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
Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 2021
Exterior LightingCrash
My head lights keep shutting off and stop working, they have replace it twice already and again today Oct 7th 2021ir stopped working again, now I just replaced the bulbs on Sept 15th 2021 there shouldn't be any reason to change it out this soon. I keep calling the dealership about it and nothing back from them. Today I ended up…
Read full complaint
My head lights keep shutting off and stop working, they have replace it twice already and again today Oct 7th 2021ir stopped working again, now I just replaced the bulbs on Sept 15th 2021 there shouldn't be any reason to change it out this soon. I keep calling the dealership about it and nothing back from them. Today I ended up not seeing and hit into a curb and smashed up the side by my tire on the passenger side, I'm very upset with kia they are putting my family in danger by not fixing it correctly.
NHTSA ODI #11435839
Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 2021
EngineVehicle Speed Control
I got this car in January, it's only October and my speed doesn't accelerate. When I step on the gas pedal there is a huge kick and my RPM goes from under one to 4 or 5 to get to 20mph. I noticed that I could change the drive to D1 and D2 but when driving and going over 30mph my car is in D6. I have yet to find a solution. No wa…
Read full complaint
I got this car in January, it's only October and my speed doesn't accelerate. When I step on the gas pedal there is a huge kick and my RPM goes from under one to 4 or 5 to get to 20mph. I noticed that I could change the drive to D1 and D2 but when driving and going over 30mph my car is in D6. I have yet to find a solution. No warning lights have come on yet but I don't want it to get to that point before having the car for a year.
NHTSA ODI #11435366
Mileage unknown · Sep 23, 2021
Engine
Coils are repeatedly breaking despite being replaced. Seems to be a common issue with this make/model but hasnt been recalled.
NHTSA ODI #11434141
75,000 miles · Sep 21, 2021
EngineFire
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, when the contact heard a loud popping noise coming from the vehicle, the contact noticed that when depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact saw the check engine light warning light illuminated on the vehicle. The …
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, when the contact heard a loud popping noise coming from the vehicle, the contact noticed that when depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact saw the check engine light warning light illuminated on the vehicle. The contact had to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle which it did and contact smelled something burning from the interior of the vehicle and noticed smoke coming from the front hood of the vehicle. The contact was able to continue to drive to their work. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after work and continue drive to their destination, however, the failure persisted, The contact check the vehicle later that day and noticed the there was no oil in the engine and a major oil leak underneath vehicle undercarriage. The contact had the vehicle towed to the local dealer to have inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure engine sensor was damaged and the fuel pump was damage on the vehicle as well failure where the trunk latch will not open on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage approximately 75,000.
NHTSA ODI #11433898
Mileage unknown · Sep 3, 2021
Engine
THE ENGINE FAILED DURING EVENING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, THE CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC AND WOULD NOT CUT BACK ON. VEHICLE HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE ROAD AND TOWED HOME. PREVIOUSLY THE ENGINE LIGHT DID APPEAR ON IN THE CAR BUT A RECENT OIL CHANGE WAS DONE ON THE CAR WHICH CAUSED THE LIGHT TO GO AWAY. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FROM THE SHOP AF…
Read full complaint
THE ENGINE FAILED DURING EVENING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, THE CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC AND WOULD NOT CUT BACK ON. VEHICLE HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE ROAD AND TOWED HOME. PREVIOUSLY THE ENGINE LIGHT DID APPEAR ON IN THE CAR BUT A RECENT OIL CHANGE WAS DONE ON THE CAR WHICH CAUSED THE LIGHT TO GO AWAY. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FROM THE SHOP AFTER OIL CHANGE WAS DONE AND CAR STALLED ONCE ON THE WAY HOME. I DID A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR RECALLS AND FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE CAR (RECALL NO. 21V260000)CAR WAS TAKEN TO KIA DEALERSHIP A DAY OR 2 LATER AND A DIAGNOSTICS WAS DONE ON THE VEHICLE BY THE KIA DEALERSHIP. THE KIA DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS METAL SHAVINGS IN THE ENGINE OF THE CAR. THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE CAR DESPITE ME SHOWING THEM THE RECALL NUMBER THE KIA DEALERSHIP SAID THEY CAN FIX IT FOR $7600 OR I CAN GET ANOTHER CAR AND PUT DOWN BETWEEN $5000-6000. THEY ALSO SAID BEING THAT MY CAR WASN'T APART OF THE RECALL THERE WAS NOTHING THEY CAN DO EVEN THOUGH MY CAR WAS SHOWING SIGNS THAT WAS STATED IN THE RECALL. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY PARKED IN MY BACKYARD AND CURRENTLY NOT DRIVEABLE.
NHTSA ODI #11431679
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…
Read full complaint
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
85,000 miles · Aug 25, 2021
Engine
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated and then the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over and park the vehicle in a parking lot where the vehicle remained. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehi…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated and then the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over and park the vehicle in a parking lot where the vehicle remained. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not associated with any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
NHTSA ODI #11430446
Mileage unknown · Aug 19, 2021
Engine
While driving normal 35 mph speed engine started knocking loudly, pulled into parking lot shut it off. Called dad, an ASE Master Mechanic, told him what happened. He told me to start it so he could hear it, bang, bang BOOM! stench, smoke car died. He told me it sounded like the rod bearing . Got towed home. Towed to Kia deale…
Read full complaint
While driving normal 35 mph speed engine started knocking loudly, pulled into parking lot shut it off. Called dad, an ASE Master Mechanic, told him what happened. He told me to start it so he could hear it, bang, bang BOOM! stench, smoke car died. He told me it sounded like the rod bearing . Got towed home. Towed to Kia dealer near home, they diagnosed blown rod bearing engine toast. This is probably the SAME engine the lawsuits were about with the SAME PROBLEM. I am thrilled that no-one was hurt, there had been fires, explosions etc. If it happened on the freeway it could have been BAD!
NHTSA ODI #11429725
Mileage unknown · Aug 18, 2021
Unknown Or Other
Trunk latch apparently broke and trunk popped opened on it's own while driving. We have not been able to tie it down due to broken latch. Obscures view and cannot be driven safely at this time. Has not been seen or confirmed by a repair shop yet
NHTSA ODI #11429676
Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2021
Unknown Or Other
My vehicle is stalling out while I am driving. Also I have to at times try too start it twice wont turnover on first try.Has been reported to dealer they dont seem to know what the problem is. I called 2 months ahead of April 2021 and Kia told me they were so booked up they couldn't see me till almost 2 months later. Car is stil…
Read full complaint
My vehicle is stalling out while I am driving. Also I have to at times try too start it twice wont turnover on first try.Has been reported to dealer they dont seem to know what the problem is. I called 2 months ahead of April 2021 and Kia told me they were so booked up they couldn't see me till almost 2 months later. Car is still doin the same.
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