← New search

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 →

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

What owners actually said

301 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2023
Engine

It happened on July 29th 2023. Coming home from visiting my son my engine started to make a loud knocking noise. There have been no warnings, no light indicators came on, just nothing. Luckily made it home safely. Car has just a Lil over 97,000 miles on it. The coolant, oil,transmission fluid all are good. Took to a shop on Aug…

Read full complaint

It happened on July 29th 2023. Coming home from visiting my son my engine started to make a loud knocking noise. There have been no warnings, no light indicators came on, just nothing. Luckily made it home safely. Car has just a Lil over 97,000 miles on it. The coolant, oil,transmission fluid all are good. Took to a shop on August 2nd and said the motor is blown. With low miles and only 6years old the car should not have a blown motor already. I belive the recall should be extended to All 2017 KIA FORTES.

NHTSA ODI #11537173

100,007 miles · Aug 8, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled, with the battery and oil level warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled, with the battery and oil level warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, and informed the contact that VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 100,007.

NHTSA ODI #11537154

Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2023
Fuel/propulsion System

I purchased this vehicle second hand at 43k miles. The issue began around 50k miles and would rough idle when coming to a stop and a check engine light appeared. At 55k miles it was taken to a Kia dealership where they were unable to diagnose the issue. They ran a diagnostic and found nothing. Shorty after, the issue persisted. …

Read full complaint

I purchased this vehicle second hand at 43k miles. The issue began around 50k miles and would rough idle when coming to a stop and a check engine light appeared. At 55k miles it was taken to a Kia dealership where they were unable to diagnose the issue. They ran a diagnostic and found nothing. Shorty after, the issue persisted. I took it back to the Kia dealership where they were able to run another diagnostic on the check engine light, and they told me it was the spark plugs. I did not believe this as my father has been a technician for over 40 years and said that the issue seems to be an ignition coil issue. I never took the vehicle back to any Kia or IRF since. I’ve replaced 1 coil and the issue smoothed out. Some time after, the issue began to worsen and continue to intermittently over the course of months, rough idle, shoot up in rpms, stall while accelerating, and once or twice it has shut off completely while at a stop light. Unfortunately, I have so far replaced 2 coils and the issue is moderate but not to the point of shutting off. The vehicle is eligible for inspection upon request. I do NOT feel safe driving this vehicle, and it’s unfortunate for me as it is my first vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11536617

Mileage unknown · Aug 3, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

The head light turn off occasionally when the turn signal is used and does not always come back on with out playing with it or jiggle it. It has put mine and others safety at risk at dark. The dealer recommends replacing the multifunction switch. Part is on a national back order.

NHTSA ODI #11536343

Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2023
Engine

My 2017 Kia Forte was stalling during driving with no warning. Engine light would come on periodically and then go off again. It stalled numerous times on busy roads and at busy intersections. I'm blessed I was never rear ended. It finally died after parking it one day and wouldn't start again. It is at the Kia dealership where …

Read full complaint

My 2017 Kia Forte was stalling during driving with no warning. Engine light would come on periodically and then go off again. It stalled numerous times on busy roads and at busy intersections. I'm blessed I was never rear ended. It finally died after parking it one day and wouldn't start again. It is at the Kia dealership where they tell me... for lack of mechanical terms, it has jumped time and they need me to pay $2200 to have it fixed. My tech told me, "this may fix your problems but we will not know until that is fixed because we can not further diagnose it until that gets fixed". In my 47 years of life I've never had a mechanic tell me to pay that much but we aren't sure if this will fix it. Kia knows these engines are junk and are trying to get out of replacing/fixing what is wrong for so many! This is so wrong! These car/engines are dangerous and a ticking time bomb!

NHTSA ODI #11535204

90,000 miles · Jul 19, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact state that while her niece was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact’s niece was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft sensor failed a…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact state that while her niece was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact’s niece was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, after the vehicle was retrieved, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oil pan failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI #11533173

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2023
Engine

The engine failed similar to all the other recalls I see on other kia models.

NHTSA ODI #11533061

103,000 miles · Jul 18, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the mechanic retrieved DTC codes: P0017 and P0014. Additionally, metal shavings were found inside the engine. The contact was informed that …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the mechanic retrieved DTC codes: P0017 and P0014. Additionally, metal shavings were found inside the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 103,000.

NHTSA ODI #11532992

Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2023
Engine

Engine is siezed

NHTSA ODI #11532157

Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2023
Fuel/propulsion SystemFireInjury

At 86575 miles after routine check ups at the dealership and routine maintenance being done regularly my check engine light came on I tried to put gas in my car and it sprayed all over me and the car and the gas tank I can’t put gas in my car and the dealership is expecting me to cover this costs and I’ve seen many other documen…

Read full complaint

At 86575 miles after routine check ups at the dealership and routine maintenance being done regularly my check engine light came on I tried to put gas in my car and it sprayed all over me and the car and the gas tank I can’t put gas in my car and the dealership is expecting me to cover this costs and I’ve seen many other documented incidents with the same complaints

NHTSA ODI #11531151

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.