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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

What owners actually said

301 reports
Mileage unknown · Mar 8, 2023
Structure

When I arrived at my destination after driving through rain my paint peeled back on my hood.

NHTSA ODI #11510784

83,200 miles · Mar 2, 2023
Engine

Load engine "ticking/knocking" noise at 83,200 miles. Vehicle engine maintenance is up to date and serviced by Kia. Noise diagnosed as coming from valve train and/or pistons. Was informed engine replacement is necessary.

NHTSA ODI #11509920

70,000 miles · Feb 24, 2023
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service Brakes

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the ESC warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where unknown sensors were replaced. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. Additio…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the ESC warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where unknown sensors were replaced. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately. Additionally, the ABS warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI #11508874

Mileage unknown · Feb 15, 2023
Engine

Hi there, I got my 2017 Kia Forte brand new. Over the past 6 years, I’ve had to replace the ENGINE IGNITION COILS half a dozen times. Kia refuses to recall this vehicle for this problem, which is very common among other drivers. Just go online and search “2017 Kia Ignition Coil problem” and you will find thousands of people re…

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Hi there, I got my 2017 Kia Forte brand new. Over the past 6 years, I’ve had to replace the ENGINE IGNITION COILS half a dozen times. Kia refuses to recall this vehicle for this problem, which is very common among other drivers. Just go online and search “2017 Kia Ignition Coil problem” and you will find thousands of people reporting on the same issue with a multitude of the same symptoms: rough idling, shaking vehicle, RPM jumps, check engine light on, etc. The irony is, when I first took my vehicle to a Kia dealership for service, they were fully aware of the issue and alleged recall (their words, not mine). In fact, THE MECHANIC is the one who informed me about the recall 5+ years ago when my first coil misfired. He said the part was recalled, and they would fix free of charge. This was the first time I heard about the recall. NO ONE from Kia had contacted me. No call, email, text, snail mail. Nothing. When an engine ignition coil fails, you run the risk of having your vehicle caught on fire and explode. How on Earth is Kia getting away with keeping this information secret from its customers?? The 2017 Kia Forte has 6 engine ignition coils. I’ve since replaced nearly all of mine - and note, Kia dealerships REFUSE to replace them all at once as they need proof they’re officially “bad” before replacing. Thousands of other customers have also reported going back to the shop over, and over, and over again to get these coils fixed. Kia needs to be held accountable for the safety of these vehicles. Kia needs to recall these cars, and refund customers who have already fixed their cars. In 2020, NHTSA announced civil penalties for Kia for NOT recalling vehicles in a timely manner. We need to keep Kia in check, and hold them accountable for the unacceptable and incredibly dangerous position they continue to put their customers in.

NHTSA ODI #11507468

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2023
Engine

Had total loss of oil causing engine to fail on February 7th 2023! This after just receiving oil change in January! Car locked up while driving barely making it safely off the road! Had trouble with it going into the new year! Oil was constantly a problem! Just paid off car in October! This engine failure was severe and li…

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Had total loss of oil causing engine to fail on February 7th 2023! This after just receiving oil change in January! Car locked up while driving barely making it safely off the road! Had trouble with it going into the new year! Oil was constantly a problem! Just paid off car in October! This engine failure was severe and life threatening considering where I was at the time and all the traffic that was surround! I’ve had friends with Kia’s suffer same engine loss as well! Can’t just be a coincidence!

NHTSA ODI #11507185

Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2023
EngineVehicle Speed Control

I've had it looked at by a Kia dealership and they said I let it run out of oil and burned up my engine. My ASC warranty won't cover it. I had no idea. I've got proof from Valvoline where I always get my oil changes and proves I did it regularly. I had no oil leak signs on the pavement. Your recall #SC210 which I just found ou…

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I've had it looked at by a Kia dealership and they said I let it run out of oil and burned up my engine. My ASC warranty won't cover it. I had no idea. I've got proof from Valvoline where I always get my oil changes and proves I did it regularly. I had no oil leak signs on the pavement. Your recall #SC210 which I just found out about talks about exactly what happened to me. I really don't think it was my fault and it should be covered. I had no indication that something was wrong till this happened. I've had no problems since I bought the car in November 2021till now.

NHTSA ODI #11506137

Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 2023
Exterior LightingFire

My car was parked in the car port. The rear back light on the driver side caught on fire. The police and fire department were called. I was not at home at the time, my neighbors used a plastic container to put out by time the fire department got there. The firs department stated that is was faulty wiring. I am waiting for th…

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My car was parked in the car port. The rear back light on the driver side caught on fire. The police and fire department were called. I was not at home at the time, my neighbors used a plastic container to put out by time the fire department got there. The firs department stated that is was faulty wiring. I am waiting for the report from police, fire department, and insurance representative. The car was parked and there was no waring lamp. Fire department had to disarm my car alarm. I will be calling the dealer after this.

NHTSA ODI #11505112

Mileage unknown · Jan 31, 2023
Exterior Lighting

Driving at night and low beam headlights both went out at the same time. The only way to drive safely was to use high beams. Opened hood and passenger's side light came back on, very dimly, and then went out again as soon as the left turn signal was initiated. Even the high beam lights flicker when the left turn signal is used. …

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Driving at night and low beam headlights both went out at the same time. The only way to drive safely was to use high beams. Opened hood and passenger's side light came back on, very dimly, and then went out again as soon as the left turn signal was initiated. Even the high beam lights flicker when the left turn signal is used. This is completely unsafe because there is no way to see without blinding everyone else on the road with high beams. Headlight bulbs were replaced less than 6 months ago.

NHTSA ODI #11504650

Mileage unknown · Jan 18, 2023
Engine

I was driving home one night. Nothing out of the norm. Suddenly I felt a slight tug in my car and something like a “rattling” sound. I thought it was my tire so I pulled over and checked but the noise was coming from the engine. I popped the hood and found it was the engine knocking. I towed the car to the nearest KIA dealer and…

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I was driving home one night. Nothing out of the norm. Suddenly I felt a slight tug in my car and something like a “rattling” sound. I thought it was my tire so I pulled over and checked but the noise was coming from the engine. I popped the hood and found it was the engine knocking. I towed the car to the nearest KIA dealer and found out it was a “Long Block” issue.

NHTSA ODI #11502407

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2023
Unknown Or Other

Unknown. My 2017 Kia Forte LX turns off while I’m driving. The entire car dies but the electric works. I have to put in park and sit a minute before my car will start again.

NHTSA ODI #11500962

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.