IllustrationTHE TRUNK LOCK LATCH BROKE, WHEN I WENT TO KIA ABOUT THE PART THEY KNEW THE MAKE MAKE AND MODEL SAYING IT'S BEEN HAPPENING TO A LOT OF THOSE CARS .
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forte years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
430–25K
3425–50K
1850–75K
1875–100K
16100–150K
6150K+
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
Unknown Or Other complaints
49 reportsEVERY TIME I HOT A BUMP THE REAR END GOES ALL OVER THE PLACE. ALSO AT A SPEED OF 40 TO 50 MPH THE VEHICLE HESITATE, FOR 10 TO 15 SECONDS FOR NO APARENT REASON. WHILE I'M DRIVING, ESPECIALLY GOING UP A HILL.
CAR TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING HAVE TO KIDS DEALERSHIP WONT DO ANYTHING BEEN GOING ON FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS
THE FUEL DOOR WILL NOT OPEN WITHOUT ASSISTANCE. PULLING THE LATCH THE FIRST TIME WILL NOT OPEN THE FUEL DOOR. I MUST INSERT SOMETHING SUCH AS A CREDIT CARD, OR TRY TO PRY THE FUEL DOOR WITH MY FINGERS, AND THEN TRY THE LATCH AGAIN BEFORE THE FUEL DOOR WILL OPEN. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR MORE THAN 12 MONTHS.
THERE WERE SOME PARTS RECALLED, WHICH I HAS REPLACED AT 20,000 MILES. AT 23,000 MILES ON A TRIP THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER AS IF NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS OR AS IF THE TIMING WAS OFF. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY, EVEN AFTER RETURNING CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR 4 DAYS AFTER WHICH THEY COULDN'T FIND A P…
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THERE WERE SOME PARTS RECALLED, WHICH I HAS REPLACED AT 20,000 MILES. AT 23,000 MILES ON A TRIP THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER AS IF NOT GETTING ENOUGH GAS OR AS IF THE TIMING WAS OFF. THIS ISSUE HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY, EVEN AFTER RETURNING CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR 4 DAYS AFTER WHICH THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. WHILE OUT OF TOWN ON A TRIP THE ENGINE LIGHT AND SPUTTERING CONTINUES. I HAVE ALWAYS BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP EVERY 5,000 MILES OF OIL CHANGE/MAINTENANCE. NOW AT 24,400 MILES I'M HESITANT ABOUT DRIVING A CAR I PURCHASED BRAND NEW.
VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, SMELLED SOMETHING "OFF", WITHIN SECONDS ENGINE BURST INTO FLAMES. ENTIRE VEHICLE GUTTED. KIA LITERALLY JUST INSTALLED A NEW ENGINE, STARTER, BATTERY, AND INTAKE 2 DAYS PRIOR DUE TO ENGINE LOCKING UP - WITH 22000 MILES.
THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY INFORMED THE LIENHOLDER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS POSSIBLY A TOTAL LOSS AND THE LIENHOLDER IGNORED THEM AND SOLD THE VEHICLE TO A PUBLIC AUCTION WITHOUT CONTACTING THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR TO PAY ON THE VEHICLE EITHER. THE OWNER OF THE CAR WAS INJURED IN THE VEHICLE I…
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THE CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE INSURANCE COMPANY INFORMED THE LIENHOLDER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS POSSIBLY A TOTAL LOSS AND THE LIENHOLDER IGNORED THEM AND SOLD THE VEHICLE TO A PUBLIC AUCTION WITHOUT CONTACTING THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR TO PAY ON THE VEHICLE EITHER. THE OWNER OF THE CAR WAS INJURED IN THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION AS WELL AS A PASSENGER AND THE LIENHOLDER IS AWARE AND STILL SOLD WITHOUT PROPER NOTICE AND THEY CHANGED THE LOCKS OF THE VEHICLE TO PREVENT THE INSURANCE COMPANY FROM DOING A PROPER INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE DRIVEN ON A HIGHWAY AND SHAKES AT 30 MILES AT AN IN LESS THAN 10 MINS. THE VEHICLE ALSO OPERATES ON ITS OWN. THE LIENHOLDER HAD BEEN AWARE OF THE ISSUE SINCE APRIL 2018. LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AFTER THE ACCIDENT.
THE AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING (AEB) AND FORWARD COLLISION WARNING (FCW) SYSTEMS ON MY VEHICLE NEVER ACTIVATE WHEN TRAFFIC SITUATIONS ARE OBVIOUS FOR THE AEB AND FCW TO ACTIVATE. EVEN HOME-SPUN SYSTEM TESTS DON'T SHOW THE SYSTEMS TO BE OPERATIONAL. THE LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP AND REPAIR CENTER CANNOT VALIDATE THE SYSTEM'S INTEG…
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THE AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING (AEB) AND FORWARD COLLISION WARNING (FCW) SYSTEMS ON MY VEHICLE NEVER ACTIVATE WHEN TRAFFIC SITUATIONS ARE OBVIOUS FOR THE AEB AND FCW TO ACTIVATE. EVEN HOME-SPUN SYSTEM TESTS DON'T SHOW THE SYSTEMS TO BE OPERATIONAL. THE LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP AND REPAIR CENTER CANNOT VALIDATE THE SYSTEM'S INTEGRITY BECAUSE THEY CANNOT ACCOMPLISH DEFINITIVE TESTS TO VERIFY THE SYSTEM. THEY SAY "WE DON'T KNOW." THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT MUST BE RESOLVED. THIS ISSUE IS ONGOING.
MY 2017 KIA FORTE S HAS FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM (FCWS) AND AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEM. THE FCWS DOES NOT WORK IN THAT IT DOES NOT WARN ME OF IMPENDING COLLISION HAZZARDS. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE AEBS WORKS AS THE FCWS TRIGGERS THAT SYSTEM. KIA TECHS HAVE NOT SHOWN ME THAT IT WORKS; I.E. WARNING AUDIBLE NOR WAR…
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MY 2017 KIA FORTE S HAS FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM (FCWS) AND AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEM. THE FCWS DOES NOT WORK IN THAT IT DOES NOT WARN ME OF IMPENDING COLLISION HAZZARDS. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THE AEBS WORKS AS THE FCWS TRIGGERS THAT SYSTEM. KIA TECHS HAVE NOT SHOWN ME THAT IT WORKS; I.E. WARNING AUDIBLE NOR WARNING IMAGE ON LCD DISPLAY. I HAVE TRIED RUNNING UP ON A CAR IN FRONT OF ME UNTIL ABOUT 10 FEET BACK AT 50-60 MPH WITH NO WARNING THEN I MANUALLY APPLIED THE BRAKES.
Official recalls
322V031000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.