Platform Heritage
The Kia Forte (Korean: 기아 포르테), known as the K3 in Asia, the Forte K3 or Shuma in China, and the Cerato in South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Russia, is a compact car manufactured by South Korean automaker Kia from 2008 until its discontinuation in 2024, replacing the Kia Spectra.
Throughout its production, the Forte was available in two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and five-door hatchback body styles. It was not sold in Europe, where the similarly sized Kia Ceed was offered instead, except in Russia and Ukraine, where both the Ceed and Forte were sold concurrently.
In some markets, such as Korea, Australia and Brazil, the Forte is marketed as Kia Cerato, replacing its predecessor of the same name. In Colombia and Singapore, the name Cerato Forte was used for the second generation, while Naza Automotive Manufacturing of Malaysia has assembled the vehicle since 2009, selling it there under the name Naza Forte.
Production of the Forte ended in 2024 and it was replaced by the K4, as Kia realigned their passenger car nomenclature, with the K3 name being transferred to a subcompact car replacing the Kia Rio.
Source: Wikipedia intro extract · as of Jun 19, 2026
Key facts for this model year
0NHTSA owner complaints
1Safety recalls on file
0Top issue reports · None reported
$0Typical OEM recall remedy cost to you
Zero complaints returned with confirmed NHTSA data present for this query token.
Verify the data — open primary sources · as of Jun 19, 2026
System Defect Summaries & Field Data
Active safety recalls on file: 1 (source: NHTSA Recalls API · as of Jun 19, 2026)
Recent recall summaries
Campaign 21V622000 · LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH · API record
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
YouTube voice themes below are research hints only — verify against NHTSA data before citing.
On-Site Kia Forte Pre-Purchase Checklist
- Verify OBD-II readiness monitors are complete (not recently cleared) using a full protocol scan.
- Compare dashboard mileage to ECU-stored odometer modules where accessible.
- Pull permanent and pending DTCs — not only stored codes visible on the dash.
- Confirm recall remedy completed for LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH (campaign 21V622000).
- Run a MotoMetrics on-site scan for Kia Forte before signing the bill of sale.