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2019 Kia Forte: engine stalls while driving

17 of the 150 complaints about the 2019 Kia Forte describe engine stalls while driving.

owner complaints
17
of this car's complaints
11%
typical mileage
8,865
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 17 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Engine stalls while driving by model year

What owners say

Filed Apr 27, 2026 · Engine · VA

My car has cut off on me going down the road and it cut back on I have had where the car is slow at acceleration and trying to stall out on me and causing a car to almost hit me in the bumper cause of it the car only has 112,580 miles and have not been able to drive the car since march 13,2026 due to this issue and not feeling safe to drive it

Filed Mar 13, 2026 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · CA

February 1st 2026, I done my oil change. My car was running fine. No check engine light was on or anything, my forward collision warning started disabling itself when I always kept it on. When I try to accelerate my vehicle it would take a while to accelerate. March 7th 2026, while I was driving, my car quit while it was still running. It also quit the same day again just in park. March 8th 2026, I went to take my vehicle to get a diagnostics and when leaving my home. My car stalled out and quit while in drive. After taking my vehicle to the mechanic, the mechanic reported to me my car had no oil in my car and my motor was fried. I have had the vehicle less than a year and it’s giving me all of these issues

Filed Mar 12, 2026 · Engine · MD

2019 Kia with approximately 64,000 miles. Engine failed without warning. Prior to failure, vehicle had been experiencing intermittent stalling on multiple prior occasions and had been brought to a mechanic for inspection before the final failure occurred. Vehicle stalled while being driven on a highway at night on [XXX] between mile markers 67-71 in Maryland, creating a dangerous situation for the driver and other motorists. The oil warning light appeared immediately prior to engine failure. Vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who inspected it and confirmed the engine had failed. The mechanic noted that the engine was well maintained, ruling out neglect as a contributing factor. Mechanic stated this is a known issue with Kia engines from this era. Vehicle is available for inspection. Problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. Engine replacement cost is approximately $6,000. Kia's powertrain warranty does not fully transfer to subsequent owners, leaving this vehicle owner without coverage despite low mileage and what appears to be a manufacturing defect. Owner was advised by mechanic that Kia has covered similar failures as goodwill replacements due to the known nature of this defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 5, 2026 · Engine · IA

Engine stalled while driving causing the car to turn off in traffic. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This caused loss of power and steering at 45 miles per hour and could have caused a collision. A licensed and accredited auto mechanic has confirmed that the engine is a total loss. The same day and shortly before the engine stalled, a check engine light appeared. The driver was on his way home and had planned to park the car and have it towed to the mechanic the next day.

Filed Oct 5, 2025 · Transmission · RI

My daughter was driving on the highway. She was driving at 65 mph and then the car started to jolt a couple of times. She kept driving and then it started to feel sluggish and lost some power. Would not accelerate over 45 mph. She was almost rear ended several times and people continually swerving in and out around her as she couldn’t maintain the car at a normal pace. It eventually wouldn’t go over 35 mph. Extremely DANGEROUS speed on a highway commute. She was able to finally get off highway. The car stalled. No warning lights ever lit. She was close to home at this point. Drove it home with barely any power. Got it towed to the dealer and transmission was blown and they will not cover it because it’s past warranty of 5 yrs (2nd owner). The car is a 2019 with 53k miles. It should not need a new transmission. Apparently this car is now having many transmission issues. There was a service campaign issued by Kia back in 2018, 2020, and 2022 for this exact problem. Clearly there is an ongoing issue with their transmission. But since it is not a recall, the consumer has no way of know this until after it’s too late. When a transmission just shuts down without any warning, this is a MAJOR safety issue as you no longer are able to properly drive the vehicle. This should be a RECALL. Not an in-house technical bulletin announcement. There’s an abundance of safety concerns associated with this. Let’s not wait for somone to get killed in a car crash because it’s not being corrected by doing a recall on these transmissions that is a continual ongoing issue.

Filed Jan 24, 2025 · Engine · MI

Engine burns oil while buring gas. It burns oil way faster than it should have, which causes low oil and engine damage. As a result the engine stalled out because it ran with little to no oil. There was no dashboard warning light that the oil is low. A mechanic explained that there is a manfacturing defect. These engines are manufactured with small holes between where the oil is being stored and where the gas is being burned. When the gas is burning small amounts of oil also burn as a result. I had to replace the timing belt as well because that is what is being lubricated by the oil, which is too low. The mechanic explained that this is common in many other Kia engines such as the Sorento and Optima.

Filed Mar 29, 2023 · Engine, Lights · NY

I was driving down expressway and my car started to make rattling noise and Clanking noise from the engine and then my car wouldn’t start it kept stuttering. My 2019 Kia forte was stalling it was not accelerating past 3k rpm’s and then the engine would completely shut off. Now my car has been out of commission for a few weeks

Filed Jan 27, 2022 · CT

#1 I assume the fuel system or electric system are what failed #2the car shuts off while driving,when trying to restart{if it restarts} no power & shuts off again #3 I have contacted the dealer& kia main branch in california 3 times by phone & email but have heard nothing, I have been trying to find out if there is a recall but the dealership said have it towed here & it will cost 100$ to see if its been recalled{ my answer was you could tell me by the v I n # I cant affored a tow the 100$ to tell me if there is a recall{there answer was thats not my problem}#4 there were problems with the head lights kept blowing out{I replaced them2x out of pocket#5 the only warning I had was loss of power before dying.

Filed Oct 19, 2021 · Engine · 42,000 miles · NY

The contact leased a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would stall. The contact was uncertain if any warning lights were illuminated during the failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on multiple occasions and was initially informed that repairs were needed to the transmission. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under warranty. Despite the repair, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that sludge was found in the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000. Consumer stated transmission problem affected the engine.

Filed Jul 15, 2021 · Engine · OH

My Kia is experiencing the same problem that Kia has issued a recall on for every year but 2019 Kias. My 2019 Kia is experiencing the same problem from the recall of "An inconsistent heat-treating process for the piston oil rings can damage the engine and lead to a loss of power, thereby increasing the risk of a crash." My 2019 Kia experienced all of this and no help from the dealership as they didn't want to figure out the problem and wanted me to spend thousands of dollars on a problem Kia has recalled many of there makes/models now. My safety was at high danger due to the car stalling during driving. The diagnose was a bad timing chain and after my mechanic I trust more then the dealership and have proof of the problems/diagnosis is now my Kia has two Pistons that are actually shot and caused problems with my oil life in the car. The mechanic believes it could be caused by the same problem/recall stated above on other makes/models. I have know suffered without a car for a few months and my family has suffered tremendously from just needing to get my car fixed but I still continue to pay my monthly payments on my 2019 Kia. Now the shop I have it at says there's 2 bad Pistons and I need an entire new engine. There was no warnings or check engine light that came on and I just hope there will be an investigation at least on the 2019 models as well and or an answer to why they did 2015 models-2021 but skipped the 2019 Kia Fortes & this investigation of this complaint started after my car was already made and waiting to be sold by a dealer but my car is now experiencing the exact same problems listed above that other Kias have. I can provide and proper paper work from the mechanic if necessary/upon request.

Filed Jun 25, 2021 · Transmission · 52,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning while depressing the accelerator. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V459000 (Power Train) which was linked to the failure. Upon taking the vehicle to a dealer, the mechanic was initially unable to repair the recall due to the part not being available. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer for nearly a month and immediately upon return of the vehicle, the failure persisted. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer where and was informed that no fault was found with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had worsened, and the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage approximately 52,000.

Filed Apr 9, 2021 · Acceleration, Body · 375 miles · TN · crash

I have lost power pulling out into traffic, car has lost all function when pulling out into traffic, 1 time when pulling out of a parking lot the car locked the wheels and slammed it onto a curb. Every time the screen display in the car glitches. I have been going down the road and the emergency braking applied for no reason. Had to replace the battery was going down the road and the car shut off (at night) kia has had this car multiple times and has no idea what is wrong with it. I filed a report with kia cause I want my money back and this car should not be sold to an individual until they figure it out and fix it. Last week the mirrors quit working as well but they said it needed a master switch. Already had some kind of computer recall and took it in to be replaced. Car still scares me to drive it. I have not heard back from kia and was told it does not qualify for the lemon law as they seem to have no idea how to fix it much less get it to duplicate for a diagnosis. But the stalling, glitching and loosing power is almost always at take off. One time I just knew I was going to end up in the hospital or morgue as it was a very busy highway at rush hour. 3 times was on take off and when I was making a turn. Sometimes the screen/radio won't even work or connect to any devices either. Kia told me to record it happening, they must be crazy it happens so fast all I can concentrate on not getting injured or killed or injuring or killing anyone also when we first took the car home I noticed a banging under the car like something hitting under the floor board took it to kia a few times for that as well and since they couldn't duplicate it they said I probably have a something under the seats doing it. But I told them that made no sense cause could feel it under my feet while driving it.

Questions about the 2019 Kia Forte stalling

Is engine stalls while driving a common problem on the 2019 Kia Forte?

17 of 150 owner complaints about the 2019 Kia Forte (11%) mention engine stalls while driving. The model year with the most reports is 2017.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2019 Kia Forte?

There are 0 recalls and 17 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2019 Kia Forte

Transmission failure 21Check engine light 18Engine failure 14Collision warning 12Loss of power 12Headlights 10Fire or smoke 6Jerking 6No deployment 5Grinding brakes 5

All model years of the Kia Forte

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