 23%, with four crashes in it. Behind that is a scattered electrical file (dash blackouts, an Auto Hold that grabbed the brakes at speed) and nine engine reports with two fires. This is a car you buy only after the NHTSA VIN lookup shows all three recalls closed and a shop has had it on a lift; with that done, a 2023 is the nicest-looking Forte and priced fairly. Skip any example where the seller cannot produce the recall paperwork.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 61 owner complaints for the 2023 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. The largest single group is steering at 23%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

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 2023 Kia Forte

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

Right front lower control arm may have a bad weld — do-not-drive recallHigh — wallet impact

Recalls 23V649 and 24V244 both cover 2023 Fortes whose right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded; a failed arm lets the wheel move on its own and takes steering with it. The second campaign exists because the first did not catch every car. Kia's remedy is a new arm, free, and the notice told owners not to drive until it was done — which one owner reports waiting seven months for. Look up the VIN before you look at the car. On the lift, the replacement arm will be visibly newer than the left; a clunk over bumps or a car that wanders and needs constant correction is a reason to stop.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the suspension (8); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Front left steering knuckle can crack (recall), and a steering cluster with four crashesHigh — wallet impact

Recall 22V906 covers 2023 Fortes whose front left steering knuckle may crack from a manufacturing defect, with loss of steering control the consequence; dealers inspect and replace it free. The steering cluster is the biggest on the car — 14 complaints, four crashes, one fire — and beyond the recall it is clunking over driveways, clicking on lock, a front end that feels bouncy and loose, and two owners who lost steering response at highway speed. Confirm the recall closed, then drive it on a rough road and turn lock to lock in a parking lot listening for clicks and clunks. Any prior front-corner collision on the history report is a reason to want the knuckle and arm inspected regardless.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$700 for a strut mount or sway-bar link if it clunks

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (14); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Dash goes dark, gauges drop to zero, Auto Hold grabs the brakes at speedMedium

Ten electrical complaints and no single part. Owners describe every warning light flashing then the cluster and power steering shutting off on the highway, gauges and turn signals dying with no stored codes, low-beam bulbs burning out several times a year, and one GT-Line whose electronic parking brake and Auto Hold engaged fully at highway speed. Dealers mostly could not reproduce any of it. A charging-system test and a look at the battery terminals is the cheap first step; if the seller mentions any warning-light episode, treat it as unresolved.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$900

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (10).

Misfires, knocking, loss of power — and two engine-bay fires, one while parkedMedium

Nine engine complaints. A car with 6,000 miles towed for misfires, a GT with P0420 and P0300 codes, a 2.0L that knocked and then lost power, an owner whose oil sludges on full synthetic, and two fires — one with the engine compartment burning after the car had sat for a day. Two fires in nine is a small number that still deserves a look: open the hood and check for chafed wiring, oil on the exhaust manifold, and any smell of fuel. Ask a Kia dealer what powertrain warranty transfers on this VIN; a second owner gets less than the original 10/100k.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$1,000 for coils, plugs and a misfire diagnosis; $5,000–$9,000 for an engine — around 52% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (9).

Forward-collision and lane-keeping systems that intervene on their ownLow

Nine forward-collision and six lane-departure complaints: braking for nothing, the ADAS 'faulting and taking control', the wheel tugging on a clear road. One owner bought the car used at 54k and lost power four times in a month with the driver-assist faulting each time — which may be the electrical fault above wearing a different label. The systems can be switched off in the menu, but a car that brakes for ghosts needs a camera and radar calibration, and that is a dealer job. Drive it in traffic and on a marked highway before you decide.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$400 for a calibration; $600–$1,200 for a radar unit

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (9), lane departure (6).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Any of the three recalls open on the NHTSA VIN lookup — the control arm is a do-not-drive
✗Clunk over bumps or a click when turning the wheel at low speed
✗Front end that wanders and needs constant correction on a straight road
✗Warning lights flashing or gauges dropping out, even briefly
✗Front-corner collision on the history report

Good Signs

✓All three recalls closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup with dealer invoices
✓Replacement right lower control arm visible on the lift, newer than the left
✓A tight, quiet front end on a rough road and a straight track with hands light on the wheel
✓A charging system reading a steady 13.8–14.4V with clean battery terminals
✓A 20-minute drive with the collision and lane systems quiet