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Component Record

Kia Forte 2012 Engine Problems

166 distinct owners reported a engine problem on the 2012 Kia Forte - 57% of all complaints for this model year.

Recall Coverage166 complaints

166 complaints; 1 recall campaign covers this system.

Campaigns Covering This System

20V750000Reported December 2, 2020 - 294,756 vehicles potentially affected

Recall covering the engine system, reported to NHTSA on December 2, 2020. The campaign covers an estimated 294,756 vehicles across all affected models.

Other Systems on This Model Year

Brakes52Air Bags37Electrical System32Lighting23Unknown Or Other20Vehicle Speed Control14
How to Read These Counts: complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not failure rates. Older and higher-volume vehicles accumulate more reports, and counts are not adjusted for vehicles sold - no per-sales rate or reliability ranking is shown, because the public data does not support one.

Data as of October 30, 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaints, recalls, and investigations files (U.S. Government public domain). DefectRecord is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. For your specific vehicle, use NHTSA's VIN lookup. Report an error.