2017 Kia Forte problems
Owners have filed 436 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Forte. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 36% of complaints. Next are electrical system (11%) and lighting (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 436 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 37% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 38 and 15
- Injuries and deaths
- 36 and 6
- Typical mileage
- 37,000 miles 193 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 53 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 48 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 26 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 20 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 17 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 193 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 37,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 82,000 miles (61 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 38 complaints mention a crash; 15 complaints mention a fire; 36 injuries reported; 6 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Kia Forte with enough data (276 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The 2017 Kia was parked in the attached garage of a private residence when a fire broke out. The building was fully involved by the time first responders arrived shortly after midnight on May 19, 2022. Both residents of the home were deceased at the scene, in separate bedrooms. The point of origin of the fire was determined to be at the Kia, which was heavily damaged in the fire. The individual making this report is the attorney representing the estates of the decedents.
Vehicle was in a major crash on illinois route 15 in belleville il. Vehicle was struck in the front driver side off center by a wrong way driver. Passenger in the kia was trapped under the dash. Passenger was wearing seat belt and it appears the seat belt failed to lock. Passenger airbags did not deploy. Passager was pronounced dead at the scene. Driver was wearing seat belt. Driver suffered severe injuries to his head from impacting the steering wheel and was ejected out of the driver side window.
The car was involved in an accident and the insurance company informed the lienholder that the vehicle was possibly a total loss and the lienholder ignored them and sold the vehicle to a public auction without contacting the original owner of the car to pay on the vehicle either. The owner of the car was injured in the vehicle in question as well as a passenger and the lienholder is aware and still sold without proper notice and they changed the locks of the vehicle to prevent the insurance company from doing a…
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power with an abnormal ratting sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle into a parking lot and then had the vehicle towed to the residence. The contact later towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure.