2017 Kia Forte
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 302 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 16 Forte model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 23 involved a crash and 9 involved a fire. 21 people were injured and 4 people died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bagsJan 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.
Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
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.
Campaign 22V031000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, trunk lid, latchAug 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."
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 21V622000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, oil/lubrication, pumpApr 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.
A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 21V260000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
158 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Mar 16, 2023
My vehicle has under 70,000 miles. A few weeks ago it keep stopping. This is what the Kia dealer is telling me : INTERNAL ROD BEARING FAILURE METAL IN OIL CAR IS KNOCKING AND WONT STAY RUNNING DUE TO OIL CONTROL VALVES BEING AFFECTED BY METAL IN OIL. I feel as a customer this is a bad engine and now I am being asked to pay about $5700 to replace an engine. I bought this car about almost two years ago; and I was assured by a car fax and Kia dealership this car was fine. I would like for Kia to look into this and reimburse me and other customers.
Engine and engine cooling, Mar 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle inadvertently stalled while slowing down. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the camshaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that while changing the oil, the independent mechanic became aware of metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.
Engine, Mar 2, 2023
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.
Engine, Feb 15, 2023
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.
Engine, Feb 14, 2023
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!
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Feb 7, 2023
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.
Engine, Jan 18, 2023
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.
Engine, Jan 8, 2023
Currently at 80k miles and roughly at 50k miles started hearing metal clanking when accelerating and smelling burning metal and hints of electric fire when driving, I've been adding oil / changing the oil every week because it's barely any oil on the dipstick and noticed that there are shiny metal flakes in the oil and filter every time, I have an hour commute to and from work and this motor is a ticking time bomb and I have to put 4.3 quarts every week. The motor is burning oil and when I first start it it barley stays running and shakes tremendously also sometimes it has revved up to 3k rpms but after about 30 seconds to a minute it drops under 1k rpm and idles rough, I've had it checked for leaks and there are none. I took it to the kia dealership and they said that it was not a recall and they couldn't help.I went as well for the trunk latch and Forward Collision recall. Latch was broken and they didn't fix it I had to order one offline, only thing that was done was the coolant flush service and the fuel system and forward collision, also was told that one of the motor mounts was bad and paid for it but never received it. I'm spending boo koodles on oil and filters I could have purchased a used vehicle for what I've spent on that. Please help me out with this. I've been considering just taking it back to the bank and ruin my credit because I'm scared that it will catch on fire or leave me stranded or even getting in an accident. I'm terrified to continue driving it but unfortunately it's my only transportation but everyday I take a risk. I just don't understand these motors I've changed the oil every 3k miles since I got it. For it to only have 80k miles there shouldn't be metal flakes in the oil and filter every time I change it. The only other issue is sometimes while on the highway it just acts like it's loosing power and it cuts out accelerating here and there not sure if the motor is close to locking up. I don't have photos at the moment but have videos.
Engine and engine cooling, Jan 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated the vehicle failed to immediately start up as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to start the vehicle after several attempts. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Engine, Dec 22, 2022
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started making an abnormally loud noise. The driver pulled off the roadway and safely stopped. The contact stated that her daughter had not noticed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that her daughter saw a puddle of oil underneath the vehicle. The contact's daughter had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the mechanic determined that the vehicle had thrown a connecting rod and that engine oil was sprayed on the engine support and frame. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine, Dec 9, 2022
Cylinder 2 is misfiring and causing the engine to get out of rhythm. The car begins shaking and the engine struggles to keep running. The car feels like it will stop running at any given point of when it happens. The check engine light only appears when at a complete stop or when my foot is on the gas. When I take my foot off the gas and the car cruises, the check engine light goes away, making it extremely difficult to catch/code.
Power train, Engine, Dec 9, 2022
Son purchased his first car and like the 17 forte. Bought it for around 12k and drove it for 8k miles and he had the engine start knocking. No indication lights nothing. Checked the oil thinking it could be that but it wasn’t low on oil. Had it towed to our mechanic he said the motor was blown. Kia would not do anything after it sat in the dealership ship for 21 days. Just received an estimate of $7800 to replace a motor with a used motor with 42k on it!! Are you kidding me! These motors are horrible and there service is the same. Stand behind your product if you ever want to be successful. He could have been stranded in the middle of nowhere with a car having less then 100k miles on it. Needs to be recalled.
Engine, Nov 28, 2022
Engine #1 failure @ 50,475 miles Driving 70mph on the interstate my check engine light would come on only when pressing the gas pedal. Within 30 seconds while driving on a 10° uphill slope trying to change 4 lanes of traffic to be near the shoulder, I heard clanking, knocking, and a bang. 0rpms. Connecting rod through the block. One dealership did nothing but lock my car in their fence for 2 months before another Kia dealership replaced the engine. Then 680.3 miles later, engine #2 failure. Driving on unfamiliar country roads at dusk. 5 miles from the next pull off parking area. I had extreme loss of power. The check engine light appeared. A few seconds later it sounded like a shotgun went off in my engine. Engine died, there was only a few inches of dirt before the ditch. My battery died from my flashers before the tow truck came. This time the connecting rod went through the block and damaged my starter. Dealership replaced the engine. Engine #3 @ 52343 check engine light appears when pressing the gas pedal. 7 Cincinnati Kia dealerships are 5+ weeks from diagnosing engine troubles. I'm ashamed at Kia for allowing THIS. I've jumped out of airplanes without fear, but I am scared to drive my own vehicle. Kia has put me in financial stress due to rental vehicles, unexpected hotel costs, and not reimbursing me thus far.
Engine, Nov 8, 2022
The engine stalls , when I try to give it gas, it will stall sometimes to the point of shutting off. It will also cut it off if I am sitting and the engine is running, it will shut off and it takes several minutes for me to be able to get it back running. It seems like it is something with fuel injectors. I know there was a recall with this very same issue on models of 2017 that was made in a different month, but I have been told numerous times mine isn’t a recall when it seems to have same issue. This hasn’t been a one time occurrence, it occurs almost every time I drive my vehicle.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 23, 2022
I as at work and received a message that there was a large oil spot where my car had been parked overnight at home. I checked my oil and it was not low. After work I was on my way to get my oil changed/checked and after 13 miles I heard a light knocking sound. I pulled over and checked my oil. My oil level was still good. I started my car and the noise was gone. I only had a few miles to the oil/lube express. Just as I pulled in the driveway of the business, the noise started again. The problem was the Oil Pressure Sender Unit was bad. The mechanic pushed it back on and I made it home without any noise. I called the dealership and the earliest they could make me an appt was 3 weeks out. No loaner car, my car had just ran out of warranty, and my car did not come up on recall for the list of Engine recalls. I bought the part and a recently retired certified KIA mechanic replaced it. Fast forward 4,000 the issue of the gas pump clicking off when my tank isn’t full has happened again. It started at aprox 36,000 when the engine light came on and it was impossible to put gas in. The car was checked out but nothing showed to be wrong. The code sensor was reset and I was able to fill up. Well this time, nothing is working. After a few seconds , gas spits out. This car has been a. issue for the last 45,000 miles and my dealership was always booked. I’ve always had the oil changed on time as well as the other maintenance. None of my other vehicles have been so unreliable. I don’t feel I should have to pay for these things when 80,000 miles is not very many in 5 years.
Engine, Oct 11, 2022
MY 2017 KIA FORTE HAS MAJOR ENGINE PROBLEMS AFTER ONLY 130,000 MILES. THE CAR JUST DIED ON MY SON GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND AFTER IT STARTED MAKE LOUD KNOCKING NOISE. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS ON AT ALL. THE ENGINE IS DONE FOR. I AM THE ONLY OWNER OF THIS CAR AND HAVE KEPT IT MAINTANCED WELL. I HAVE REALIZED AFTER READING ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WITH ISSUES THAT THE OIL PUMP ON THE CAR HAVE CAUSE ENGINE DAMAGE AND KIA HAS REPLACED ENGINES. I DO BELIEVE THIS IS WHAT HAS CAUSED MY TROUBLES
Electrical system, Engine, Sep 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and the engine was sputtering. The contact stated she pulled off the road and turned the vehicle off and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,258.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 30, 2022
Ongoing acceleration and shaking issues. Lose power randomly and has stalled randomly. Now is frequent. I was told it is normal for cars to have some shaking however this is not normal. I try to accelorate and cannot, I had my own diagnostic test done and asked for the coil to be replaced. Kia said it was the spark plugs. Took the car back the next day because I again couldn't accelerate. Over a week later and no communication and I called and left a message. Now kia said it is the coil. Car now at approx 71K miles.
Engine, Aug 23, 2022
In mid July 2022, the engine light was flickering on and off and my car started shaking. The KIA dealership told me the car needed the spark plugs to be replaced so I replaced the ones that they recommended. Then 2 weeks after that service the engine light came on again and my car began to shake so I took it in and they found a recall on the the ignition coils. They replaced those and then the next day the engine light came on and my car started shaking but this time, I started loosing acceleration in the car and the engine light stayed on. The KIA dealership tried to charge me $364.55 per ignition coil. It is scary to drive because I still have to go to work and church.
Power train, Engine, Aug 16, 2022
Powertrain, engine light on, losing power
Engine, Aug 15, 2022
While son was driving on I10 at 65-70 mph engine died. Was able to restart to pull off the side of the highway. Car driven to Kia dealership with loud knocking noise, using side roads with another driver following. Kia confirmed that engine needs replacement and is a known issue. Our vehicle was in the Kia system under a different owner's name/address so we did not receive the 'courtesy notification' to have a fix that would extend warranty to cover engine problem. Many calls to Kia have not resulted in an agreement to fix or acknowledge severity of issue as far as engine failing while driving at a high rate of speed with an issue that is known to them.
Engine, Aug 13, 2022
My car stalled in the middle of a busy rotary …no lights or warning…never had an issue with the car until that day …I always was on top of all maintenance…was very dangerous as I was in traffic and it just stopped working..,was luckily not rearended…when brought to a mechanic he inspected it and stated it was the engine and that it was no good anymore…I did some research and found a lot of other Kia Forte of this year have had same issue but dealership said it’s not recalled and they would not replace until the government recalls it..This is a major safety issue as there was no warning at all that the engine had an issue, and this has happened to my last Kia …that was a 2015 optima and that engine was recalled so was able to get it replaced by dealership and I still have the car …I love my Kia but this is unexceptionable and DANGEROUS The car is currently at a mechanic waiting for a new engine to be installed at my expense…extremely expensive …do not have invoice yet as it’s not a completed job but I will be keeping in the event that this does become a recall as it is a hazard as there is no warning at all
Engine, Aug 4, 2022
I was driving in the highway in front of a semi truck and the car engine failed. I couldn’t accelerate or slow down and I could barely turn the wheel. The semi just barely missed me. This is the second engine failure in a year. Kia replaced my engine with a brand new one in January of 2022 but have not added my vin number to the engine recall.
Engine, Aug 4, 2022
The engine is malfunction. My car is shaking feally bad, as well as while driving it seems like it wants to shutdown. My engine warning indicator stays lit.
Engine, Aug 1, 2022
I started my car on Friday July 29th@9:45 am. The car sounded like it backfired. Then i attempted to drive to work thinking it was a fluke.. but a mile away the engine sputtered and then stopped. I had no warning lights come on in my car ever. I had the car towed to the local dealer kia(cherry hill nj) and they havent done anything for me yet. They keep telling me there are open recalls on the car… but I can not fine this recall info anywhere. I was never notified of a recall, via, mail, phone, email. I dont understand. My car has 51k miles on it, and it was purchased in late september of 2017. So i an within the warranty, and dont understand why this even happened!