2017 Kia Forte complaints

Break lights, running lights and headlights go out at least every three months at different times. Apparently it’s a common problem with these cars when I go to online forums and I have recently been contacted by a class action attorney that wants to investigate. I have had to replace rear bulb sockets due to corrosion and the bulbs still burn out. We purchased the 2017 car used around 2021 and have probably replaced the headlights alone 6 times and an un countable amount on the running and break lights.

I purchased this vehicle from Carvana, used, with 58000 miles. I have had all the oil changes and regular maintenance performed. However, this car has been very unreliable. One time in November 2023, all the electrical went out while I was driving down the highway going 50 mph. The power steering and all dashboard lights turned off and the car shut down. Were it not for the fact the road was straight and I could veer off slightly to stop on the side of the road, I could have experienced a crash. Others have pointed this out about KIA cars. More recently, I had to replace the entire transmission at 90,000 miles. I have never had a car that needed a totally new transmission under 100,000 miles or at all. The cost of all the unexpected repairs, design incompetencies, and consequences, including having to get a rental car, was around $4,500. The KIA cars from 2010 - 2021 also were not equipped with an engine mobilizer, which increased their rate of theft. This cost me a higher auto insurance bill as a result. It is clear KIA throws their cars together and puts anything they can on the market, then deny any responsibility and just say, "Oh, you don't have a warranty?" As if it's your fault for wanting a basic car to do basic things. Not having a car in the dead of winter with a big storm was pretty scary. That was me in Mississippi in January of 2025. The KIA dealership there in Brandon was almost incapable of repairing it, returning it to me three times and saying it was fine, wi

-Airbags did not deploy. -The car is available for inspection. -The driver was put at significant risk after the vehicle accidentally slid on ice while navigating a sharp curve, causing it to veer off the road and crash into trees. The impact resulted in the car being totaled from the front bumper to the back. Despite the severity of the crash, the airbags failed to deploy, making the driver's seatbelt the only factor that ultimately saved his life. -Insurance agent still needs to look at the car. Police office was present, along with tow driver. -No warnings

Rear combination lights (taillights) housing developed issue with condensation after developing cracks. This caused brake lights to burn out. This is a known issue with many Fortes and needs to be extended to additional production years.

My car's acceleration pedal stopped responding while driving, and the oil warning light turned on in the dashboard. Gradually, the check engine light came on, and the car stopped moving. After researching, I found that a common issue with the 2017 Kia Forte is a potential problem with the oil pump, where foreign particles can become trapped inside, leading to oil pump failure and possible engine damage.

Car is continuously running out of oil, after looking here it seems to be an ongoing issue yet no recall sent out.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the catalytic converter was clogged. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under a class-action lawsuit extended warranty coverage. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

On November 23, 2024, the brakes gave out on my 2017 Kia Forte5 EX. I found several recalls for my car regarding the brakes, trunk, engine and airbags. However, my son was in an accident and I was unaware of any recalls, as the car was purchased used. Would I still be able to get my car repaired under these recalls, or do I need to contact Kia?

92,000 miles - check engine light flashing Dealership mechanic says “leaking oil” Oil level barely touching dipstick. Right at 5,000 miles since synthetic oil change. Have a concrete driveway and car has not leaked oil at all. Mechanic suggested replacing oil pan gasket. There is an oil pan recall on 2017 & 2018 Kia Forte but supposedly my car isn’t covered. Still under warranty but dealership claims it’s not covered under that either. I think all 2017 & 2018 Kia Fortes should be covered under the recall if we are also having the same issues. Having my lawyer friend look into this for me.

The engine failed. Transmission wouldn’t switch. No prior warning but oil lamp. Was on Freeway when it happened. Problem has been confirmed but not with my vin. Lamp didn’t come on until It started to fail

Was driving and vehicle started to stall and slow in traffic with no warning lights at all. Discovered that oil was empty after we had checked it before a trip. No oil warning lights came on to tell us that was no oil. In turn this damaged our vehicles timing chain and it needs repaired. I spoke with dealership and wanted them to do an oil consumption test because there was a problem and should not be using oil and not warning you of a low or no oil. They advised that was not an issue and could not do it. There are recalls on Kias for this exact thing but not my model. This is a safety issue because could case an accident without any warning.

Both of my tail lights have the water leaking problem that other 2017 Fortes were recalled for. My VIN was not on the list, but both of them have to be fixed at my expense and are burning out my tail light and turn signal bulbs prematurely because of the water condensed in them.

Once coming home, my airbag from steering wheel deployed. I did not get into an accident, just as i closed my door it went off. I worried about my safety especially because i have a baby. Any airbag could’ve gone off for no reason. I don’t feel safe in my car. After taking it to Viva Kia here in El Paso, they did not offer any inspections just a number to call. I was scared when they sent me off in a car like that with no diagnostics done. No lights were on prior to this incident so I definitely was not warned about it.

Unknown I dropped my car off at the Kia dealership for them to do some recalls kia say the only re calls they had seen were 22V031000 and 21V622000.That they couldn’t do it cause it don’t show on the computer at the Hutchinson Kia of Albany

Error code B1620 is registering on my 2017 KIA Forte. The current recall for this issue only covers some 2017 KIA Forte vehicles.

The hood latch doesn't always work and the hood could fly up and obstruct vision and cause a wreck,the gas door sticks and won't open on the first try, engine is slow on excelleration some times. Not sure when it all started

I was driving on a road, then the car just died out of know where after driving for about a hour. I got the car to the side of the road to be somewhat more safe. I started the car back up then started hearing a knocking. then had it towed to the dealer. they said they cant do anything.

The vehicle consumes excessive oil, requiring to top-off oil every ~1k miles to prevent engine damage and seizing. The owner of the vehicle first observed oil consumption at 90k miles oil change. Dealership performed oil consumption test, measured 0.5qt oil burned in 1k miles. At 95k mile oil change, owner requested to record oil consumption, but dealership did not measure it. At 99k miles, owner again requested to record oil consumption, and dealership measured 1.5qt oil burned in 3k miles (0.5qt / 1k miles). After 99k miles, owner began topping off oil every time the oil was measured to be 1qt low. Measured adding 1qt every ~2k miles. Oil change performed at 105k miles with no additional notes. At 108k miles, dealership began second oil consumption test, and measured 1.5qt oil burned in 1k miles (3x increase in oil consumption from 99k miles to 109k miles). Dealership recommending "Hail Mary" attempt to break up carbon build up in cylinders or recommending engine replacement. Manufacturer and Dealership claim that even though the problem began while under warranty, it only became "bad enough" after warranty ended, so the owner must cover all costs himself.

The light that marks the low oil of the engine, never turned on and the engine’s time belt was damaged as a result of this, and one of the valves too, and the car just consumed the synthetic oil in just about 7 months, and this is a factory defect because the low oil light inside the car never turned on. And I need that the company replace my engine as a result of this manufacturing defect. My car after that incident has a code P0011.

My engine has an oil consumption problem. I already had to replace one catalytic converter due to this. It is still happening and now multiple mechanics have confirmed that this is ultimately an engine problem. Not even 1,000 miles after an oil change, it starts making noises and the oil light will flicker on and off. The mechanics all say this is a known issue with Kia engines, but when I looked it up, there is no recall for this part.

I have 2 complaints with my Kia Forte. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Yes it can be inspected. 1st complaint-The component or system that malfunctioned was the brakes, possibly caused from the entire braking system, the electronic parking brake software and any damaged intermediate shafts. The problem is like the Telluride SUV KIA. 2nd complaint is an intermittent burning smell mostly in the rear area after I get out of the car to park in the garage for the night. It does not occur all the time. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? After I was outside of the parked car on a level road, I saw my car rolling. I had to open the door and jump in to pull the emergency brake on with it moving. I was not able to get my left leg into the car with it moving so my left leg was dragging outside on the rough pavement and ruined my brand new shoes and hurt my left leg and big toe. I was shook up. Ever since, I always pull on my emergency brake when parked. 2nd issue- I am not sure of the safety issue with the burning smell. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, I did not know what to do. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning and no symptoms

I keep taking my call to the Kia dealership they say my oils is burning and could mess up my engine. They say it’s a recall for issue like this for 2017 Kia forte and I don’t understand why my car is not in that recall if the recalls is the same thing that’s happening to my car

I got a code P1326. I looked online and saw this was a common Kia issue. My engine light is flashing and car went into limp mode while driving. I can’t got more than 60 mph. There is occasional knocking as well.

Engine light came on and off intermittently and then stayed on. Idle was rough and engine almost stalled. When scanned a P0301 code was thrown (misfire on cylinder 1).

I keep having issues with the crankshaft pulley and the drive belt.

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 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 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 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 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’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 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 tha

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.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 165,000.

Starting around 50k mileage, the engine experienced misfire-like issues: rough idling & transitory reduction of power during acceleration and cruising. This was brought to the dealership multiple times, but the check engine light had never come on, nor were there any error codes saved in the OBD system. After 60k mileage, the check engine light did come on temporarily, but would automatically clear, still without any error codes saved in OBD. Around 65k mileage, the vehicle could not accelerate to highway speeds, so I had it towed to the dealer and refused to take it back until they found the issue. They then observed an error saved in OBD showing a misfire on cylinder 3. Replaced all spark plugs + coil packs, which seems to have corrected the problem. After 70k mileage, I observed that the engine burns oil, about 1 quart per 3k miles. This rate has stayed consistent up to the current 100k mileage.

The airbags did not deploy when a large jeep turned into the driver side door.

My engine shutoff/misfired while I was driving. The rest of my vehicle maintained power, dashboard headlights, radio. I took it to an autoshop where the issue was replicated. When my engine shut off the I had three check lights come on eps, oil, and battery. There was no warning prior to the engine shutting off.

I take my car to kia dealership for my oil changes.they put the $45.00 oil,not sure if conventional or semi.apprx.4mos ago they told me kia no longer use the $45.00 oil so needed to upgrade to full synthetic oil.so i did,approx 2mos after,engine light came on flasing.with the oil light flashing aswell.i needed to add 4quarts.from that day foward the car does not have power.no more than 60mph.ps.added another 2 quarts adout 3weeks ago

1. The knock sensor failed. As a consequence the vehicle will not run properly. 2. The vehicle has been at Fred Beans KIA of Langhorne for several weeks. I assume that it is available for inspection. 3. The vehicle will not run properly. It will not accelerate when the gas pedal is pressed and the engine often stops running. Very dangerous on highways and heavily traveled roadways. 4. Yes the problem has been confirmed by Ciocca KIA of Trenton, NJ. Frank's Service Center 645 Knowles Ave., South Hampton, PA 18966 and Fred Beans KIA of Langhorne, PA 19047. 5. Yes. See attached report. 6. Yes there was an engine warning light and a message on the screen.

Came outside to back windshield shattered. Cars all around me were perfectly fine and mine had a huge hole and was completely shattered. After googling, this is apparently a common problem with kias

Headlights started to flicker off and on after using the blinkers. Just randomly. The alarm won't arm or disarm unless I put the key into the ignition, the alarm (and horn) is set off, I have to take the key out and disarm the alarm it with the remote. The car still starts, all the alarm does is make noise. The dashboard displays FUSE and the clock is always displayed at 1:00 when I start my car. They couldn't diagnose my car when I Took the car in for a recall software update, after the update hours later the headlights and dashboard lights turned off while I was on the freeway-no blinkers used when this happened. It happened several times after that. The dealer said they would need to keep my car and though it is under the extended warranty I pay for, there wouldn't be a rental car until it was diagnosed and if it is covered then they would reimburse me or my car rental. I had to wait several weeks until I could get an appointment, and my own car rental. Now the dealer said they couldn't find anything wrong. They kept the car because they had not addressed the inside fuse display on dashboard, clock, or alarm issue.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed but no errors were found. Out of an abundance of precaution, the oil pressure sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which he linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Car does not turn off. Put car in park, remove key, still running. Change gears, step on brake, park, remove key while still on brake pedal, still running. Had to remove two components from fuse box to turn off car & electrical (dashboard was still on when first component was removed, which stopped engine). Key fob doesn’t work either, have to manually lock/unlock. Car is available for inspection. *trying* to set up an appt with the dealership to get it serviced, but it’s a holiday weekend. This is dangerous, bc it’ll kill battery, and if ppl don’t figure out how to manually turn car off from fuse, the fumes can be dangerous. I was at work & in a parking garage. I had to run inside for a few min & the smell was strong afterwards. No warning signs/codes on car. Has not been inspected yet by anyone.

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle stalled, with the battery and oil level warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, and informed the contact that VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 100,007.

It happened on July 29th 2023. Coming home from visiting my son my engine started to make a loud knocking noise. There have been no warnings, no light indicators came on, just nothing. Luckily made it home safely. Car has just a Lil over 97,000 miles on it. The coolant, oil,transmission fluid all are good. Took to a shop on August 2nd and said the motor is blown. With low miles and only 6years old the car should not have a blown motor already. I belive the recall should be extended to All 2017 KIA FORTES.

I purchased this vehicle second hand at 43k miles. The issue began around 50k miles and would rough idle when coming to a stop and a check engine light appeared. At 55k miles it was taken to a Kia dealership where they were unable to diagnose the issue. They ran a diagnostic and found nothing. Shorty after, the issue persisted. I took it back to the Kia dealership where they were able to run another diagnostic on the check engine light, and they told me it was the spark plugs. I did not believe this as my father has been a technician for over 40 years and said that the issue seems to be an ignition coil issue. I never took the vehicle back to any Kia or IRF since. I’ve replaced 1 coil and the issue smoothed out. Some time after, the issue began to worsen and continue to intermittently over the course of months, rough idle, shoot up in rpms, stall while accelerating, and once or twice it has shut off completely while at a stop light. Unfortunately, I have so far replaced 2 coils and the issue is moderate but not to the point of shutting off. The vehicle is eligible for inspection upon request. I do NOT feel safe driving this vehicle, and it’s unfortunate for me as it is my first vehicle.

The head light turn off occasionally when the turn signal is used and does not always come back on with out playing with it or jiggle it. It has put mine and others safety at risk at dark. The dealer recommends replacing the multifunction switch. Part is on a national back order.

My 2017 Kia Forte was stalling during driving with no warning. Engine light would come on periodically and then go off again. It stalled numerous times on busy roads and at busy intersections. I'm blessed I was never rear ended. It finally died after parking it one day and wouldn't start again. It is at the Kia dealership where they tell me... for lack of mechanical terms, it has jumped time and they need me to pay $2200 to have it fixed. My tech told me, "this may fix your problems but we will not know until that is fixed because we can not further diagnose it until that gets fixed". In my 47 years of life I've never had a mechanic tell me to pay that much but we aren't sure if this will fix it. Kia knows these engines are junk and are trying to get out of replacing/fixing what is wrong for so many! This is so wrong! These car/engines are dangerous and a ticking time bomb!

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact state that while her niece was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact’s niece was able to restart the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crank shaft sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, after the vehicle was retrieved, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oil pan failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V260000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.