There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2010 Kia Fortein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I got a car from coparts and they told me nothing was wrong! I recently bought the car
Unknown. Vehicle serviced since 2010. Oil changes based on recommend miles. Only 80,000 miles. Wife [XXX] only uses it mostly for store runs. Since recently inspection and oil change motor has a loud knocking at start up and gets quiet shortly after but while idling you can here a ticking noise. We have all paper work to maintenance. Fear if my wife is stranded or worse and thought I would report this. I will take it in to see what is said. Doesn't seem normal for only 80,000 and well maintained INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Known engine problem with bottom end knocking sounds. Potential risk of fire or wreck caused by engine failure. Engine condition is an ongoing issue. Dealerships and manufacture refuse to honor recall because last recall hasn't been addressed and the title is rebuilt.
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the hood of the vehicle. The contact pulled over on the side of the road. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rod bearing was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the warranty being expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
179000 miles owner was driving and heard a knocking sound. He is an independent mechanic and put it in the shop to diagnose. While inspecting oil was within normal operating range and not yet due for an oil change. Low end rod knock. Changed oil to inspect for debris and found light flakes of bearing material. Diagnosed as rod knock and needs bearing replaced.
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving or while idling, he heard a loud knocking sound coming from the hood of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rod bearings were faulty. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned for his safety while operating the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
kia already has a recall on the 2.0 litre Theta engines due to rod bearing failures due to improper machining of the engine blocks, resulting in metal filings blocking oil passages in the bottom end of the engine resulting in the significant risk of a fire or catastrophic engine failure usually at highway speed which can cause accidents. They also have a recall for possible engine fires and instruct owners to park their vehicles outside, with a significant risk of burning occupants. YouTube mechanics have been complaining of all these Kia engines' early failures such as: Scotty Kilmer Exotic Car Play Place The Car Wizard Calls to Kia Motors USA have resulted in their refusal to replace these 2.0 non-direct injection engines.
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. On two other occasions, the vehicle shut off and the driver was able to steer the vehicle off the roadway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was no oil in the engine. The independent mechanic informed the contact to check the oil level while refueling. The vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was an abnormal rattling sound detected. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Engine piston knock getting ready to fail and lock up which could cause a crash and loss of control of car.
In March 2023, my 2010 kia forte ex began to make a ticking noise, similar to the noise it had made before its first engine had failed. I had just had my car inspected the week prior and had my oil changed. I took my car back to the mechanic, where they confirmed there was an issue with my "new" engine. The engine was "knocking." I took my kia to the dealership where I had gotten the first engine replaced to see if my warranty still covered the new engine as it was not even 3 years old, but was told it was not under warranty. I took my car to another mechanic to get a second opinion after being quoted over $3000 for a new engine. The mechanic said that there were metal shavings in my oil, which was only a week or two old at that time. He said the issue was likely the rod baring's. I learned kia had several lawsuits going on about premature engine failure in kia fortes, but was told by kia that my car was not going to be part of that lawsuit. No warning messages showed up prior to the failure. The only symptom of the failure that was noticeable to me was the knocking, and would not be as noticable to someone who doesnt know much about cars. Driving my car for the last time, I noticed a burning smell when I turned on the ac. I shut it off and looked for signs of a fire, knowing kias have been catching fire recently. These cars arent safe on the roads and Kia should be held accountable before more people get hurt.
Engine knocks really bad
My Engine died at 114,000 miles. It developed engine knock. I now have to replace the engine. Kia refuses to help with this and is asking for 8,000 to replace the engine.
Unknown, 2010 Kia Forte engines have an active and open recall in Canada for a ticking noise that leads to vehicle fires and cause death it is not being addressed here in the United States even though the problems are exactly the same there's a smell of gas burning there are ticking and knocking noises coming from an engine and Kia is refusing to replace it here in the United States but they are actively replacing it in Canada
Car repeatedly has leaks and knocking engine sound, 5 repairs no resolve. Told different solutions paid for repairs. Engine noise still continues. Took in at 149,000. Why isnt there a recall on the engine?
Very loud knocking noise coming from engine. No check engine light or oil light has come on at all. It's been doing this for over a year now.. Ive taken it to several place and no one can figure it out. The knocking gets so bad it makes my steering wheel shake.
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 10 mph and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was restarted without further failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage 111,407.
Randomly the car refused to accelerate, rpms would not go past 3k. It happened it different time points of a drive. There was never any check engine light. Mechanic drove the vehicle and ran a check on it and said with out a warning light there isn’t much I can do. Suggested replace crank shaft sensor. There was no change to the point the entire car died while driving up hill with no shoulder and a very large truck behind. My children would be dead right now if there had been another vehicle in the lane next to me I was able to barely to get the cat into. The car started back up after 30 mins. Was looked at again, informed it could have something to do with the engine tick, still no warning lights. The car stalls, jerks like a misfire and had refused to keep a stable speed while on the interstate
VEHICLE HAS BEEN KNOCKING SINCE THE DAY I TOOK THE VEHICLE OVER. WAS TOLD THAT KIA ALWAYS SAID ITS NORMAL BUT ITS CLEAR THAT IT IS A ROD KNOCK AND THAT THADA ENGINES HAD THIS PROBLEM. IM AFRAID IF THE ROD LETS LOOSE IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE.
MY CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW FROM KIA OF CLARKSVILLE. IT HAS ALWAYS HAD A TICK I WAS TOLD IT WAS NORMAL. AT 88,000 MILES MY CAR LOCKED UP. JUST DRIVING UP A SMALL HILL IT STARTED KNOCKING LOUD AND LOST POWER. TOOK IT TO KIA THEY WANT 6000.00 TO REPAIR IT WITH A JUNK YARD MOTOR. HOW DO THEY SELL FAULTY ENGINES AND GET AWAY WITH IT. I TOOK GOOD CARE OF MY CAR AND OIL CHANGES WHEN DUE. I'M SO UPSET THAT AS A CONSUMER WE HAVE NO PROTECTION AGAINST THIS.
THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 88,000 MILES ON IT. THE CAR STARTED MAKING TICKING NOISE. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID IT IS THE ENGINE AND IT NEEDS REPLACED. THEY ALSO SAID THIS WAS A VERY COMMON ISSUE ON THESE ENGINES. SAID IT WASN'T WORTH THE COST TO REPLACE. I'M SO ANGRY CAUSE THE CAR STILL SHOULD HAVE ALOT OF LIFE LEFT IN IT. THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF AND THIS IS A FAULTY BECAUSE OF KIA!!
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026