The 2017 Kia Forte has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 667,762 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 431 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS22V0310002022-01-25410,619 affected
Defect
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…
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…
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.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING21V2600002021-04-134,069 affected
Defect
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
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.
Complaints by component
ENGINE
144
4crashes4fires3injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
49
6crashes4fires5injuries2deaths
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
44
3crashes2fires2injuries
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
39
2crashes2fires
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
29
2crashes2fires5injuries
AIR BAGS
18
13crashes14injuries2deaths
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
17
POWER TRAIN
12
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
10
STEERING
9
1crashes2injuries
Total complaints431
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The vehicle exhibits a chronic, systemic electrical failure characterized by the intermittent loss of critical lighting systems, including turn signals and brake lights. This failur5e has persisted over several years and thousands of miles, independent of battery replacements or specific usage…”
“The vehicle exhibits a chronic, systemic electrical failure characterized by the intermittent loss of critical lighting systems, including turn signals and brake lights. This failur5e has persisted over several years and thousands of miles, independent of battery replacements or specific usage…”
“The vehicle exhibits a chronic, systemic electrical failure characterized by the intermittent loss of critical lighting systems, including turn signals and brake lights. This failur5e has persisted over several years and thousands of miles, independent of battery replacements or specific usage…”
“The headlights and dashboard lose power intermittently while driving at highway speeds, specifically triggered by using the turn signal. This is ongoing since january when I started having to take it for a recalls.more things kept happening. I kept having to have more repairs. Every time I went, I…”
“The headlights and dashboard lose power intermittently while driving at highway speeds, specifically triggered by using the turn signal. This is ongoing since january when I started having to take it for a recalls.more things kept happening. I kept having to have more repairs. Every time I went, I…”
“The headlights and dashboard lose power intermittently while driving at highway speeds, specifically triggered by using the turn signal. This is ongoing since january when I started having to take it for a recalls.more things kept happening. I kept having to have more repairs. Every time I went, I…”
“The contact owns a 2017 kia forte. The contact stated while operating the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was misfiring, severely shaking and was losing motive power suddenly while operating on multiple constantly for about 3 weeks, and state she noticed a check engine warning light…”
“Failure of the engine oil pump pertaining to the exact situation covered in nhtsa campaign 21v-260, but vehicle is not covered. The campaign covered vehicles manufactured from june 5, 2017 to july 24, 2017. Vehicle was manufactured in mexico, is equipped with the 2.0 nu mpi engine. The loss of…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2017 Kia Forte as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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