2012 Kia FORTE KOUP
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2012 Kia FORTE KOUP has 17 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (76% of all complaints), specifically: bought my car used from a dealership and am the second owner. car only had 36k miles when purchased. the dealership also sold me a bogus warranty for $2,995.00 for 36 months 60k miles when the manufacture warranty gave me 5 years/60k. while driving down the road this knocking started in the engin.
17
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
0.2x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
ENGINE
13 complaints- • BOUGHT MY CAR USED FROM A DEALERSHIP AND AM THE SECOND OWNER. CAR ONLY HAD 36K MILES WHEN PURCHASED. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SOLD ME A BOGUS WARRANTY FOR $2,995.00 FOR 36 MONTHS 60K MILES WHEN THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY GAVE ME 5 YEARS/60K. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THIS KNOCKING STARTED IN THE ENGIN
- • ROD BEARING FAILURE ON A 2012 KIA FORTE KOUP 2.4L ENGINE AT APPROX. 93,300 MILES WITH NO PRIOR ISSUES. ENGINE WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND NEVER ABUSED. BEGAN RATTLING WHILE DRIVING NORMALLY ON THE FREEWAY AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DETERMINED TO BE THE #2 PISTON HITTING THE HEAD. NO PRIOR INDICATION OF AN
- • ON THE WAY TO A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT WITH KIA FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THE CAR STALLED ON A CITY STREET. IT STARTED ROUGH AFTER AND THEN STALLED AGAIN 2 MILES AFTER THAT ON A CURVED CITY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER AFTER THE SECOND STALL AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP. META
“BOUGHT MY CAR USED FROM A DEALERSHIP AND AM THE SECOND OWNER. CAR ONLY HAD 36K MILES WHEN PURCHASED. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SOLD ME A BOGUS WARRANTY FOR $2,995.00 FOR 36 MONTHS 60K MILES WHEN THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY GAVE ME 5 YEARS/60K. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THIS KNOCKING STARTED IN THE ENGIN”
— NHTSA complaint filing
SPEED CONTROL
1 complaints- • ON THE WAY TO A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT WITH KIA FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THE CAR STALLED ON A CITY STREET. IT STARTED ROUGH AFTER AND THEN STALLED AGAIN 2 MILES AFTER THAT ON A CURVED CITY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER AFTER THE SECOND STALL AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP. META
“ON THE WAY TO A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT WITH KIA FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THE CAR STALLED ON A CITY STREET. IT STARTED ROUGH AFTER AND THEN STALLED AGAIN 2 MILES AFTER THAT ON A CURVED CITY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER AFTER THE SECOND STALL AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP. META”
— NHTSA complaint filing
TRANSMISSION
1 complaints- • I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2012 KIA FORTE KOUP SX WITH THE 2.4 LITER THETA II ENGINE THAT IS BEING RECALLED ON A LIMITED BASIS BY KIA UNDER NHTSA SC147. A WEEK WHILE MERGING WITH FASTER TRAFFIC MY ENGINE DIED FORCING ME INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TRYING TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF MUCH FASTER
“I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2012 KIA FORTE KOUP SX WITH THE 2.4 LITER THETA II ENGINE THAT IS BEING RECALLED ON A LIMITED BASIS BY KIA UNDER NHTSA SC147. A WEEK WHILE MERGING WITH FASTER TRAFFIC MY ENGINE DIED FORCING ME INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TRYING TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF MUCH FASTER ”
— NHTSA complaint filing
AIR BAGS
1 complaints- • THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON ON THIS VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, AT 109,381 MILES. I KNOW THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION GOING ON, AND I READ THAT THERE'S A RECALL NOW, BUT I JUST CHECKED THE VIN BOTH HERE AND ON KIA'S OWNERS SITE, AND BOTH SAY ZERO RECALLS.
“THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON ON THIS VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, AT 109,381 MILES. I KNOW THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION GOING ON, AND I READ THAT THERE'S A RECALL NOW, BUT I JUST CHECKED THE VIN BOTH HERE AND ON KIA'S OWNERS SITE, AND BOTH SAY ZERO RECALLS.”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ELECTRICAL
1 complaints- • MY CAR STARTED OVER HEATING AT STOP AND GO TRAFFIC SO I CHECKED EVERYTHING AND FOUND OUT MY COOLANT FAN RESISTER WAS MELTING..I CHECKED TO SEE IF IT WAS A RECALL ON THAT PART AND IT WAS BUT I DONT THINK IT WAS CHANGE BECAUSE EVERYTHING THE RECALL WEB SITE SAID WOULD HAPPEN DID.
“MY CAR STARTED OVER HEATING AT STOP AND GO TRAFFIC SO I CHECKED EVERYTHING AND FOUND OUT MY COOLANT FAN RESISTER WAS MELTING..I CHECKED TO SEE IF IT WAS A RECALL ON THAT PART AND IT WAS BUT I DONT THINK IT WAS CHANGE BECAUSE EVERYTHING THE RECALL WEB SITE SAID WOULD HAPPEN DID.”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 17 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐ENGINE: BOUGHT MY CAR USED FROM A DEALERSHIP AND AM THE SECOND OWNER. CAR ONLY HAD 36K MILES WHEN PURCHASED. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO SOLD ME A BOGUS WARRANTY FOR $2,995.00 FOR 36 MONTHS 60K MILES WHEN THE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY GAVE ME 5 YEARS/60K. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THIS KNOCKING STARTED IN THE ENGIN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐SPEED CONTROL: ON THE WAY TO A SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT WITH KIA FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THE CAR STALLED ON A CITY STREET. IT STARTED ROUGH AFTER AND THEN STALLED AGAIN 2 MILES AFTER THAT ON A CURVED CITY INTERSECTION. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER AFTER THE SECOND STALL AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP. META
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐TRANSMISSION: I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2012 KIA FORTE KOUP SX WITH THE 2.4 LITER THETA II ENGINE THAT IS BEING RECALLED ON A LIMITED BASIS BY KIA UNDER NHTSA SC147. A WEEK WHILE MERGING WITH FASTER TRAFFIC MY ENGINE DIED FORCING ME INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION TRYING TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF MUCH FASTER
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐AIR BAGS: THE SRS LIGHT CAME ON ON THIS VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, AT 109,381 MILES. I KNOW THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION GOING ON, AND I READ THAT THERE'S A RECALL NOW, BUT I JUST CHECKED THE VIN BOTH HERE AND ON KIA'S OWNERS SITE, AND BOTH SAY ZERO RECALLS.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Kia FORTE KOUP — Year Comparison
How does 2012 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 17
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 0
- Crash reports
- 0
- Injury reports
- 0
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
See recalls for YOUR 2012 Kia FORTE KOUP