2019 Kia Forte — Known Issues & Recalls

Your 2019 Kia Forte's engine failed suddenly at 64,000 miles while driving on a highway at night, after experiencing intermittent stalling issues beforehand. The oil warning light appeared immediately before the engine shut down, creating a dangerous situation. An independent mechanic confirmed the engine failure and noted this is a known issue with Kia engines from this model year, despite your vehicle being well-maintained. Engine replacement will likely cost around $6,000 and may involve removing and installing a new engine assembly.

Your engine stalled while driving at 45 mph, causing the car to shut off completely and resulting in loss of power steering. A check engine light appeared shortly before the stall. A mechanic has determined the engine is a total loss and will need to be replaced or rebuilt.

While driving on the highway, white smoke came from under your car and it caught fire. The firefighter determined that your oil pan had come loose, fell to the ground, and ignited, causing extensive damage that required a complete engine replacement. The oil pan was deemed unsafe and unusable. This repair will likely involve replacing the engine, oil pan, and related components that were damaged by the fire.

Your engine started making a ticking noise, then stopped running completely. When you checked the oil, you found metal flakes in it, indicating internal engine damage. The engine will likely need to be replaced or rebuilt due to the internal failure.

While driving, your car suddenly lost power and stopped accelerating, forcing you to coast to the side of the road before the engine shut down completely. The mechanic found that the camshaft timing pin in cylinder 2 sheared off, causing the piston to hit the exhaust valves and bend one of them. The engine won't restart because of this internal damage. Fixing this will require removing the valve cover, replacing the camshaft, sprocket pin, and bent exhaust valve, plus reassembling and timing the engine.

Your car's engine suddenly shut off while driving on the highway with no warning signs. A mechanic determined the engine is seized and needs to be replaced. Even though your car is well-maintained and only 6 years old, the engine failure occurred without any prior indication of problems. You'll likely need a complete engine replacement or rebuild to get your car running again.

Your car's oil pump failed, which caused severe damage inside the engine. The entire engine had to be replaced at 120,600 miles. This type of failure starves the engine of oil circulation, leading to internal damage that can't be repaired. Engine replacement will be necessary to restore your vehicle to working condition.

While driving on the highway at 65 mph, your car suddenly started jolting, then felt sluggish and lost power, eventually unable to go faster than 35 mph with no warning lights. Your daughter had to exit the highway as the car stalled, creating a serious safety hazard with other drivers swerving around her. The dealer found the transmission had failed completely, but won't cover it because the car is past the 5-year warranty despite having only 53,000 miles. Fixing this will require transmission replacement or rebuild.

Your transmission is getting stuck in gear and slipping, which prevents your car from accelerating above 20 mph—especially in cold weather—unless you manually shift up two gears and back down two gears. When this happens, you'll notice the engine RPM bouncing between 500-1500 and then 1500-2500, along with stuttering and a strange noise. Kia has determined this is an internal transmission failure that requires a complete transmission replacement.

Your car's oil drain plug came out while you were driving, which caused the engine to fail. This appears to be a recurring issue that other owners have reported as well. The fix will likely involve replacing the oil drain plug and gasket, and inspecting the engine for damage from oil loss.

Your car's clear coat paint is peeling and failing much earlier than expected. This is the protective layer on top of your paint that keeps it looking shiny and prevents rust.

After an oil change in February 2026, your forward collision warning system started turning itself off repeatedly. Your car began hesitating when accelerating, and then started stalling while driving and even while parked. When you took it to a mechanic in March, they found the engine had no oil and was severely damaged. This happened despite the car running fine immediately after the oil change.

Your engine is making rattling and clanking sounds during startup and when shifting into gear. A dealer inspection found a faulty crankcase sensor and metal shavings in your engine oil, which suggests internal engine damage. The dealer recommended a complete engine replacement to fix the problem.

Your 2019 Kia Forte has failed to start multiple times and has shut off while driving—both serious safety concerns. You're also experiencing intermittent backup camera failures and problems with headlights, brake lights, fog lights, and daytime running lights not working correctly. These symptoms suggest an underlying electrical system problem that needs professional diagnosis and repair, which may involve testing the battery, alternator, starter motor, and electrical wiring.

Your Lane Keep Assist system unexpectedly activated and pulled your car to the right without warning, causing you to lose control and spin toward oncoming traffic. This happened multiple times without any warning lights appearing on your dashboard. The system returned to normal operation after each incident, but the problem kept recurring.

During a car accident, your airbags failed to deploy, resulting in injuries to your chest, elbows, and knees that you believe would have been prevented if they had worked properly. Your car was totaled in the crash, and you were hospitalized for evaluation. Although Kia issued a recall for airbag non-deployment in many vehicles due to electrical wiring issues, your 2019 Forte was not included despite experiencing the same problem. The fix would likely involve inspection and repair or replacement of the airbag system's electrical wiring and sensors.

Your check engine light turns on when you start the car, and you hear clicking noises coming from the engine when you accelerate. You may also see smoke coming from the engine area. This could indicate a serious engine problem that needs immediate diagnosis.

Your forward collision avoidance and lane departure warning systems are turning on and off unexpectedly due to a faulty wire in the system harness, creating a safety concern for you and other drivers on the road. Warning lights appear on your dashboard indicating the problem. The issue requires a complete inspection and replacement of the wire harness to restore proper safety system function.

While driving at night, you noticed smoke coming from your front driver's side headlight. When you inspected it, you found the wiring harness had burn damage, and your headlamp warning light came on. This issue may be related to a known manufacturer recall (Campaign 18V771000) involving exterior lighting problems. The wiring harness and headlight assembly will likely need to be replaced or repaired.

Your third brake light (the one in the center of your rear window) burned out and started melting at 65,000 miles. Your dashboard didn't show any warning lights about this problem. The dealer suggested running a diagnostic test but didn't actually diagnose or repair it, and Kia said the problem isn't covered under warranty. The fix will likely involve replacing the third brake light assembly and possibly checking the wiring or electrical connection causing it to overheat.