I keep having issues with the crankshaft pulley and the drive belt.
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
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.
What owners actually said
301 reportsHello, my name is [XXX] , i just had a 2017 kia forte car accident on [XXX]. I was hit by the driver's side in my door and in the door behind me. the airbag are supposed to be released upon impact. The would have to open because i was going over 25 miles per hour the airbags supposedly release when you go over 25 miles this c…
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Hello, my name is [XXX] , i just had a 2017 kia forte car accident on [XXX]. I was hit by the driver's side in my door and in the door behind me. the airbag are supposed to be released upon impact. The would have to open because i was going over 25 miles per hour the airbags supposedly release when you go over 25 miles this caused me to break my wrist of my left hand I hit my knees and hurt my face this caused my injuries the malfunction of the airbags conclusion that the car was a total loss i need you to answer for my damages to me because as a consumer i have the right to complain I am waiting for a formal response thank you very much INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the low oil pressure and the battery warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local deale…
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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the low oil pressure and the battery warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, due to the warranty being expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage approximately 135,000.
Experienced temporary loss of electronic power steering (EPS) on 10FEB24. After driving about 15 miles returning from across town, my wife experienced a momentary loss of the EPS while slowing to make a left turn into our subdivision. She was able to wrestle the wheel through the turn with difficulty but then stopped the car t…
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Experienced temporary loss of electronic power steering (EPS) on 10FEB24. After driving about 15 miles returning from across town, my wife experienced a momentary loss of the EPS while slowing to make a left turn into our subdivision. She was able to wrestle the wheel through the turn with difficulty but then stopped the car to decide whether she should keep driving. After just a moment, she decided to try and when she pulled forward found that the power steering was working again. She made two more left turns over the two blocks to our house and had no trouble. She doesn't recall any dashboard warning lights coming on but was too flustered to have really noticed. I verified the drive belt looks fine and there are no saved fault codes. The car has about 116k miles on it and the drive belt was changed at 110k miles. Car was inspected two days later by my local repair shop including the suspension system. No fault codes or other anomalies were found and they could not duplicate a problem with the EPS.
The engine light came on and vehicle started stalling. It was cutting in and out as if it was going to die, so I had to simultaneously break and give it gas. It was taken to the mechanic and an ignition coil was replaced. A month later on the highway, the car began the same process but with no engine light coming on. It was agai…
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The engine light came on and vehicle started stalling. It was cutting in and out as if it was going to die, so I had to simultaneously break and give it gas. It was taken to the mechanic and an ignition coil was replaced. A month later on the highway, the car began the same process but with no engine light coming on. It was again taken to the mechanic and kept for two weeks with nothing showing on the diagnostic machine. A week after taking it home, the light was on again. Same scenario, of not finding anything wrong with it. The issue began at 100,000 miles. The car is almost paid off and I don't feel comfortable driving it. I have small children and don't feel safe driving around. I have contacted Kia about a possible recall which was denied. It is available for inspection upon request. I'm so disappointed that Kia won't address the issue because I have seen so many reviews saying the same thing. The vehicle is seven years old and has had several recalls already. I will NOT purchase another Kia because of the lack of responsibility and refusal to fix the situation. I believe it's the oil lubrication pump because the reviews stating the same issues are spot on what is happening. The cost of replacing the pump is almost what the car is worth.
I purchased a used Kia forte at a dealership 43,000 miles, at 50,000 the car started having issues out in shop multiple times for oil consumption and battery issues. Then my engine stalled out and my car is sitting at a repair shop for over 6 mths now with a bad engine, the original owner did not get the software update so Kia w…
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I purchased a used Kia forte at a dealership 43,000 miles, at 50,000 the car started having issues out in shop multiple times for oil consumption and battery issues. Then my engine stalled out and my car is sitting at a repair shop for over 6 mths now with a bad engine, the original owner did not get the software update so Kia won’t cover my engine replacement/reimbursement. The dealership did not inform me of the product campaign/recall when I purchased the vehicle. I’ve lost 2 jobs now and my apartment, I’m only [XXX] and now no car either. Kia, the dealership and the mechanic all failed me. My life is hard enough as a young female with no help now this, what a mess, what can I even do now. Everything [XXX] for me now and I have lost everything. Idk what to do anymore. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was getting on the interstate gradually got up to 60 miles per hour when my car started to rev high an then lost all power an stalled it almost got me hit by a tractor trailer the car has ran ok up until then an Kia claims there not a recall for this but I’ve read the stories of the same situation it’s crazy to think they won’…
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I was getting on the interstate gradually got up to 60 miles per hour when my car started to rev high an then lost all power an stalled it almost got me hit by a tractor trailer the car has ran ok up until then an Kia claims there not a recall for this but I’ve read the stories of the same situation it’s crazy to think they won’t cover to fix this issue my car only has 82k on it an it’s basically totaled an still have payments on it
The speedometer does not work. The car will not accelerate. I always have belt problems.
Engine failure-yes its available for inspection While driving home from work on the interstate following flow of traffic, check engine light came on, car started smoking, and shut down almost causing a accident because it was hard to attempt to pull over due to it smoking and shutting down while driving at 55 mph. The problem …
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Engine failure-yes its available for inspection While driving home from work on the interstate following flow of traffic, check engine light came on, car started smoking, and shut down almost causing a accident because it was hard to attempt to pull over due to it smoking and shutting down while driving at 55 mph. The problem has been reproduced by Kia Dealership, this is a known issue with Kia's, however, Kia is not working with me on trying to resolve the engine issue It's been inspected by the manufacturer, open recalls on Kia Fortes the engine needs replacement The check engine light came on a few weeks prior, took to get a oil change & full inspection because I had to keep putting oil & coolant in it. However, was informed by mechanic Kia's were known to have oil issues with the oil pump something with foreign particles getting into the pump causing engine failure which was a open recall. In informed the mechanic I had to keep putting oil into it along with coolant, mechanic couldn't find any leaks in radiator, hoses, nor any oil messes on & around engine. I reached out to Kia to discuss that the engine light came on, but the mechanic was unable to find any issue, at that time Kia customer service stated my specific Kia didn't have any open recalls other than the trunk latch. Then 2 weeks later while driving home from work on the interstate, the engine light came on and car started smoking and shut down almost without warning, almost causing a crash on the interstate that could have ended in a tragic situation. Kia continues to give me the run around with a replacement engine on a Kia Forte LX 2.0 MPI engine.
My car started sounding like a diesel truck. The car didn’t want to changes gears right. It was shutting off randomly. I got on the freeway and it wouldn’t shift out of 3rd gear the way it was suppose to, the car speedometer was reading 60-70 mph but when I switched it to manual it was only in 3rd gear. I almost got rear ended b…
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My car started sounding like a diesel truck. The car didn’t want to changes gears right. It was shutting off randomly. I got on the freeway and it wouldn’t shift out of 3rd gear the way it was suppose to, the car speedometer was reading 60-70 mph but when I switched it to manual it was only in 3rd gear. I almost got rear ended by a diesel truck with a trailer due to it not wanting to shift. I had a mechanic look at it and put it in the code reader. It came up just the cam sensor which were replaced. Went to drive off and it sounded way worse than before. Reput it on the code reader and it said something about the oil pump. Got a second opinion and this mechanic said that it was the bearings in the motor. And now it’s going to be a problem and that’s I’m better off getting a new car.
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.
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