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2017 Kia Forte

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Forte years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Kia Forte are substantially higher than the model-year median of 141.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

135 reports with mileage · 166 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 144 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

23 crash reports9 fire reports14 injury reports

Power Train complaints

12 reports
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Mileage unknown · Nov 6, 2025
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

Was traveling on interstate inside lane in heavy traffic and all of a sudden lost power,no throttle response, no warning lights,no priors,wasn't able to move to shoulder.. very close to being rear ended..all of a sudden power returned.. happened 8-12 times trying to get home.. no warning lights .. after got home hooked up my dia…

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Was traveling on interstate inside lane in heavy traffic and all of a sudden lost power,no throttle response, no warning lights,no priors,wasn't able to move to shoulder.. very close to being rear ended..all of a sudden power returned.. happened 8-12 times trying to get home.. no warning lights .. after got home hooked up my diagnostic scanner and ECU had code P050400 and BCM had no codes but in pids list under stop lamp fuse pid read broken. Checked fuses non were bad.tested brake switch and tested ok and adjusted correctly. Wiring and connectors appeared undamaged...

NHTSA ODI #11697826

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

About September 6th I was driving my vehicle. It is a blue Kia forte 2017. I just had cleaned it at a local car wash. Prior to this 1-2 weeks before my ac had just started to blow hot air. So I recharged it with some recharge that I purchased a recharge can and my buddy Scott helped me put it into my low pressure air conditionin…

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About September 6th I was driving my vehicle. It is a blue Kia forte 2017. I just had cleaned it at a local car wash. Prior to this 1-2 weeks before my ac had just started to blow hot air. So I recharged it with some recharge that I purchased a recharge can and my buddy Scott helped me put it into my low pressure air conditioning valve area. Soon after like I said when I was leaving a car wash. And I drove down to a gas station and as I start braking my car started running a lot slower. Then finally it almost halted and all the dash lights all illuminated everywhere. And I had to turn the wheel super slow as I approached the left turn into the gas station. And then I noticed my car had shut off completely. I screamed to the men that were at a gas pump feet away to help me push the car into the station. They finally ran over and pushed it into the station. Soon after we attempted with one car, and one truck we tried to jump start my car with the batteries. It didn’t start or turn the engine over fully either few times we attempted jumping it. I finally called it quits and took a ride home. The next day my buddy tried to “ fix it “ he said it didn’t really work as properly and the battery isn’t probably the problem. He said it might be the ac compressor due to my air going out weeks before. But he was afraid to tell me it wasn’t gonna be a cheap or easy fix. He suggested I go to a mechanic. Months prior I received a few notices in the mail that stated my name and my vehicle info. I never really paid them any mind until now but I am thinking I should open them soon. I’m assuming that this info would be in there about a recall. I hope that this will be a substantial amount of evidence for my recall. The websites I reviewed and researched say the there’s a lawsuit and recalls involving my Kia forte 2017 as well. But the vin didn’t match it up fully? So I’m not completely sure why. But I am sure it only had 96k miles. Which was below the Kia 100k mile warranty too? Thanks

NHTSA ODI #11690694

Mileage unknown · Feb 11, 2025
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

I purchased this vehicle from Carvana, used, with 58000 miles. I have had all the oil changes and regular maintenance performed. However, this car has been very unreliable. One time in November 2023, all the electrical went out while I was driving down the highway going 50 mph. The power steering and all dashboard lights turne…

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I purchased this vehicle from Carvana, used, with 58000 miles. I have had all the oil changes and regular maintenance performed. However, this car has been very unreliable. One time in November 2023, all the electrical went out while I was driving down the highway going 50 mph. The power steering and all dashboard lights turned off and the car shut down. Were it not for the fact the road was straight and I could veer off slightly to stop on the side of the road, I could have experienced a crash. Others have pointed this out about KIA cars. More recently, I had to replace the entire transmission at 90,000 miles. I have never had a car that needed a totally new transmission under 100,000 miles or at all. The cost of all the unexpected repairs, design incompetencies, and consequences, including having to get a rental car, was around $4,500. The KIA cars from 2010 - 2021 also were not equipped with an engine mobilizer, which increased their rate of theft. This cost me a higher auto insurance bill as a result. It is clear KIA throws their cars together and puts anything they can on the market, then deny any responsibility and just say, "Oh, you don't have a warranty?" As if it's your fault for wanting a basic car to do basic things. Not having a car in the dead of winter with a big storm was pretty scary. That was me in Mississippi in January of 2025. The KIA dealership there in Brandon was almost incapable of repairing it, returning it to me three times and saying it was fine, with me driving off and a warning light coming on or the car saying the engine was now overheating. These are bad cars. They should not be sold to US consumers. This is a scam operation. I have the receipts for repairs and having to get a rental car, if needed.

NHTSA ODI #11642089

Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2024
Power Train

92,000 miles - check engine light flashing Dealership mechanic says “leaking oil” Oil level barely touching dipstick. Right at 5,000 miles since synthetic oil change. Have a concrete driveway and car has not leaked oil at all. Mechanic suggested replacing oil pan gasket. There is an oil pan recall on 2017 & 2018 Kia Forte but su…

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92,000 miles - check engine light flashing Dealership mechanic says “leaking oil” Oil level barely touching dipstick. Right at 5,000 miles since synthetic oil change. Have a concrete driveway and car has not leaked oil at all. Mechanic suggested replacing oil pan gasket. There is an oil pan recall on 2017 & 2018 Kia Forte but supposedly my car isn’t covered. Still under warranty but dealership claims it’s not covered under that either. I think all 2017 & 2018 Kia Fortes should be covered under the recall if we are also having the same issues. Having my lawyer friend look into this for me.

NHTSA ODI #11621819

Mileage unknown · Dec 9, 2022
EnginePower Train

Son purchased his first car and like the 17 forte. Bought it for around 12k and drove it for 8k miles and he had the engine start knocking. No indication lights nothing. Checked the oil thinking it could be that but it wasn’t low on oil. Had it towed to our mechanic he said the motor was blown. Kia would not do anything after it…

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Son purchased his first car and like the 17 forte. Bought it for around 12k and drove it for 8k miles and he had the engine start knocking. No indication lights nothing. Checked the oil thinking it could be that but it wasn’t low on oil. Had it towed to our mechanic he said the motor was blown. Kia would not do anything after it sat in the dealership ship for 21 days. Just received an estimate of $7800 to replace a motor with a used motor with 42k on it!! Are you kidding me! These motors are horrible and there service is the same. Stand behind your product if you ever want to be successful. He could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere with a car having less then 100k miles on it. Needs to be recalled.

NHTSA ODI #11496720

Mileage unknown · Oct 26, 2022
Power Train

Failed/Malfunctioned component: Engine. Safety risk: Engine makes noises and stalls for no apparent reason. Reproduction/confirmation: I'm contacting the dealers&manufacturers. A third party mechanic said the engine noise was a knocking sound. Warning lamps/symptoms: Suddenly a noise started when the engine was working 3,000 rpm…

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Failed/Malfunctioned component: Engine. Safety risk: Engine makes noises and stalls for no apparent reason. Reproduction/confirmation: I'm contacting the dealers&manufacturers. A third party mechanic said the engine noise was a knocking sound. Warning lamps/symptoms: Suddenly a noise started when the engine was working 3,000 rpm or more. After ~10 miles of driving, a louder noise started. After <10 miles more of driving (to visit a third party mechanic) from that, it had an engine oil lamp turned on, while the engine has enough engine oil. After ~1 mile, the engine failed.

NHTSA ODI #11490946

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2022
EnginePower Train

Powertrain, engine light on, losing power

NHTSA ODI #11479685

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2022
EnginePower Train

In or around July 10th, 2022, the vehicle’s engine began making knocking sounds on several occasions while my wife was driving. On July 20th, 2022, I brought it into the dealership (Dick Hannah Kia, Vancouver, WA) where it was diagnosed as a problem with a bearing of a piston rod within the engine. On my drive to the dealership,…

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In or around July 10th, 2022, the vehicle’s engine began making knocking sounds on several occasions while my wife was driving. On July 20th, 2022, I brought it into the dealership (Dick Hannah Kia, Vancouver, WA) where it was diagnosed as a problem with a bearing of a piston rod within the engine. On my drive to the dealership, I experience a loss of power, knocking sounds from the engine, and the oil light come on indicating a loss of oil pressure. Vehicle has 70,xxx miles. Dealership has advised me that the vehicle is unsafe to drive, but is failing to cover this under powertrain warranty. Seeing that this an engine similar to those noted in a NHTSA as related to Flaherty et al. v. Hyundai Motor Company et al., I wanted to file a safety report so that others are aware of the potential safety issue.

NHTSA ODI #11474534

30 miles · Aug 17, 2020
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

ROUGH IDLING. ROUGH GEAR SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND SRUTTER ON 3RD. LOSS OF POWER DURING TAKE OFFS. CAR IS ONLY 20,800 MILES. CHECKED TWICE ON DEALER. ONLY WIPED CODE AND RESET COMPUTER. CLAIM NOT TO BE ABLE TO REPLICATE. ISSUE COMES BACK WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT 30 MINS AFTER DRIVING AWAY.

NHTSA ODI #11349949

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power Train

HAD THIS CAR FROM THE END OF 2017. AFTER ONE YEAR THERE WAS A RECALL DONE ON IT FOR THE SPARK PLUGS AND COIL. NOT EVEN 7 MONTHS AFTER GET IT DONE THE NEXT SET THEY ADD IN THE CAR ALMOST BOTTOM OUT ON ME WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR AND SOMEONE ALMOST RAN IN THE BACK OF ME. THEY FIX IT TOOK A WEEK TO GET MY CAR BACK. AND NOW I FEEL L…

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HAD THIS CAR FROM THE END OF 2017. AFTER ONE YEAR THERE WAS A RECALL DONE ON IT FOR THE SPARK PLUGS AND COIL. NOT EVEN 7 MONTHS AFTER GET IT DONE THE NEXT SET THEY ADD IN THE CAR ALMOST BOTTOM OUT ON ME WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR AND SOMEONE ALMOST RAN IN THE BACK OF ME. THEY FIX IT TOOK A WEEK TO GET MY CAR BACK. AND NOW I FEEL LIKE SOMETHING IS GOING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION I ASK THE DEALERSHIP IS IT TIME FOR SERVICE AND THEY SAID NO. I AM A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THAT. I SAY ON TOP OF ALL MY SERVICE TO THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11315991

Official recalls

3

22V031000 · Air Bags

Jan 25, 2022

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.

21V622000 · Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:latch

Aug 9, 2021

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

21V260000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump

Apr 13, 2021

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pan, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC210.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.