IllustrationON TWO OCCASIONS I HAVE HAD THE TIRES BLOWOUT ON MY VEHICLE. ONCE WHILE DRIVING AND THE OTHER OCCASION WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE AND HAD NOT BEEN MOVED FOR THREE DAYS. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 27,000 MILES AND HARDLY ANY THREAD WEAR. THE TIRES ARE KUMHO 205/R16 55
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
Wheels complaints
6 reportsI WAS GOING 65MPH ON HIGHWAY, WHEN ALL OF SUDDEN, I HEARD A LOUD POP ANF CAR STARTED SHAKING. THE HAZARD LIGHT CAME ON AND LOW TIRE PRESSURE AS I WAS TRYING TO CAREFULLY EXIT HWY. MY DRIVER SIDE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY BUSTED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIRE THAT HAS BLOWN. LAST YEAR IT WAS MY FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW AN…
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I WAS GOING 65MPH ON HIGHWAY, WHEN ALL OF SUDDEN, I HEARD A LOUD POP ANF CAR STARTED SHAKING. THE HAZARD LIGHT CAME ON AND LOW TIRE PRESSURE AS I WAS TRYING TO CAREFULLY EXIT HWY. MY DRIVER SIDE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY BUSTED. THIS IS THE SECOND TIRE THAT HAS BLOWN. LAST YEAR IT WAS MY FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW AND IT ONLY HAD 12MILES ON IT WHEN PURCHASED. MY CAR CURRENY HAD LESS THAN 20 000 MILES ON IT. ..IN BOTH EVENTS, I DID NOT RUN OVER ANYYTHING NOR OBSERVED ANY POTHOLES OR UNEVEN ROAD.
I EXPERIENCED 2 SPONTANEOUS TIRE BLOWOUTS, ON 8/25/18 AND 10/4/18. I HAD HAD THE TIRES ROTATED AND CHECKED ON 8/23/18. NEXEN HAS NOT RESPONDED TO MY NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO GET THIS RESOLVED.
MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON ROUTE 55 IN NJ AND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE POPPED AND SHE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO THE SHOULDER. A DRIVER FOR NJDOT ARRIVED AND TOLD US THE TIRE WAS DRY ROTTED. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD US THE TIRE WASNT DEFECTIVE. I'M NOT AN EXPERT BUT I FEEL THE TIRE MAY BE DEFECTIVE. THE CAR…
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MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON ROUTE 55 IN NJ AND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE POPPED AND SHE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO THE SHOULDER. A DRIVER FOR NJDOT ARRIVED AND TOLD US THE TIRE WAS DRY ROTTED. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD US THE TIRE WASNT DEFECTIVE. I'M NOT AN EXPERT BUT I FEEL THE TIRE MAY BE DEFECTIVE. THE CAR ONLY HAS 20,00 MILES AND WE HAD THE CAR IN A WEEK PRIOR AND THE TIRES WERE WRITTEN UP AS HAVING 8/32".NEXEN TIRE. PLEASE LOOK AT PICTURES ENCLOSED. PLEASE NOTE WE HAVE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE IN OUR POSSESSION ALONG WITH A ANOTHER TIRE FROM THE VEHICLE.
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AT 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I EXPERIENCED A SPONTANEOUS REAR RIGHT TIRE BLOWOUT. THERE WERE NO POTHOLES. I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP COULD FIND NO CAUSE. THEY SAID IT WAS A "FLUKE".
WAS GOING OVER A SET OF RR TRACKS AND THE DRIVERS SIDE TIRE BLEW. HAD CAR TOWED TO KIA DEALER THAT I PURCHASED VEHICLE FROM IN MARCH OF 2017. AFTER INSPECTION I LEARN FROM THE KIA DEALER THE WHEEL/RIM HAD CRACKS IN IT, THEY TELL ME THEY BELIEVE THE CAR WAS SOLD TO ME THIS WAY. I DO HAVE WHEEL AND TIRE WARRANTY PACKAGE. KIA IS FL…
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WAS GOING OVER A SET OF RR TRACKS AND THE DRIVERS SIDE TIRE BLEW. HAD CAR TOWED TO KIA DEALER THAT I PURCHASED VEHICLE FROM IN MARCH OF 2017. AFTER INSPECTION I LEARN FROM THE KIA DEALER THE WHEEL/RIM HAD CRACKS IN IT, THEY TELL ME THEY BELIEVE THE CAR WAS SOLD TO ME THIS WAY. I DO HAVE WHEEL AND TIRE WARRANTY PACKAGE. KIA IS FLAT REFUSING TO FIX OTHER DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE. PLASTIC LINER IN FENDER WELL, A TPMS SENSOR AND ONE OTHER THING I FORGET WHAT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID TO ME IT WAS. THEY WANT ME TO CLAIM ON MY INSURANCE I SAID NO YOUR FAILED WHEEL WITH THE CRACK DAMAGED THE CAR YOU FIX IT. KIA CORPORATE IS FLAT OUT REFUSING TO FIX THE CAR EVEN THOUGH THE DEALER CAN PROVE THE CAR WAS SOLD NEW WITH A FAILED WHEEL/RIM ON IT.
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.