Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Kia Forte owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My car caught on fire out of nowhere when i pulled into my grandmother's driveway. I had smelt smoke maybe 10 minutes before I arrived but assumed it was from someone starting a fire while I was driving. No smoke had started forming while I was driving. The smoke rolled out from the dash board area and kept spreading once I had arrived and got out to get my grandma from inside. My entire car was engulfed in flames within minutes. The firefighters informed me that they had put out another kia that same day and that there was active recalls for fires on kias. I kept my car at a tow lot for almost 3 months waiting on kia to inspect it. They claimed it was an outside source but I have video proof of us trying to put out the fire and the moment i pulled into the driveway. Kia is a terrible company and deserves no money for their cars. …
My car was parked overnight in front my house on the street, and I remote started it around 4 pm. As I was looking out the window to check if the car started- I saw it moving forward. I ran out of the house and within a few seconds- the car rolled into my neighbor's truck and sustained damage to the hood and frame. This is a safety issue because the car is a push start car- and should not have started and moved. Luckily it hit a parked car and not a person. The remote start came with the car when I bought it from the kia dealership in 2013. I called kia corporate and have an appointment to get the car looked at the closest dealership. I did not have any warning lights- but I did have my car recently serviced (oil change and valve cover repaired). …
on or about 6-6-2023 store employee Tim Creel was airing up the tire on the passenger side front of the vehicle. Tim used a kia air compressor which comes standard with a lot of today's Kias instead of spare tire. The tire pressure reached 32 psi when Tim unplugged the 12v connector. As he went to walk away he noticed flames coming from under the plug in spot. The vehicle proceeded to keep a fire going for several minutes as the other employee Eddie pulled up and put it out with a fire extinguisher. The owner mark then advised a report be made. The D'Iberville police and fire dept showed up. They issued a case number of 23-01640 by officer IPOCK. Please find attached photos kind regards Timothy Creel
My car caught on fire out of nowhere when i pulled into my grandma's house. I was unaware of a recall until I was advised by the firman that put my car out that they had also put another kia out the same day and it had a recall. Upon searching I found this recall. I contacted kia and went through their claims process. They inspected my vehicle and are still claiming it didnt come from inside the dash board which is where the fire originated when I tried to put it out before it got out of hand. I have a video that proves i pulled in and it caught fire spontaneously. Kia has but me through trauma with that fire and I am lucky to still have a job with the work I missed without a vehicle.
I bought the car in November 2 weeks later driving on December 10 All lights came out car loss power and engine blew off I was driving at around 55mph I'm still paying for the car but I never received no notice for the recall I need an answer ASAP the cae as been in my garage since December 10/2020
Bought a used 2014 Kia Forte from Ourisman Kia in Chantilly, VA in November, 2021. Had 116k miles. 2/20/22, traveling on 55 MPH three lane road, the car suddenly lost all power as I was driving in the left lane. Engine light was flashing. I put on hazards and was able to pull off the highway. On 2/21/22 Ourisman Kia service added oil, cleared error codes, and told us to drive 1000 miles and bring it back. We did not make it to 1000 miles. Car again suddenly went into limp mode and flashing engine light while teenage son was driving on 3/15. Code Po302 was detected. Ourisman Kia service replaced ignition coil and spark plugs 3/17. On 3/23, car again suddenly went into limp mode and engine light started flashing again while on highway. Returned car to Ourisman Kia service 3/24/22 where it still sits. Code P1326 is detected. …
The Air Bag light stays on consistently, with the exception of flashing off for a brief moment periodically, only to return on immediately. Steering wheel mounted audio controls have mixed up controls, volume operating channel skip, while channel skip up, skips down, etc... I don't know that it is possible for the air bag to deploy unexpectedly, without impact, but the obvious concern is that it may not go off in the event of an impact, leading to excessive injuries. I had an independent service center advise me that the likely cause is a faulty Clock Spring, as this would cause issues with the steering wheel controls as well.
Driving down a country road at night when my abs light came on. After a few seconds my power steering went out and the main console died. The headlights began to dim and the dashboard lights sputtered on and off. The car shuttered strongly and then died. We were stuck on the side of the road in the middle of the night for over forty five minutes with a screaming infant with no warning that this was going to happen or that this part needed to be serviced or replaced for the milage of my car (90,000).
Driving down the highway and check engine light came on and dropped the cars speed down to 30 mph and was stuck on the highway and I called the KIA dealership that I got the car from and they cleared the code on the car and claimed they fixed it just for the car to go back into limp mode and now I'm stuck without a car and the dealership doesn't want to fix it
The car will randomly cut off while driving, to restart the car must be put into neutral to restart and the lights go off during that time. If you are on the interstate going over 50, it will jerk and restart itself but the steering gets really stiff and you have to pull over and cut car off and restart to get the steering to work properly again.
Related recalls
Electrical system
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014 Kia Forte vehicles manufactured December 5, 2012, to April 17, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the cooling fan resistor may overheat and melt.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and for vehicles produced from December 5, 2012 to January 27, 2014, dealers will replace the cooling fan resistor and multi-fuse unit.
Electrical complaints in other Forte years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2014 Kia Forte?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the electrical system of the 2014 Kia Forte, 13% of the model year's 444 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2014 Kia Forte electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-015 (electrical system, Jan 16, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2014 Kia Forte electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 10 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.