There are 11 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2010 Kia Fortein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
No Accident just routine maintenance finds that are concerning me . The car is 15 yrs old but over the years have had to replace the brake light bulb harness several times The brake light bulbs get too hot thus melting the bulb receptacle causing the brake lights not to illuminate. Have had vehicles come up behind me several times way too close for comfort because brake lights not working .
Headlights have become very yellow and cracking formed on them. This effects evening /night time driving and you see ads to purchase cleaners that I have tried and it has done nothing. Not sure why this has not been remedied or made a recall to replace these as defective materials or what one can do to solve this with positive results or recommendations people can do with out equipment. This seems to be a big problem with a lot of vehicles mine included. Thx you for listening and thought I would report this issue as another safety concern
Brake lights are consistently blowing out especially the right brake light. I have replaced the bulb at least a dozen times in the past 2 years. Also the signal lights are going out as well. There is something faulty going on with the connection that I think needs to be recalled. After a quick search on YouTube I realized that I’m not the only person this has happened to. Kia needs to have a recall to fix this issue because I can’t keep spending money on bulb replacements. Today on May 4, 2024 the brake lights weren’t working and when I went replace them they were blown on both sides. And the one on the right the actual bulb glass came off and I noticed that the plastic where the bulb connection locks in at was melted a little and the connector had slight burn marks. The bulb itself won’t stay on without me pushing the bulb in when I connect it.
Low beam headlights are so dim, driving at night is extremely dangerous. There is not enough illumination to detect more than 3 feet in front of the vehicle nor adequately see any potential hazards. After doing some research, it appears that this is a common problem that Kia is aware of, however, they refuse to remedy the situation. It is a manufacturer defect with the chrome that surrounds the bulb in the headlamps. The headlight bulbs burn the chrome that surrounds the cup and leads to severely unsafe visibility, while driving at night time or in the rain.
As I am driving my car losses speed slows to almost stop. I keep my foot on the gas pedal very lightly pressing acceleration to keep it going.
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear brake lights would not properly illuminate while depressing the brake pedal. After replacing the brake light bulbs, the failure recurred. The contact indicated that while depressing the brake pedal the passenger’s side brake light would not illuminate however, after releasing the brake pedal, the driver’s side brake light would turn off and the passenger’s side brake light would illuminate. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BACK UP AND BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED JENKINS KIA OF GAINESVILLE AT 855-764-9404 (LOCATED AT 3345 N MAIN ST, GAINESVILLE, FL 32609) AND SCHEDULED A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 127,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT WAS PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE BECAUSE THE PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE BULB FAILED, WAS NOT PROPERLY SECURED WITHIN THE HOLSTER, AND HAD FALLEN INTO THE TRUNK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STOP LAMP SWITCH HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC MADE THE CONTACT AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V114000 (SERVICE BRAKES, EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MANEUVER FROM THE PARK POSITION. A TOW COMPANY WAS CALLED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. THE TOW DRIVER SHOWED THE CONTACT A TRICK TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. THE CONTACT THEN NOTIFIED UNIVERSAL KIA HICKORY HOLLOW (5406 TARGET DR, ANTIOCH, TN, 37013) AND UNIVERSAL KIA RIVERGATE (1536 GALLATIN PIKE N, MADISON, TN, 37115) OF THE FAILURES. THE DEALERS CONFIRMED THE RECALL AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD ALREADY BEEN SERVICED UNDER THE RECALL, BUT THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.
ESC LIGHT STAYS ON, BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK, AND CRUISE CONTROL WORKS SPORADICALLY, ALL FUSES ARE WORKING, A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH REFLECTS THAT THE A FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MIGHT BE THE CAUSE, WHICH IN FACT IT WAS. *TR
FRONT TURN SIGNAL BULBS KEEP QUIT WORKING, THIS APPEARS TO BE A POOR DESIGN ON THE BULB SOCKET TO HEADLAMP HOUSING CONNECTION, BOTH SIDES HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE MULTIPLE TIMES, IF YOU REMOVE THE SOCKET AND REINSTALL IT THEY START WORKING AGAIN, THERE IS NO CORROSION PRESENT. THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS IT CREATES A SERIOUS DANGER TO OCCUPANTS AS OTHER VEHICLES ARE UNAWARE OF THE VEHICLES INTENDED DIRECTION. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 KIA FORTE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 52,400.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026