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
What owners actually said
301 reports
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 29, 2021
Engine
My car is constantly stalling and I have nearly gotten into several accidents because it would stall at red lights, or while driving, turning it stalls. In order to keep it from stalling have to keep putting it into neutral. I can't get a proper scan on it because the engine light isn't on. This has been happening for about …
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My car is constantly stalling and I have nearly gotten into several accidents because it would stall at red lights, or while driving, turning it stalls. In order to keep it from stalling have to keep putting it into neutral. I can't get a proper scan on it because the engine light isn't on. This has been happening for about 2 months and it is getting worse. I have under 50,000 miles on it.
NHTSA ODI #11445372
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
Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2021
StructureUnknown Or Other
The trunk of my 2017 Kia Forte wouldn’t open in the morning. I checked for a solution online and saw there was an active recall (SC216) on the latching mechanism of the trunk which was causing it to get stuck. Took it to the dealership to get it fixed. They fixed it but then told me I needed to pay for it. When I told them it wa…
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The trunk of my 2017 Kia Forte wouldn’t open in the morning. I checked for a solution online and saw there was an active recall (SC216) on the latching mechanism of the trunk which was causing it to get stuck. Took it to the dealership to get it fixed. They fixed it but then told me I needed to pay for it. When I told them it was a recall issue they took the new part off and told me to leave. Now my trunk doesn’t close and it’s being held in place with a piece of string.
NHTSA ODI #11444822
Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2021
Exterior Lighting
Both low beams stopped working. High beams and all other lights work I replaced the bulbs and the low beams don't work at all and there's no relay or fuse and I can't find the problem
NHTSA ODI #11441520
60,000 miles · Oct 29, 2021
Unknown Or OtherCrashInjury
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking spot with the vehicle in reverse, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle inadvertently drove forward speedily. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. There…
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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while reversing out of a parking spot with the vehicle in reverse, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle inadvertently drove forward speedily. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated. A police report was filed. The contact sustained neck, shoulder, and back injuries and sought medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
NHTSA ODI #11438652
Mileage unknown · Oct 16, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Trunk latch on my vehicle gets stuck can only open after jumping down on hood while pulling lever at the same time intermittently happens. Lately been happening more often than not.
NHTSA ODI #11436987
Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2021
Service Brakes
I’ve been having problems with my 2017 forte5 Lx for the last few months. The brake calipers tend to lock up from time to time causing my pads to smoke like crazy. I’ve had my brakes serviced 6 times within the last year. Nothing seemed to help and I’ve barely used the vehicle out of concern for safety. Recently, I spoke with a …
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I’ve been having problems with my 2017 forte5 Lx for the last few months. The brake calipers tend to lock up from time to time causing my pads to smoke like crazy. I’ve had my brakes serviced 6 times within the last year. Nothing seemed to help and I’ve barely used the vehicle out of concern for safety. Recently, I spoke with a tech at my local dealership. He informed me that my forte has rubber bushings on one of the caliper pins that swells and gets stuck. His solution was to replace the defective pin with another pin that doesn’t include the bushing. Since I followed his advice, my brakes haven’t locked up at all. The original intent for the bushing was to reduce caliper noise but it does not help, instead hindering performance. The reason for my complaint is that this can cause the brakes to overheat and start a fire, while decreasing the ability to brake.
NHTSA ODI #11436496
Mileage unknown · Oct 11, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Leaving work last week and noticed my trunk was open. Thought maybe I had accidentally pressed the release button and went to close but trunk latch wouldn not latch down and close. Had to fold the back seats down and crawl into the trunk while a coworker held the trunk shit and use a flathead screwdriver to manually lock the lat…
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Leaving work last week and noticed my trunk was open. Thought maybe I had accidentally pressed the release button and went to close but trunk latch wouldn not latch down and close. Had to fold the back seats down and crawl into the trunk while a coworker held the trunk shit and use a flathead screwdriver to manually lock the latch. After doing so now the trunk will not open.
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.
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.
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.
2017 Kia Forte Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year