2016 KIA FORTE Electrical System Problems

I own a 2016 Kia Forte LX and have been experiencing repeated and dangerous electrical failures with the headlight and lighting system. When I turn on the headlights, they sometimes do not come on at all, or they shut off unexpectedly while driving. In some cases, using the turn signal causes the headlights to cut out completely. The interior dash lights flicker between dim and bright, and the tail lights are also affected. This is a serious safety hazard because it results in sudden and complete loss of exterior lighting (headlights and tail lights) while the vehicle is in motion at night. It significantly increases the risk of an accident. Online owner forums and repair shops confirm this issue is widespread in Kia vehicles, often traced to a failing multifunction headlight/turn signal switch. Despite the frequency of these failures, there has been no recall issued by Kia. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this defect in the 2016 Kia Forte and related models, as it directly compromises driver and passenger safety.

I am writing to express serious concerns about the safety and performance of my Kia vehicle. Over the past few months, my car has been exhibiting abnormal behavior, jeopardizing the safety of myself and other road users. One of the most alarming issues is the unpredictable acceleration and deceleration of my vehicle, especially on the highway. There have been numerous instances where it failed to respond to acceleration while changing lanes, putting me in stressful situations where I feared a potential collision. Even more troubling, my car has shut off unexpectedly multiple times during both city driving and while navigating driveways and hills. This sudden engine shutdown has exposed me to hazardous situations and increased the risk of accidents. There is also a loud knocking sound coming from the car, accompanied by sluggish driving. To my dismay, the vehicle now starts and immediately cuts off, forcing me to wait for a period of time and multiple attempts to restart the engine before it finally starts. Seeking a resolution, I took my vehicle to the Kia Service center, where they advised me that I needed a new engine, attributing the problem to sludge build-up. However, I maintain a diligent oil change schedule every three months and can provide evidence of this fact. Despite filing a claim with Kia of America, they regrettably denied my request for assistance in obtaining a new engine, placing the financial burden solely on my shoulders. This not only presents a financial hardship for me but also underscores a broader issue with Kia vehicles' quality and reliability. I am deeply concerned about the safety of Kia vehicles, and I believe that they should be subject to a thorough investigation and, if necessary, a recall. I understand that KIA has experienced problems with design of this or similar engines, causing recalls of those products, and I request NHTSA to investigate these concerns regarding the 2016 KIA Forte. My Car is available to inspect once more

On May 25th 2023 I was driving on the highway when I experienced extreme loss of power and the infotainment screen displayed "possible engine condition". Considering I was driving 70 mph on the highway it was super dangerous because there were several 18 wheelers driving on the highway alongside me it could have been deadly for many of us. Thankfully I was able to get to the shoulder to assess the situation. I have been unable to get my vehicle to a dealership since I was traveling and had to leave my vehicle 150 mi from where I live. If Kia knew there was some sort of issue with engine failure and extreme loss of power they should have issued notification before other than have people possibly die on the highway from engine failure.

My car has been broken into twice due to the manufacturer not having proper ignition safeguards put into place, received no help from manufacturer , this is a known issue

Im a retired mechanic I have 2016 Kia Forte lx 1.8l 6spd manual from my diagnostic scanner it showed the instrument cluster has a short in it which caused all the warning lights to come on when really the only thing that was really bad was a right front wheel speed sensor I replaced it but with the instrument panel short the ecu cant tell what's working and what's not the car only has 64000 miles and all this is still going on a diagnostic scanner cant tell what real and what's not I will never own another Kia product in my life and [XXX] sure wouldn't recommend one. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

SINCE I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE THE HORN WAS LOW. I RARELY DRIVE MY VEHICLE SO FOR THE HORN NOT TO BE WORKING IS REALLY CRAZY . I HAVE HEARD FROM OTHER KIA OWNER THAT THEY ALSO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HORN. THIS IS CRAZY .

THE HORN WORKS THEN IT DON'T WORK THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT LOOSES PRESSURE AS DRIVING CAR JUST GOT 5/19/20. *TR

THE CAR HAS BEEN MAKING WEIRD NOISE AND THEN ALL THE LIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF. CAR SOUNDS LIKE IT WANTS TO TURN OFF AND THEN THE RADIO SATELLITE. CAR SOUNDS LIKE IT WANTS TO SHUT OFF

KIA FORTE 2016 - WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND IT LOSES POWER STEERING BREAKS, THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES. STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, STARTING THE CAR, DRIVING 10 MPH, 50MPH, 35 MPH. I HAVE HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BREAK TO STOP. THE CAR IS STILL IN DRIVE, THE KEY IS TURNED ON, THE DASHBOARD GOES OUT, BUT THE RADIO AND CLOCK STAY ON. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO 2 KIA DEALERSHIPS 4 TIMES TOTAL AND THE ISSUES CONTINUE. NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.

Mileage: 44,500

TAKATA RECALL WHEN TURNING MY VEHICLE OFF THERE IS A TICKING COMING FROM THE COMPUTER WHEN SITTING STILL IT WILL CAR WILL AISLE UP IN TRY TO TAKE OFF A LITTLE WITH THE FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT ALSO SHAKES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK AND L I HAVE REPORTED THESE PROBLEMS BEFORE AND THE HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED IN THE MOTOR ON THE VEHICLE A LITTLE AFTER THE WARRANTY REPLACEMENT WAS DONE THE TICKING BEGIN AGAIN UNDER THE HOOD AND THE SHAKING AND EVERYTHING IS STARTING OVER AGAIN AND I KEEP TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY KEEP TELLING ME THEY DON'T SEE ANYTHING WRONG WHICH IS EXACTLY LIKE THE FIRST TIME WHEN I WAS START TAKING IT BEFORE THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKET IN MY MOTOR

Mileage: 30,000

2016 KIA FORTE CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. HORN DOESN'T FUNCTION. CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK FROM CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. THE IDLE IS OUT OF CONTROL AT TIMES. REVS HIGH WHILE STARTED BUT IN PARK, SOMETIMES NOT ENOUGH CAR DIES. POSSIBLE NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG. I READ SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS OF OTHER KIAS HORN NOT WORKING THEY HAD TO REPLACE CLOCK SPRING. KIA MANUFACTURERS NEED TO SEND OUT RECALL. KIA PLEASE HELP FIX THIS ISSUE.

Mileage: 60,224

THE KIA FORTE CAUGHT FIRE AS MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE (THE CAR WAS IN MOTION). WE HAD ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR JUST OVER A YEAR. I AM UNSURE WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE HOWEVER, THE INSURANCE REVIEWER ADVISE THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE. MY HUSBAND BARLEY MADE IT OUT OF THE CAR BEFORE THE INSIDE WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR WAS A COMPLETE LOSS IT WAS HARDLY RECOGNIZABLE ONCE THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO GET THE FIRE OUT.

Mileage: 28,000

WHEN DRIVING MY CAR, MY HEADLIGHTS ARE FLICKERING/CUTTING OFF AND ON. I"VE TALKED TO KIA MOTORS SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE TAKEN MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE SERVICE DEPT AT THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED. I KNOW THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR AT NIGHT. PLEASE HELP ME RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.

Mileage: 37,000

I WENT HUNTING AND WENT TO GO BACK TO MY CAR AT THE END OF THE EVENING. MY CAR WAS PARKED ON A GRASS LANE BY A WOODS WITH THE KEY OUT OF THE EGNITION. WHEN I GOT TO THE CAR IT WAS DARK SO I DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING AT FIRST, BUT WHEN I WENT TO UNLOCK MY DOOR AND MY KEYLESS ENTRY WOULD NOT WORK. BUT MY BUDDY NOTICED THAT MY LIGHTS FLASHED AS IF IT WAS WORKING. I USED MY KEY TO OPEN MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR AND WAS HIT BY A CLOUD OF SMOKE. MY WHOLE DOOR PANEL WAS MELTED ALONG THE SPEAKER AND HALF OF THE DOOR. THE FIRE WAS OUT BY THE TIME I ARRIVED. KIA IN LIMA WOULDN'T TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VEHICLE AFTER A LONG DRAWN OUT PROCESS AND POOR COMMUNICATION FROM THEM, BUT MY INSURANCE COMPANY DEAMED IT AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. I DO NOT HAVE THE PAPERWORK AT THE MOMENT BUT CAN HAVE IT AVAILABLE ASAP.

Mileage: 50,000

WHILE SETTING IN PARKING LOT WITH CAR IN PARK AND ENGINE RUNNING, MULTIPLE INSTRUMENTATION FAILURE, ANTI SLIP, TIRE PRESSURE, A.B.S. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, REGULAR BRAKING LIGHT, ENGINE MISS FIRING... ROUGH SHIFTING, WAS ABLE TO LIMP CAR TO CLOSED KIA DEALER.. ON A SUNDAY NIGHT.. THEY KEPT CAR 3 DAYS.. COULD NOT FIND WHY CAR HAS MULTIPLE FAILURES..THEY CALLED KIA ENGINEER .. STILL HAD NO CLUE AS TO PROBLEM.. FINALLY..SAID THEY CLEARED 2 CODES FROM COMPUTER.. CAR RAN GOOD .. FOR 2 DAYS..THEN WHEN WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK IN LUTHERVILLE MD. AGAIN MULTIPLE FAILURES.. SHE HAD ALMOST NO BRAKING .. HAD TO DRIFT CAR INTO NATIONWIDE KIA.. PARKING LOT A FEW BLOCKS FROM HER WORK.. THEY HAD CAR FOR ALMOST 2 WEEKS.. WITH NO CLUE AS TO WHY FOR SECOND TIME IN A FEW DAYS.SAME FAILURES AGAIN.. TRANSMISSION FELT AND SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS COMING OUT OF CAR...THEY SAID LATER THEY STARTED IT.. AND ONLY A.B.S. WAS LIT.. AND WHEN THEY RESTARTED CAR A.B.S. LIGHT WAS OFF.. WITH STILL NO ANSWER WHY IT IS FAILING.. CAR IS VERY VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE.. WE HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN VEHICLE, .. IT IS A DANGER TO MY WIFE AND PUBLIC...WE HAVE NOTIFIED.. HAGERSTOWN KIA.. ALSO KIA CORP. HAGERTOWN KIA.. SAID IT'S NOT THEIR PROBLEM.. WITH NO REGARD FOR THE SAFTY OF MY WIFE.. OR THE PUBLIC..

Mileage: 16,901

MOST RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING ON A RURAL HIGHWAY WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED FOR NO REASON...I LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER, ALL ELECTRICAL DASH LIGHTS WERE MALFUNCTIONING, I TURNED THE KEY TO AN OFF POSITION AND WAITED...AFTER A MINUTE I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR. *TR

Mileage: 5,000

BRAKE LIGHTS STOP WORKING TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY WOULD FIX THE BRAKE SWITCH BUT I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BULBS AND THE RELAY AND ALSO HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL TUESDAY FOR THE RELAY. WHAT'S THE POINT OF PAYING FOR A WARRANTY

WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH THE DASH BOARD WENT BLACK AND THE CAR POWERED COMPLETELY DOWN.

Mileage: 15,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA FORTE. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT HAD A DENT WHERE THE SENSOR WAS LOCATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE HAD A MOLD ODOR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,674.

Mileage: 1,674