MODELYEARINDEX

Which Kia Forte years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2017 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Kia Forte Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2017 vs model median 2.2×
Model median3× median
Engine 43
Lights & Visibility 31
Electrical 23
Avoid

2014 · 2017

Best

2015 · 2020

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
1.07× 99 C
2011
0.77× 44 C
2012
0.91× 60 C
2013
0.52× 45 C
2014
1.99× 153 D
2015
0.92× 70 B
2016
1.18× 90 C
2017
2.23× 187 F
2018
1.04× 78 C
2019
1.52× 126 C
2020
0.76× 60 B
2021
0.96× 84 B
2022 P
0.47× 40 A
2023 P
1.16× 96 C
2024 P
0.64× 46 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2014 D 153 reports · median 28,500 mi

  1. Engine 21

    This is our 2nd 2014 kia forte ex with navigation everything top of the line... Well the first one had a knock in the motor so the dealership "exchanged" it and this one the seat takes about 5 min to lock into place… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Tires & Wheels 21

    While driving the vehicle I inadvertently hit a pothole. It was the coldest night of the year, -20 degrees. Hitting the pothole knocked the bead of my tire off the rim. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Airbags & Restraints 21

    I was involved in a car accident in which a man ran a red light as I was going through an intersection. He hit my car right at the "hinge" of the driver's side door and hit me into the car next to me. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

29 crash · 5 fire · 29 injuries

2017 F 187 reports · median 32,850 mi

  1. Engine 43

    The vehicle is the s model, new for 2017, I have driven the car approximately 2,000 miles since leasing it in september 2016. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Lights & Visibility 31

    The contact owns a 2017 kia forte. The contact stated that due to the glare on the windshield, she was unable to see the road clearly. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 23

    The autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and forward collision warning (fcw) systems on my vehicle never activate when traffic situations are obvious for the AEB and fcw to activate. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

24 crash · 5 fire · 27 injuries

The best year for the Forte

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Forte model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.1 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2013 at 0.52× this model’s median, against 0.76× for 2020.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.76× 60 B
2015 0.92× 70 B
2021 0.96× 84 B

Recalls

18 campaigns on record, 3 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
23V652000 Park it SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2010–2013 1,730,192
13V114000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH 2010 980,377
18V363000 AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE 2010–2013 507,587
22V031000 AIR BAGS 2017, 2018 410,619
20V750000 ENGINE 2012–2015 294,756
21V622000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH 2016–2018 253,074
17V773000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES 2012–2014 134,366
15V015000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2014 86,880
16V070000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES 2011 10,240
16V312000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR 2013 5,245
21V260000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP 2017, 2018 4,069
23V649000 Park it SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM 2023 3,866

+ 6 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2017 were reported at a median of 32,850 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Kia Forte years should you avoid?
2017, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Kia Forte model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Kia Forte?
2020 is the best-scoring Kia Forte model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 81.1 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Kia Forte have?
18 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Kia Forte model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 Forte
Complaints in window
187
Severity-weighted
317.5
Model median (weighted)
143
vs model median
2.23×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
3
Open investigations
0
Score 36.8 F