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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

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

14 reports
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230,000 miles · Mar 14, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently stalled while slowing down. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the camshaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently stalled while slowing down. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the camshaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that while changing the oil, the independent mechanic became aware of metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

NHTSA ODI #11511780

75,000 miles · Jan 5, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated the vehicle failed to immediately start up as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that coolant was leaking into …

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated the vehicle failed to immediately start up as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #11500340

105,000 miles · Jul 8, 2021
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 KIA Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle started losing motive power with an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle eventually stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and coast to the side of the highw…

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The contact owns a 2017 KIA Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle started losing motive power with an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle eventually stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and coast to the side of the highway as the engine ceased. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the contact saw oil leaking in the engine compartment. The contact left the vehicle on the highway and walked home. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. Two weeks later, the vehicle was initially towed to her grandfather's home where he discovered debris in the oil pump which he linked to the vehicle failure. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where they informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA ODI #11423895

82,000 miles · Jun 23, 2021
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at 70 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the f…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at 70 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 21V260000 (Engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that the issue falls on the driver due to improper maintenance. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ODI #11421997

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.