2017 Kia Forte engine problems
159 of the 303 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Kia Forte name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 45 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database4 of the 159 reports a crash · 4 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 1 · 2018: 5 · 2019: 11 · 2020: 10 · 2021: 21 · 2022: 26 · 2023: 26 · 2024: 21 · 2025: 31 · 2026: 7
Half of the 59 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 35,000 and 111,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
303 complaints in all about the 2017 Kia Forte, 7 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Kia Forte engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
I was driving down the expressway when my car lost power. I tried giving it gas and it just would sputter, still barely moving. I had people almost hitting me. The car has less than 30,000 miles and I just had bought it 60 something days ago. The car will just loose power no matter how fast you going. The car is unsafe to drive
Every time I hot a bump the rear end goes all over the place. Also at a speed of 40 to 50 MPH the vehicle hesitate, for 10 to 15 seconds for no aparent reason. While i'm driving, especially going up a hill
Car will randomly hesitate and shake with powerloss maybe once every few days. This will happen when coming to a stop then accelerating again after driving for 30 minutes or so .CEL will either not display or blink a few times but go away (and not show up on the history) making it impossible to diagnose.
Leaking oil in the in the oil pan gasket, also a notorious corrosion in the aluminum engine block, the Kia have less than year, when I take into the oil change, the dealer did a inspection in the car, but never mentioned the leaking oil from the oil gasket pan.
While sitting idle for over 45 minutes the car started to vibrate. When I began to drive it shook and did not pick up as it should when driving. When stopped at a traffic light it vibrates worse.
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 21V260000 HighApr 13, 2021 · 4,069 vehicles
- 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.
45 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- TSB_ENG222_R8 Service bulletinApr 3, 2025
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the table on pages 9 and 10 for applicable models and engine
- TSB_ENG222_R7 Service bulletinFeb 28, 2025
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the tables on pages 8-9 for applicable models and engine), w
The 2 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0301 P0303 P0300 P0302 P0304 P1326 P0014 P0016
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Kia Forte names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2017 Kia Forte?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 159 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (52% of everything owners filed about it), and 45 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2017 Kia Forte?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 21V260000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do engine problems show up on the 2017 Kia Forte?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 82,000 miles; half of them between 35,000 and 111,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.