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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

Latches/locks/linkages complaints

6 reports
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45,000 miles · Jul 18, 2022
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the trunk release failed to open the trunk as designed. The contact was able to use the key fob to open the trunk. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part t…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the trunk release failed to open the trunk as designed. The contact was able to use the key fob to open the trunk. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11474504

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2022
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11455252

64,000 miles · Jan 25, 2022
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the trunk was making rattling sounds. The conta…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the trunk was making rattling sounds. The contact veered to the side of the road and manually closed the trunk and the trunk engaged and locked securely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving and he was unable to close the trunk using the key fob or by manually closing the trunk. The contact drove to a parking lot and was able to close the truck with tape. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the contact repair the vehicle at his own expense and he might be reimbursed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

NHTSA ODI #11448804

Mileage unknown · Jan 11, 2022
Exterior LightingLatches/locks/linkages

1st incident, 10/09/20 water intail lights smells of mildew 2nd " 11/1/20 water is leaking in trunk installed new gaskets to the tail lights 3rd " 6/9/21 removed drivers seat and gas/trunk latch lever and fuel door lever cable cable was found to be stretched and n…

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1st incident, 10/09/20 water intail lights smells of mildew 2nd " 11/1/20 water is leaking in trunk installed new gaskets to the tail lights 3rd " 6/9/21 removed drivers seat and gas/trunk latch lever and fuel door lever cable cable was found to be stretched and needs replaced. Parts were ordered 01/10/22 parts never came in because according to Kia they don't know how to fix it. I'am so sorry I bought this car with 2,992.31 still owed you should compensate by paying this off

NHTSA ODI #11447059

Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2021
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The part was not available for repair. T…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The part was not available for repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Invalid VIN.

NHTSA ODI #11444871

44,300 miles · Sep 3, 2021
Latches/locks/linkages

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while attempting to open the rear trunk door lid, it was discovered that the trunk door lid could not be opened while using the key fob, the trunk release, or the emergency trunk release. Later while driving approximately 70 MPH, the trunk lid suddenly opened and could no lon…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while attempting to open the rear trunk door lid, it was discovered that the trunk door lid could not be opened while using the key fob, the trunk release, or the emergency trunk release. Later while driving approximately 70 MPH, the trunk lid suddenly opened and could no longer be closed or secured. A cell phone cord was used to secure the trunk door lid. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 44,300.

NHTSA ODI #11431644

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.