- Safety
- 0
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 1
- on record
- MPG
- 28
- combined
Open recalls on record
1 safety recall. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2016 Kia Forte
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 1
- Owner complaints
- 0
- Complaints citing a crash
- 0
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
1 Recall on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
1 NHTSA campaign affecting this model year.
- 21V622000high
Latches/locks/linkages · trunk lid · latch
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Consequence
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Kia Forte.
Frontal crash
Side crash
- Driver
- 4 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 10.3%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA published side crash, rollover resistance and side pole for this vehicle but not frontal crash. An untested area is not a poor result — it means no published data exists, and the overall star rating is calculated without it.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 10.3% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2016 Kia Forte, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
24
City
35
Hwy
28
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $2,200
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 315 g/mi
How this compares
At 28 MPG combined, the 2016 Kia Forte ranks 5th of 20 midsize cars EPA rated for 2016 — 2 MPG better than the 26 MPG median for that group.
That places it a little above the middle of its class. Fuel cost is close enough to its rivals that other running costs will probably matter more.
EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,200, $350 less than the $2,550 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $11,000, a $1,750 difference against a class-median vehicle.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 315 grams per mile — about 4.7 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
No owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this model year.
Nothing on file. Newer model years often have few complaints simply because fewer cars are on the road yet.
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Kia Forte, newest first.
- Recall
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Midsize Cars
- Drive type
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Engine
- 2L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Automatic (S6)
- Seats
- 0
Fuel economy
24
City
35
Hwy
28
Comb
- Annual cost
- $2,200
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.