The 2017 Kia Forte is a midsize cars vehicle covered by 9 EPA fuel-economy configurations. In NHTSA's records it has accumulated 305 owner complaints and 3 recall campaign(s). Of those complaints, 23 report a crash and 10 report a fire; 14 complaints report injuries totalling 21 injured people, and 4 deaths are recorded across all complaints for this model-year. The single most-reported component is Engine, named in 145 complaints (47.5% of the total). The sections below reproduce the underlying records in full: crash-test ratings, every recall campaign with its NHTSA campaign number, complaint counts by component, and EPA fuel-economy figures for each configuration.
NHTSA Safety Ratings
NHTSA tested the 2017 Kia Forte 4 DR FWD under its 5-Star Safety Ratings program. Ratings run from 1 to 5 stars; "Not rated" means NHTSA did not publish a score for that test for this variant.
| Test | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | ★★★★★ |
| Frontal crash — overall | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — driver | ★★★★☆ |
| Frontal crash — passenger | ★★★★☆ |
| Side crash — overall | ★★★★★ |
| Side crash — driver | ★★★★★ |
| Side crash — passenger | ★★★★★ |
| Side pole crash | ★★★★★ |
| Rollover resistance | ★★★★☆ |
Electronic stability control was fitted as standard equipment on the tested variant, and NHTSA records no safety recall investigation rating adjustments for it.
Recall Campaigns (3)
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) that include the 2017 Kia Forte. Each campaign below shows the official NHTSA campaign number, the affected component, and the manufacturer's own summary, consequence and remedy statements as published by NHTSA. To check whether a specific vehicle is covered, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.
Campaign 22V031000 — Air Bags 25/01/2022
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.
Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury 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.
Campaign 21V622000 — Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:latch 09/08/2021
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."
Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 21V260000 — Engine and Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump 13/04/2021
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.
Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Owner Complaints (305)
Owners have filed 305 complaints about the 2017 Kia Forte with NHTSA. Complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — higher-selling vehicles naturally attract more complaints — but the breakdown by component shows where owners report problems most often.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 145 | 47.5% |
| Unknown Or Other | 49 | 16.1% |
| Electrical System | 47 | 15.4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 44 | 14.4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 29 | 9.5% |
| Air Bags | 18 | 5.9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 17 | 5.6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 14 | 4.6% |
| Power Train | 12 | 3.9% |
| Structure | 10 | 3.3% |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 3.0% |
| Steering | 9 | 3.0% |
Complaints by Component — Visual
Bar length is proportional to the most-reported component for this model-year (Engine, 145 complaints).
By filing year, complaints peaked in 2025 with 43 filings. Owners filed 305 complaints in total across 10 calendar years in the database extract. Complaints involving a crash number 23 and those involving a fire number 10; 14 complaints report at least one injury.
EPA Fuel Economy
The EPA classifies the 2017 Kia Forte as a midsize cars vehicle and published ratings for 9 configurations (engine, transmission, drive and fuel combinations). Combined fuel economy spans 25–32 MPG; the median configuration returns 25 city / 33 highway / 28 combined MPG. Fuel types covered: Regular Gasoline.
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | Fuel | Combined MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 28 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | Automatic (AM7) | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 27 |
| 1.6L 4-cyl | Manual 6-spd | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 25.5 |
| 2.0L 4-cyl | Manual 6-spd | Front-Wheel Drive | Regular Gasoline | 28 |
Showing the 4 most common configuration groups of 9 EPA configurations.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and safety ratings databases and EPA FuelEconomy.gov dataset, accessed October 2026. See our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2017 Kia Forte have?
NHTSA's complaints database held 305 complaints for the 2017 Kia Forte when accessed in October 2026. The most-reported component was Engine with 145 complaints.
How many recalls affect the 2017 Kia Forte?
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) covering the 2017 Kia Forte in the data accessed in October 2026, including campaign 22V031000 for Air Bags.
What is the 2017 Kia Forte's safety rating?
NHTSA gave the tested 2017 Kia Forte 4 DR FWD an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars, with 4 stars for frontal crash, 5 for side crash and 4 for rollover resistance.
What MPG does the 2017 Kia Forte get?
The EPA rated 9 configurations of the 2017 Kia Forte. Combined fuel economy ranges from 25 to 32 MPG, with a median of 28 MPG (median city 25, median highway 33).