The trunk seal is not functioning properly. Water gets into lighting and causes mold in truck.
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
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.
Electrical System complaints
46 reportsThe contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and the engine was sputtering. The contact stated she pulled off the road and turned the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the ignition…
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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and the engine was sputtering. The contact stated she pulled off the road and turned the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,258.
MY 2017 KIA FORTE IS A EASY TARGET FOR THE " KIA BOYS" HERE IN COLUMBUS OHIO.. MY CAR WAS A VICTIM OF THEFT WHERE MY PASSENGER GLASS WAS SHATTERED AND MY STEERING COLUMN WAS TAKEN APART AND MY IGNITION WAS JAMED IN BY A SCREWDRIVER. KIA HAS MADE THIS CAR susceptible TO THEFT AND HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT IT. I WANT RELIEF FROM THI…
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MY 2017 KIA FORTE IS A EASY TARGET FOR THE " KIA BOYS" HERE IN COLUMBUS OHIO.. MY CAR WAS A VICTIM OF THEFT WHERE MY PASSENGER GLASS WAS SHATTERED AND MY STEERING COLUMN WAS TAKEN APART AND MY IGNITION WAS JAMED IN BY A SCREWDRIVER. KIA HAS MADE THIS CAR susceptible TO THEFT AND HAS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT IT. I WANT RELIEF FROM THIS HAZARD.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN 84TH ST AND CAME TO THE LIGHT ON 84TH AND PACIFIC AVE AND THE ENGINE WANTED TO DIE OUT AND PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP IT RUNNING AND THEN TURNED RIGHT ONTO PACIFIC AVE AND WENT TO 80TH AND PACIFIC AVE AND THE CAR DIED OUT TOWED IT TO THE HOUSE AND CHECKED THE OIL AND EVERYTHING AND THERE WAS NO OIL T…
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I WAS DRIVING DOWN 84TH ST AND CAME TO THE LIGHT ON 84TH AND PACIFIC AVE AND THE ENGINE WANTED TO DIE OUT AND PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP IT RUNNING AND THEN TURNED RIGHT ONTO PACIFIC AVE AND WENT TO 80TH AND PACIFIC AVE AND THE CAR DIED OUT TOWED IT TO THE HOUSE AND CHECKED THE OIL AND EVERYTHING AND THERE WAS NO OIL THE OIL INDICATOR LIGHT DID NOT TURN ON AT ANY POINT OF TIME SO I ADDED OIL AND STARTED THE ENGINE BACK UP AND NOW IT HAS A ENGINE KNOCK LIKE THE ROD BEARING WENT OUT I AM GOING TO CONTACT THE KIA DEALER IN THE MORNING AND SEE WHAT'S THE PROBLEM AND EVERYTHING AND EVERYTHING HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS
I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW AT THE END OF 2017. I HAVE TAKEN EXTREMELY GOOD CARE OF THE CAR. A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET SOMETHING COSMETIC FIXED ON THE INTERIOR. I PICKED UP MY CAR AND WHEN I GOT HOME I REALIZED BOTH HEADLIGHTS AND ONE BRAKE LIGHT WERE NOT WORKING. I TOOK MY CAR BACK IN AND T…
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I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW AT THE END OF 2017. I HAVE TAKEN EXTREMELY GOOD CARE OF THE CAR. A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET SOMETHING COSMETIC FIXED ON THE INTERIOR. I PICKED UP MY CAR AND WHEN I GOT HOME I REALIZED BOTH HEADLIGHTS AND ONE BRAKE LIGHT WERE NOT WORKING. I TOOK MY CAR BACK IN AND THEY INSISTED THAT WHEN ONE LIGHT GOES OUT, THEY ALL GO OUT WHICH ISN'T TRUE. I INSISTED THAT THERE MUST BE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE AND THAT I WANTED A TECHNICIAN TO CHECK IT SINCE MY LIGHTS WERE WORKING JUST FINE WHEN I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN. AFTER MANY DIFFERENT APPOINTMENTS AND INSPECTIONS IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS MY WIRING HARNESS THAT WAS BROKEN ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. WARRANTY DIDN'T COVER IT. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER SAME THING HAPPENED ON THE LEFT SIDE, WARRANTY DIDN'T COVER IT. THE TECHNICIAN EVEN STATED THAT THE ENGINE GOT TOO HOT AND MELTED THE WIRES. HE WAS SURPRISED WARRANTY DIDN'T COVER THIS ISSUE SINCE IT HAPPENED ON BOTH SIDES WITHIN A YEAR TO A CAR THAT IS FAIRLY NEW AND REALLY WELL TAKEN CARE OF. HAVING BOTH HEADLIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHT NOT WORKING IS VERY DANGEROUS. ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING IN A DARK AND RAINY AREA. HOW HAS THIS HAPPENED TO SO MANY PEOPLE AND THIS VEHICLE HASN'T BEEN RECALLED? I AM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN KIA AND THINK THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR RECOURSE. AFTER READING ALL OF THESE COMPLAINS THAT ARE THE SAME, I AM SHOCKED KIA HAS NOT TAKEN CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS.
THE AUTOMATIC TRUNK LATCH WILL NO LONGER WORKS , SO THE TRUNK OF MY CAR IS OPENED. THE BUTTON ON THE KEY PAD WORKS FINE BUT THE LATCH WILL NOT LOCK . MY CAR WAS SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX.
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER AND GO OUT COMPLETELY. I HAVE TO FLIP THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH OR TAP THE COLUMN TO GET THEM TO TURN BACK ON . IT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES ON MY 32 MILE TRIP HOME FROM WORK AT NIGHT . IT HAPPENS IN MOTION OR STATIONARY. MAINLY WHEN I USE A TURN SIGNAL OR HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD .
MY CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE LIKE IT ALWAYS IS. WENT FOR A WALK AND WHEN I CAME BACK, MY CAR HAD BEEN ON FIRE. AFTER FIRE DEPARTMENT DID THEIR INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DEEMED ELECTRICAL. THE LIGHT IN MY VISOR OR THE WIRING TO IT HAD GONE WRONG. MY WHOLE FRONT OF THE SEATS IS TOTALED.
WHEN I BRAKE, THE BRAKING LIGHTS DON'T TURN ON. I HAVE CHECKED THE FUSES AND THE LIGHTS BULBS AND THEY ARE FINE. YET WHEN I BRAKE, THE BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T TURN ON.
THE CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND IT WOULD START INTERMITTENLY. SOMETIMES IT WOULD START WITH NO PROBLEM BUT SOMETIMES IT WOULD NOT START AT ALL. I TURN THE IGNITION KEY AND I COULD BARELY HEAR CLICKING SOUND AND NOTHING. I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN AND WHERE I WILL BE STRANDED IF THIS HAPPE…
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THE CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND IT WOULD START INTERMITTENLY. SOMETIMES IT WOULD START WITH NO PROBLEM BUT SOMETIMES IT WOULD NOT START AT ALL. I TURN THE IGNITION KEY AND I COULD BARELY HEAR CLICKING SOUND AND NOTHING. I AM REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN AND WHERE I WILL BE STRANDED IF THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE LITTLE OVER 80000 MILES ON THIS CAR AND DEALER SAID THIS IS NOT COVER UNDER 100000 MILE WARRANTY. I THINK MANY OTHER KIA OWNERS HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND THIS HAS TO BE A RECALL ISSUE.
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.
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