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2019 Kia Forte transmission complaints

Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 48, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2019 Kia Forte transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

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 Oct 9, 2022 · Transmission · NC

Hesitates to start. Spudders when in drive “D”. Must drive in “S” sport to stop the spuddering.

Filed Sep 27, 2022 · Transmission · CA

The car I currently have was recalled in 2020 one year before I brought the car . For POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT . I could have been in a really bad car accident September 18 . My car completely shut off while I was making a right turn right in the middle of the street won’t start just dead . I had to push my car to the nearest store so I can get it towed ! . The dealership sold me this car probably not knowing it was recalled That’s a safety issue

Filed Apr 3, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · KY

The transmission failed while on the interstate/freeway while trying to merge into traffic. The vehicle lost power and would not accelerate even though the engine was revving up in RPMs. The vehicle is available. The transmission was replaced with a "Refurbished Transmission" through Warranty by KIA. Two days later the car began jerking and the check engine light came on. The vehicle was returned to the Dealership. The car was then returned to me, the owner, only to have the Check Engine light come back on, so the car was returned a third time for "Transmission" related issues. The vehicle in question has been at the dealership for over two months as the Dealership tells me that they are going "back and forth with KIA Techline" to figure out the issue. The initial Transmission failure was confirmed by the KIA Technicians and reproduced prior to the "Refurbished" transmission being put in. The vehicle and component have been inspected by the KIA Technicians who say they cannot solve the issue and are currently working with KIA Techline to solve the issue. The only prior symptoms were briefs moments of hesitation in acceleration from the vehicle when on the interstate/freeway. This series of events began at the beginning of December 2021 and the vehicle is still in the shop as of April 3, 2022.

Filed Feb 22, 2022 · Transmission · TX

Driving along the highway and transmission failure occurred, causing engine RPM to jump sky high and rapid deceleration without warning or brake lights. Luckily we were not hit by any other cars and were able to pull get off the highway onto the service road. Check engine light came on and the car wouldn't move. Turned the car off and back on after a few minutes and the transmission wouldn't move forward without massive RPM and no faster than 12mph or so. This is the SECOND time this has happened. I didn't report the first time because figured it was a one-off occurrence. The first time we had 26,000 miles on the car, this time, the new transmission went out after only 8,000 miles. All services have been performed by the Kia dealer directly. Car is back at Kia dealer for the transmission replacement again. No confidence in keeping the car given they replaced it with the same transmission that had problems twice!

Filed Dec 22, 2021 · Transmission · NY

My car was vehicle was driving on the highway over 200 miles away from home when I was driving about 65 mph the speed limit. When trying to accelerate on the Highway my vehicle would jump from 2,000 RPMs - 4,000 RPM not going faster. As I hit the gas my speed decreased and I pulled over the side of the road. When I tried to turn on/off my car the check engine light randomly appeared and I was stuck on the side of the road unable to accelerate. My car could have been rear ended on the Highway with Speed Limit of 65 MPH and I could have died if I didn't think quickly and pull to the side of the road. The dealer that the car towed to confirmed my car's transmission needed to be replaced. The only prior warning was my car's acceleration was decreased after Recall SC199 was completed by the dealership.

Filed Sep 18, 2021 · Transmission · CA

I got this car from the dealer at auction , so I am the second owner , power train warranty voided for 2nd owner , at my 90k miles , my transmission shaft has been broken due problem with the same year 2019 recall , dealer refused to fix it because I am out of warranty . I bought another transmission and still have the same problem , the car is unuseable at all .

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 May 18, 2021 · Transmission · LA

My car is a 2019. Pretty much brand new car. I got a voluntary emissions recall notice in the mail in December 2020. The notice said something about a computer software update but I wasn't have any problems with my car at that time and I've been working non stop on the front lines since the Covid pandemic started. Well little did I know that while driving home from work one evening in April my whole car would break down! According to the dealership/service dept it needs a whole new transmission! Now I am stuck paying for a rental out of pocket or hitch hiking to work. The service dept has had my car for 3 weeks now. :( I believe the recall notice should say MANDATORY or worded saying "your car will break down on you"!

Filed May 18, 2021 · Transmission · VA

In May 2020, transmission started bouncing up and down on the highway. Then the transmission started skipping. When I came to a stop and tried to start again, there was almost no power going to the transmission. It created an extremely dangerous situation while trying to drive through an intersection with oncoming cars. The dealership replaced the transmission. in May 2021 356 days after the the second transmission was installed, it happened again and created another extremely dangerous situation when I tried to pull out into traffic and had no power. Kia is again going to replace the transmission but is going to use the same one that was installed originally and the replacement one. I think there should be an investigation into the transmission kia is using.

Filed Feb 2, 2021 · Acceleration, Electrical · 26,087 miles · AL

I've been having issues with the fcw (forward collision warning) not working properly over a year. At first I thought it would correct itself, but the problem became more prevalent, and with research, others have said they've had this same problem as well. There have also been numerous times when I've been merging onto an interstate and the car would not go over 60-65 MPH no matter how hard I pushed the gas. Yesterday was when the real issues began. I was driving on a city street when my entire system blacked out. I could see anything on the screen, and this was surprising to me because I had just taken my car to a local kia and they said they had updated the system. About 20-30 minutes later I visit a local store to pick up a few items. The car had to be off only 2 or 3 minutes, when I return and started to start the car it sputtered and would 'turn over.' I attempted a few more times and it finally did so. My car only had about 26,000 miles, there is no way I should be experience problems as such, and I get it serviced regularly. Lastly, I was on my way home and I stopped at a family members house to pick up some things and I parked about 10-15 feet from the house and I leave the car idling in park. Before I even walk away from the car, I stood at my car door talking for about a minute or 2. I'm in the house for about 15-20 minutes them all of a sudden there is a loud thud outside. My car has managed to fall out of gear and roll into my family members porch. It sustained some damage to the drivers side bumper and fender. With more research I discovered that this has been a problem with this particular make and model as well. This car is basically a lemon.

Filed Jan 16, 2021 · Transmission · 31,400 miles · TX

On a random trip of ours, my vehicle had started jolting a bit furiously at some moments, revving intensely at the most inappropriate times, having incredible trouble idling or driving in general once at a stop sign/light. At times, the car will not move as I have my foot pressed on the gas, and maybe after 10 seconds of doing so, the vehicle will jolt immensely, almost injuring me in the process. I first thought I had water in my gas tank, but after assessing that situation and no fix, I then replaced the spark plugs as I figured they may have went out, mainly because at 30,000 miles they are needed to be replaced for my vehicle. But after that also did not work, I then looked to see if my vehicle had the same problems, where I found out a lot! Other people had the exact problem, and it made so much more sense! The CVT(transmission) use radically switching gears as I am driving, causing many unnecessary problems for me! My vehicle is only at 31,500 miles, and shouldn't be having these kind of problems. I highly believe we need to recall the CVT transmission of the 2019 kia forte, for they have not been broken in correctly. I still proceed to take small trips with my vehicle to see if there is a fix, but it stays the same. When driving around 60 MPH, the car will stop speeding up, and rather would stay revving out of control. Twice I have come to a problem with being stopped at a random location, and it would rev almost to redline, but no movement at all.

Filed Oct 23, 2020 · Transmission · 10,403 miles · MA

I was driving north on ma 495 north near haverhill ma when all of a sudden my car was over-revving and no power was getting to the wheels. I had to pull over on a busy highway. I was lucky I made it to a rest stop. I talked to the tech at kia and they are aware of this problem being a "common thing" and I need a new transmission. Thankfully it is under warranty still. I feel kia's complete disregard for customer safety in this matter is appalling. Loss of power like that can cause a major crash and potential loss of life. If they are aware of the problem they should do a recall on the vehicles and replace every transmission.

Filed Oct 22, 2020 · Transmission · NC

The ivt trans went bad with out warring I was doing 70 MPH on I 77 in nc with cruse on . Then the engine tacked up to 7000 RPM a fue times then I shifted to sport mode the rpms stoped jumping around till I got to hickory nc . When driving to dealer ship the car would not hardly pull its self/ no warring lights or any type of warring of lost of power. Other then high RPM on the engine. The car is at dealership now to get a new trans . It only has 17500 mile on it this ivt is trash and dangerous. It will kill some one that dont know autos

Filed Sep 3, 2020 · Acceleration, Transmission · 24,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rpms would rev up to approximately 4,000 rpms or more. The contact stated that they would intentionally slow the vehicle to reduce the rpms. The contact stated that while idle at a red light, the vehicle accelerated forward unintentionally. The contact pulled over into a nearby parking lot where the vehicle stalled however, the tires continued to spin without moving the vehicle forward. The vehicle was towed to gene messer kia (6006 19th st, lubbock, tx 79407, (806) 776-5600) who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that after the repair, the contact stated that with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact returned the vehicle to the same dealer. The vehicle had not received a second diagnostic test or repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.

Filed Jul 31, 2020 · Transmission · 1 miles · TX

Ivt transmission failure. Car has about 27k miles, purchased at 22k used. After driving off the highway from 70mph to a near stop at the feeder road stop sign, the car would barely move, seems like the gear ratio did not adjust back down. Then noticed severe jerks when transmission tries to change the gear rations, and RPM would shoot up erratically. Took it to the nearest kia dealer, had to wait about 10 days for an appointment. They confirmed a transmission failure and replaced transmission in about 5 days.. Not sure how long this will last. Definitely a scary and safety issue and needs a closer look at the design

Filed Jun 4, 2020 · Transmission · 7,450 miles · MN

I purchased a 2019 kia forte in december of 2018. Starting around 7,200 miles, I noticed the engine rpms would fluctuate especially under light acceleration. Fluctuations were between 200-500 rpms. The vehicle went in for service with about 7,450 miles and I was told the transmission needed to be replaced. The replacement was completed quickly by the dealer. T seems like there is a high failure rate early on with these kia ivt transmissions. These should be recalled. I imagine in another year and a half I will be back into the dealer for another replacement transmission. Very disappointing as this is not a vehicle you can rely on for long trips.

Filed May 7, 2020 · Transmission · 23,000 miles · OR

I purchased this car in december for 2018. In october of 2019, it started having issues with the rpms bouncing. The dealership said the transmission needed to be replaced. I had to wait for 3 months to get my car back as we waited on a transmission. I noticed the RPM bouncing was happening again. On 5/7/2020, I was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced again. I voiced my concerns about replacing the transmission with the same model that had issues. I requested that the service department find out what model the replacement transmission is so we do not have this happen again.

Filed Apr 11, 2020 · Transmission · 8,865 miles · IL

I had taken the car to the dealership because I felt it struggling to accelerate and overall being "jerky" driving 30-40mph on a city street with minimal hills. Dealership found nothing wrong as no codes were showing any errors. No more than 2-3 weeks later, transmission died while driving 70mph on a highway with only 8,800 miles on the vehicle. I could not accelerate the car without the RPM hitting the red line even though I was barely pressing on the gas. I'm lucky I didn't get rammed by the truck that was coming behind me as I quickly engaged my emergency warning lights and pulled over when a safe opportunity arose. I bought this car brand new (no prior owners). I did some research, and unfortunately this does not seem to be the first complaint of transmission failure in this model.

Filed Jan 13, 2020 · Transmission · 24,000 miles · TX

Had car for just one month. I purchased a fleet car with 20k miles. This problem occurred at 24k miles. I was driving on highway at 65 MPH, and the car started revving very high 6-7k when accelerating, where it's usually 2-3k. The car finally gave out (shaking and sputtering) and couldn't accelerate any longer. Had to pull over on the shoulder. I tried turning the car off and on, and checked under the hood. I drove the vehicle to my parents house close by at low speed trying to keep the engine from red-lining. I knew it was the transmission right away because of the symptoms. I am very disappointed because the vehicle is a new model, and it could have been a very dangerous situation. The car will get fixed because it's under warranty, but it really gives me reservation about driving it going forward. Such a critical failure is very dangerous, and will stay on the back of my mind always. I called kia and they towed it to the nearest dealership. I am getting a rental from them.

Filed Jan 2, 2020 · Transmission · 10,000 miles · MD

On a trip the car began jerking and losing acceleration with the engine running at high revs (5-6k) on the highway. Eventually the check engine light came on and the car was not able to maintain speed or accelerate. The car was towed to kia dealership in reading, pa, 150 miles from my house. After 3 days of evaluation, I was informed the car will need a new transmission. The expected time to complete the repair is 6 weeks. The car has 10k miles on it and did not have any issues prior to this incident.

Filed Dec 3, 2019 · Transmission · 10,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. While the vehicle was at an intersection, the contact released the brake pedal to depress the accelerator pedal and the rpms increased to 4; however, the vehicle failed to move. The contact placed the vehicle in park, turned the vehicle off, restarted the vehicle, and it resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to all star kia of san bernardino (735 show case dr n, san bernardino, ca 92408, (888) 480-0418) where it was diagnosed that the intelligent variable transmission assembly needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

Filed Dec 2, 2019 · Transmission · 16,400 miles · NJ

I bought my car brand new in april 2019. I had it's 15,000 mile check up about 2 weeks ago and they said everything was fine. Right around that time I noticed that when I accelerated, my car would jump. The RPM would bounce between 1-2 rpms and when I brought it into the dealership they said everything was fine and even test drove it. I was sure something was wrong and we went out on another test drive and sure enough it happened again. I was told the next day that the transmission was bad and that it didn't trigger the check engine light. It is currently sitting at the dealership waiting a new transmission.

Filed Dec 2, 2019 · Transmission · 5,000 miles · NC

On 11/27, my wife was driving our 2019 kia forte s with about 5,000 miles on it and said it was doing something really strange. She would push on the gas pedal like normal, but the rpms would soar and the engine would rev up but the car would barely move. We drove around the neighborhood when she got back and I noticed the same thing. We called the dealership in the area that night to bring it in on friday, 11/29. There were no issues on the way to the dealership that morning which is about 20 minutes away. We let them know we have a long trip back the next day and wanted to be sure there wasn't a big issue. The dealership said that since there wasn't an engine light on, they couldn't find any codes to troubleshoot the issue and we were sent on our way. An hour into our trip on 11/30, we were on the highway going about 70 MPH and the car started having the same issue. It would rev up dramatically when touching the gas pedal and we soon lost the ability to accelerate. No engine light came on. We were able to pull over to the side of the road and got it towed to a different dealership. They couldn't look at it then so we got a rental car to get back home. I got in touch with them the following monday and they said they will need to replace the transmission and that they will cover the rental car expense as well. I'm hopeful the new transmission will fix this issue and it's not something that will reoccur after another 5,000 miles.

Filed Dec 2, 2019 · Transmission · 3,900 miles · NJ

I was driving my 2019 kia forte at 75 MPH, then lowered my speed, then accelerated again. A loud screech/grinding sound happened, then the car stalled. I was able to coast to the roadside, and re-start the car. I was not able to drive the car over 15 MPH. Car was towed to the dealership the next day. They drove the car, but found nothing wrong with it. I insisted that there is a transmission problem. I suggested they inspect the transmission fluid. I don't know if they will.

Filed Oct 2, 2019 · Transmission · AL

I have a 2019 kia forte that just a few weeks after I purchased it left me stranded because it wouldn't crank. Now my transmission is out and I had a horrifying experience trying to drive home after my grandma passed away. My family lives 2 1/2 hours away. Then the service department verbally assaulted me while I was trying to receive help. I was on the interstate when the transmission started going out. I was nearly hit several times as the car would slow down and not shift gears.

Filed Sep 30, 2019 · Transmission · 1,700 miles · NJ

Brand new 2019 forte with less than 2,000 miles on it. Driving down the highway at 70 MPH and the engine starts to rev and jolt. Get to the right lane and it will not accelerate at all with my foot on the gas. Had to get the car towed to the nearest dealership to find I needed a brand new transmission.

Filed Sep 7, 2019 · Transmission · 3,100 miles · MO

On 9/6/19, on my way back from a trip to dallas, my 2019 kia forte (launch edition) started to randomly rev up on the highway. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then it started to lose acceleration. I tried to use the manual shifting, but no help. I pulled over and turned the car off in hopes of "resetting" it and it seemed to work, but when I pulled out onto the highway again it suddenly started to rev to 6-7 k and went nowhere. Ultimately, it would not go into gear and I had to have the car towed to a kia dealership 5 hours away from home. Kia consumer affairs was not very much help! My forte is only 3 months old with 3,100 miles on it. I purchased new in june. Be careful with this car!

Filed May 30, 2019 · Transmission · 2,600 miles · NY

While having my car for two months my, 2019 kia forte transmission went. I was driving on the highway and it kept stalling. It was reving all the way up to 7/8 rpms with me gently tapping on the gas. I had my grandmother with me and right when we got off the highway my car just stopping right in the middle of a busy main road. I waited a moment and took my keys out of the egnision. After 3 minutes my car turned back on and I was slowly able to get it to the gas station with it still reving. I had my car taken to the dealership where I got the car and they ended up fixing it. They said it was a defect. I'm still very concerned with this transmission because they put the same one back in. It's a CVT transmission. I don't feel safe after experiencing that issue. It could of caused a bad accident. This is a serious problem and I think the transmissions should have a regular automatic transmission put back into them. Just wanted to make you aware of this issue I had and let you know how concerned I am about it. Thanks

Filed Apr 22, 2019 · Transmission · 1,995 miles · NY

Car is a couple of months old with 2001 miles showing on the odometer. The rpms would surge while driving, even at constant speed they would jump 500 RPM or so then drop back down. I took it into the dealer and the said that is normal for a CVT. A week later it was still doing that then it would fell like it was stumbling while starting up from a stop. The next day it had no power, accelerator almost to the floor and it would barely move, then the check engine light came on. I immediately headed for the dealership. When I got there I had to wait a bit and the service tech came out and told me that when they called the codes into kia that were in the computer they said to put a new transmission in it. He told me he would have the transmission overnighted which I later found out was a lie, and that tech is no longer at the dealership. I have a rental vehicle in its place. I have started a claim with kia.

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