2017 Kia Forte

The 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 deploy in a crash.

The risk

Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

The 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 · up to 410,619 vehicles across all model years covered

The defect

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."

The risk

A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

The 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.

Kia Motors America · up to 253,074 vehicles across all model years covered

The 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.

The risk

A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

The 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.

Kia Motors America · up to 4,069 vehicles across all model years covered

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 patterns. The issue has been confirmed via multiple independent service interventions. Most notably, in February 2024, a third-party professional repair - which included the replacement of the Power Distribution Unit (Central Fuse Box) was performed to address these electrical faults. Despite this professional intervention, the defect recurred in May 2026. The failure of the turn signals and brake …

NHTSA complaint 11745123, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Kia has common problems on the airbags even tho my air bags is good but I want to still check it

NHTSA complaint 11739768. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 told them about this and it just keeps going on. Today I took a huge list of things they should check to see why it’s doing this. This is the following list that I gave them -2017 Kia Forte - Service Request: •Issue: Headlights/dash icons flicker specifically when using turn signals. •Issue: Average MPG keeps resetting (Computer Brownout). •Mandatory Checks: 1Multi-Function Switch (internal …

NHTSA complaint 11736367, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

113,922 miles

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 illuminated. The vehicle was driven to a independent mechanic where it was diagnosed to be a timing chain failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,922.

NHTSA complaint 11735523. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 110,000 miles

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal screeching sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to pull off to the side of the road, and the vehicle shut off. The contact attempted to jumpstart the vehicle, but after several attempts, the vehicle failed to start. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was initially informed that the engine would be replaced free of charge; however, the contact was later informed that there would be a charge for labor. The contact declined the repair. The manufacturer was notified …

NHTSA complaint 11732388, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 motive power in the vehicle has increased the risk of crash and driver injury.

NHTSA complaint 11723263. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.