2017 Kia Forte reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 302 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Forte over 10 years — 23 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Forte years here — over the median of the other years, which is 8. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Air bags, Latch, and Pump.

2012 Kia Forte — Photo by Michael Gil from Calgary, AB, Canada, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0

Complaints

302

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (145 of 302), then Electrical system (46) and Exterior lighting (43). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 14 that report an injury, and 2 that report a death.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Forte has 3 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2018 has 136 complaints, 11 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Kia Forte. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Air bags 2022-01-25 · NHTSA campaign 22V031000

Summary 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.

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.

Recall latches, locks, and linkages, trunk lid, latch 2021-08-09 · NHTSA campaign 21V622000

Summary 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."

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.

Recall engine and cooling, engine, oil and lubrication, pump 2021-04-13 · NHTSA campaign 21V260000

Summary 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.

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 (302 total)

Engine

145

Electrical system

Exterior lighting

Fuel and propulsion system

Air bags

Speed control

Engine and engine cooling

Powertrain

Steering

Structure

Visibility and wipers

Service brakes

Latches, locks, and linkages

Wheels

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Seat belts

Suspension

Air brakes

Fuel system, gasoline

Hydraulic brakes

Visibility

Show 13 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"There was a rod failure in the engine. The vehicle is currently at the repair facility. This rod failure caused the vehicle to die while traveling down the road, so it was a safety risk. The rod failure was diagnosed by…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-21
"See attached document for complaint."
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-08-20
"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…"
Electrical system, Speed control, Engine · filed 2026-06-18
"Kia has common problems on the airbags even tho my air bags is good but I want to still check it"
Air bags · filed 2026-05-24
"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…"
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Speed control · filed 2026-05-07

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2017 Kia Forte 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Forte	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	25	33	28 MPG	$2300
Forte	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	29	38	32 MPG	$2050
Forte	2L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	25	34	28 MPG	$2300
Forte 5	1.6L, 4-cyl	Automatic (7-speed)	Front-wheel drive	25	30	27 MPG	$2400
Forte 5	1.6L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	23	29	25 MPG	$2600
Forte 5	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	25	34	28 MPG	$2300
Forte Koup	1.6L, 4-cyl	Automatic (7-speed)	Front-wheel drive	25	32	27 MPG	$2400
Forte Koup	1.6L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	23	30	26 MPG	$2500
Forte Koup	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	25	33	28 MPG	$2300

Specs and fitment

3rd generation (YD), 2012–2018

Body styles Sedan

Oil 5W-20 or 0W-20 (1.8L and 2.0L) , 4.2 qt capacity

Tire size 195/65R15 to 225/40R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 21V622000. 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.

Compare

Next year 2018 Kia Forte See every Kia Forte model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Kia Forte reliable?

What are common problems with a 2017 Kia Forte?

Is the 2017 Kia Forte more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Forte has 3 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2018 has 136 complaints, 11 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Kia Forte been recalled?

The 2017 Kia Forte has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Kia Forte?

Owners have filed 302 complaints about the 2017 Kia Forte with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Kia Forte get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Kia Forte is 27.7 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Forte take?

Viscosity and capacity depend on engine and model year; use the generation specs here and confirm in the owner’s manual.

What generation is the 2020 Kia Forte?

4th generation / BD (2019-on).

What tire sizes does a Kia Forte use?

US Forte fits commonly run about 195/65R15 to 225/40R18 depending on trim.