What 300 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Forte Koup

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

NHTSA ODI 11567031

The speedometer does not work. The car will not accelerate. I always have belt problems.

NHTSA ODI 11565938

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 that could have ended in a tragic situation. Kia continues to give me the run around with a replacement engine on a Kia Forte LX 2.0 MPI engine.

NHTSA ODI 11565268

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.

NHTSA ODI 11564304

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.

NHTSA ODI 11563639

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.

NHTSA ODI 11562886

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

NHTSA ODI 11559293

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.

NHTSA ODI 11558539

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

NHTSA ODI 11557799

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.

NHTSA ODI 11557032

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

NHTSA ODI 11551760

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.

NHTSA ODI 11551284

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.

NHTSA ODI 11550488

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.

NHTSA ODI 11542340

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.

NHTSA ODI 11537154

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.

NHTSA ODI 11537173

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.

NHTSA ODI 11536617

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.

NHTSA ODI 11536343

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!

NHTSA ODI 11535204

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.

NHTSA ODI 11533173

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the mechanic retrieved DTC codes: P0017 and P0014. Additionally, metal shavings were found inside the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 103,000.

NHTSA ODI 11532992

The engine failed similar to all the other recalls I see on other kia models.

NHTSA ODI 11533061

Engine is siezed

NHTSA ODI 11532157

At 86575 miles after routine check ups at the dealership and routine maintenance being done regularly my check engine light came on I tried to put gas in my car and it sprayed all over me and the car and the gas tank I can’t put gas in my car and the dealership is expecting me to cover this costs and I’ve seen many other documented incidents with the same complaints

NHTSA ODI 11531151

My 2017 Kia forte with less than 100,000 miles on it started stalling and consuming excess amounts of oil. I was still paying on it. I made sure to keep oil in my car and always did my oil changes. No receipts for those because my father changed my oil for me. One day it stalled on the highway out of nowhere. It stopped stalling and nobody could figure out why it had done that even when taken into the shop. One day I went out to start my car and it wouldn’t start. My husband had it towed to the dealership and it was a blown engine. I was still paying on this car. I had only had it for 2 years. Now, this make, model, and year are included in a recall for catastrophic engine failure and stalling, yet, when I look it up online my VIN isn’t included… in fact my manufacturing date is only a week out from what they would include. This has been traumatizing to me considering I cared for my mother for ten years and she had just passed unexpectedly after a surgery, and I wasn’t working because of this… now my husband has to now take me to work, if I can find a job that works around his schedule… and I have to pay 7,000 which is what is left of what I owe on my loan. I am unhappy to say the least.

NHTSA ODI 11529660