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2017 Kia Forte

Gas
Midsize Cars
9 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
C
Safety Signal
78 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns3
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA301
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA32 mpg
202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2017 Kia Forte is sold in the U.S. as a gas midsize car with 9 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forte, is EPA-rated at 32 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 301 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
ForteGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl293832$1,950
ForteGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl253328$2,250
ForteGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl253428$2,250
Forte 5GasFWD2.0L 4-cyl253428$2,250
Forte KoupGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl253328$2,250
Forte 5GasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo253027$2,300
Forte KoupGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo253227$2,300
Forte KoupGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo233026$2,400
Forte 5GasFWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo232925$2,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37555, 37492, 37556, 38114, 38091, 38115, 38092, 38093, 38116.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2017 Kia Forte is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Air Bags

SC226
410,619 vehicles
ProblemKia 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.RiskAir bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 22V031000reported Jan 25, 2022Kia Motors America
●moderate

Latches/Locks/Linkages

SC216
253,074 vehicles
ProblemKia 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."RiskA person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.FixDealers 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V622000reported Aug 9, 2021Kia Motors America
▲high

Engine And Engine Cooling

SC210
4,069 vehicles
ProblemKia 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.RiskA damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.FixKia 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.
NHTSA campaign 21V260000reported Apr 13, 2021Kia Motors America

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
301complaints filed

23 involved a crash · 9 a fire · 21 injuries · 4 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2017: 7 · 2018: 21 · 2019: 40 · 2020: 31 · 2021: 40 · 2022: 40 · 2023: 40 · 2024: 30 · 2025: 43 · 2026: 9

Most-cited components

Engine144
Unspecified49
Electrical System46
Exterior Lighting43
Fuel/Propulsion System29
Vehicle Speed Control18

What owners describe

“1st incident, 10/09/20 water intail lights smells of mildew 2nd " 11/1/20 water is leaking in trunk installed new gaskets to the tail lights 3rd " 6/9/21 removed drivers seat and gas/trunk latch lever and fuel door lever cable cable was found to be stretched and needs replaced. Parts were ordered 01/10/22 parts never c…”Jan 11, 2022 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report
“My car is constantly stalling and I have nearly gotten into several accidents because it would stall at red lights, or while driving, turning it stalls. In order to keep it from stalling have to keep putting it into neutral. I can't get a proper scan on it because the engine light isn't on. This has been happening for …”Dec 29, 2021 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“The trunk of my 2017 Kia Forte wouldn’t open in the morning. I checked for a solution online and saw there was an active recall (SC216) on the latching mechanism of the trunk which was causing it to get stuck. Took it to the dealership to get it fixed. They fixed it but then told me I needed to pay for it. When I tol…”Dec 23, 2021 · Structure · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆10%
5 HB FWDnot ratednot rated★★★★★★★★★☆10%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Forte model years

A

2024 Kia Forte

0 recalls · 24 complaints

D

2023 Kia Forte

3 recalls · 61 complaints

A

2022 Kia Forte

1 recalls · 26 complaints

B

2021 Kia Forte

2 recalls · 67 complaints

A

2020 Kia Forte

0 recalls · 74 complaints

B

2019 Kia Forte

2 recalls · 147 complaints

C

2018 Kia Forte

3 recalls · 136 complaints

A

2016 Kia Forte

1 recalls · 137 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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