VehicleVerdict

2014 Kia Forte electrical system problems

The 2014 Kia Forte has 63 electrical system complaints filed with NHTSA — 10% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

63

Electrical System complaints

10%

Share of year

5

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Electrical System complaints by year

Forte electrical system complaints by model year63 complaints2010: 27 complaints2011: 22 complaints2012: 37 complaints2013: 25 complaints2014: 63 complaints2015: 30 complaints2016: 24 complaints2017: 51 complaints2018: 16 complaints2019: 21 complaints2020: 11 complaints2021: 10 complaints2022: 1 complaints2023: 9 complaints2024: 5 complaints
Forte electrical system complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

Related recalls

15V015000Electrical SystemJanuary 16, 2015 · 86,880 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

If the cooling fan resistor overheats and melts, there is an increased risk of a vehicle fire.

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. For vehicles produced from January 28, 2014 to April 17, 2014, dealers will replace the multi-fuse unit only. Owners of vehicles with a 1.8L engine will also have the engine control unit software updated. The recall began on February 20, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC113.

What owners report

“ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2014, MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING OUR 2014 KIA FORTE WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO SMOKE. AS SOON AS I PULLED THE CAR OVER TO THE SHOULDER, FLAMES CAME OUT OF THE HOOD. THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. KIA CORPORATE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · September 14, 2014 · fire

Common questions

How many electrical system complaints does the 2014 Kia Forte have?

NHTSA has 63 complaints about the 2014 Kia Forte electrical system — 10% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2014 Kia Forte electrical system?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the electrical system: 15V015000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.