1.92 vs. all vehicles Too few recent reports to judge
40 of the 549 complaints about the Kia Forte (7.3%) concern Airbags & seat belts, making it the model's #5 problem area. That share is 1.9× the Airbags & seat belts share across all tracked vehicles.
40Complaints · Airbags & seat belts
7.3%Share of complaints
1.92×vs. all vehicles
9Last 12 months
70.0%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
9 Airbags & seat belts complaints were filed in the last 12 months.
28 of these reports (70.0%) describe a crash or fire, with 23 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 22V031000 (2022-01-25, model year 2018).
It keeps getting broken into by the KIA boys in attempt of theft. It's a group that targets KIAs because they're easy. I now have to make sure my steering wheel is locked up.
I was driving in a road, when a female deer appeared out of the trees and bushes from the right shoulder of the road. I tried not to hit it but but the deer got in my way. I hit the deer and quickly moved over to the right shoulder.
The seatbelt comes unbuckled without cause often and the lane keeping assistance pulls the car of to the right unprovoked.
Airbags & seat belts · 2026-10-04 · ODI 11768878
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bags warning light illuminated and then went off.
Airbags & seat belts · 2026-08-25 · ODI 11759556
The front driver side door is ‘popping’ open while driving. In addition, the seatbelt randomly releases while driving.
Airbags & seat belts · 2026-03-27 · ODI 11727407
My son was in a car accident in my car January 1 at none of the Air bags went off. Not one there is a police report and I have pictures. Its a 2023 kia forte
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Related recalls
AIR BAGS Campaign 22V031000 · 2022-01-25 · Model years: 2018
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.
AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE Campaign 21V164000 · 2021-03-11 · Model years: 2021
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC207.
