Kia Forte sudden acceleration problems

Filed Feb 26, 2026 · MS · crash

My car suddenly accelerated while I was pulling into my canopy carport causing me to crash into an old basketball goal and then the wall of my cottage. When this happened I was slowly pulling in to park when the car suddenly accelerated on its own and kept moving forward despite me pressing the brake. The RPM gauge continued to rev after the impact and the only way that I was able to make it stop was by putting the car into park and pushing the button to turn the car off. No warning lights illuminated on my dash. I have video of the incident from my security camera in my backyard.

Filed Aug 16, 2024 · Engine, Steering · FL

Driving car at about 40/mph and suddenly acceleration was lost. Released foot off of gas pedal and reapplied pressure but car continued to lose velocity and came to a full stop. Engine is now unable to turn over and car is completely not functional

Filed Jul 17, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · CA

2018 Kia Forte, purchased certified used June 2022, will randomly go into ECO or Sport mode on startup or while the vehicle is in motion. Vehicle is not equipped with Drive Mode control buttons, indicating that ECO/Sport modes are not supposed to be active feature. While I vaguely remember the mode change occurring during previous two years of my ownership, the first noticeable incident in 2024 was of the vehicle going into ECO mode (green indicator light) happen upon startup the morning of 5/26/24. This was noticeable due to the fact that the ECO mode slow down caused me to nearly be rear-ended by a semi while merging onto the freeway. The vehicle remained stuck in ECO mode for several weeks. On the morning of 6/10/24, while driving, vehicle began to sputter/hesitate and ECO light blinked on/off then switched to Sport (yellow indicator light) mode and vehicle surged forward. Vehicle then switched back to ECO mode and it remained in this mode until the morning of 6/13/24, at which point it went into Sport mode upon startup. It went back into Normal mode (no indicator light) upon startup the evening of 6/13/24. Vehicle was inspective by selling dealership 6/15/24 and they could not duplicate the issue nor pull trouble codes. Remained in Normal mode until the evening of 7/15/24, at which point it switched back to ECO mode. Dealership has been notified. It should be known that ECO mode slows down the vehicle response to conserve fuel, Sport mode speeds it up. While these features can be useful when wanted and properly installed with the appropriate controls, the randomness in which these features engage make them a safety hazard, especially considering the control buttons are not installed. Based on the federal safety agency VIN information the trim package of my vehicle, LX (which KIA America has yet to confirm even though I have made multiple inquiries), Drive mode is an optional feature which was not activated by the original/first owner.

Filed Apr 23, 2024 · Brakes, Engine · MO · crash

I was attempting to park in a parking spot that I use regularly at Dollar General. As it was coming to a stop, the brakes failed. I was pushing the brake pedal down. The car started to rev up and speed forward on it's own. It lunged forward jumping the curb and into the pillar. It wouldn't stop going forward. So I had to put it in reverse. As I did that, I put the brakes on as well as the ebrake. It was wanting to speed in reverse for a second. So I threw it into park and turned it off. My family and I went into the store to let the car settle down. Then we was able to drive it home and park it. So it's currently sittling in our driveway here at home.

Filed Jan 25, 2024 · Acceleration · NY

I was slowly pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. I hit the brake hard and the car eventually stopped but it did go onto the sidewalk before stopping. In the past, when I started the car, the engine would sometimes rev too much and I had to step on the gas while in park to get it to stop, but this is the first time it suddenly accelerated while driving. I am contacting the dealer about the problem tomorrow so it has not been inspected yet. I read online that other Kia models have this problem and that a recall is being considered.There were no warning lamps before the problem occurred. My car is available for inspection.

Filed Jul 26, 2023 · Engine · TX

The car hesitates to accelerate when going from my stop and then suddenly accelerate. The check engine comes on and when I’m gonna take it to the dealership. It turns off. Dealership claims they can’t work on it because the endcheck light is no longer on.

Filed Nov 1, 2022 · WI · crash

Husband was attempting to back auto out of driveway and when he put it in reverse, car accelerated on its own and hit the corner of our house. He then put it in drive and the car again accelerated on its own hitting the corner of our garage and then went through the garage door. The car is totaled. I called the Kia dealership where we purchased the used car and they said there was nothing they could do about it. They said I would have to call Kia consumer relations which I have tried numerous times and am put on hold each time for 30-45 minutes. I haven’t been able to reach anyone to talk to. I looked up Kia corporate number and got the same results. I cannot get through to talk to anyone about this matter. The car is a 2014 with 124000 miles on it. We had it at the dealership 1 week prior to this incident to the tune of $1650.00 in repairs and now must pay a $1000.00 deductible to get the garage and house repaired. We no longer had collision or comprehensive insurance on the vehicle due to a recent hailstorm and were paid out by our insurance company for what they thought the car was worth.

Filed Sep 16, 2021 · 3,000 miles · KS · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns 2021 Kia Forte. The contact stated the brakes would constantly squeak when making a stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that it was not a failure. The contact stated while she was parking the vehicle in a parking lot, the brake pedal was depressed and failed to respond. The contact stated the vehicle inadvertently accelerated on its own and crashed into a building. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact sustained injuries on the chest but she did not seek medical assistance. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The dealer was made aware of the failure and did not provide any assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 3000.

Filed Jan 29, 2021 · Acceleration, Engine · 50,000 miles · FL

I was stopped at a stop light with my foot on the brake. My vehicle lunged forward with my foot still on the brake so I pulled the emergency brake up and my vehicle stopped, thankfully I did nothing hit anyone or anything. When the light turned green I drove forward and my engine light turned on; after no more than 30 seconds, the light turned off. All has been fine since, however I looked up this problem and apparently kia has a serious problem with cars lunging forward and causing major accidents. I honestly am terrified for this to happen to me.

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.