2000-2023 · 24 model years
Owners have filed 1,348 complaints about the Kia Rio across 24 model years, and it has 11 recalls. The 2001 has the most complaints once its age is allowed for (224), while 2000, 2011, 2023 have far fewer than a typical year. The most reported problem area is the engine & cooling, followed by the airbags.
Highlighted: the year with the most complaints for its age. Older vehicles have had more time to collect complaints - the Safety Index grade allows for that.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The...
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Rio, 2016-2018 Optima, 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The trunk latch base may crack, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to...
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rio and Forte vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Rio vehicles. The brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges that can damage the inner oil seal, resulting in reduced braking performance.
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...
Kia is recalling certain model year 2006-2008 rio vehicles, manufactured from february 20, 2005, through december 9, 2007. The front passenger seat occupant sensor mat can experience fatigue cracking. If sufficient cracking occurs, the occupant...
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "Occupant crash protection." When used with certain child seats, the automatic locking retractor (alr) function in the rear outboard seatbelt...
Certain passenger vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 225, 'Child restraint anchorage systems.' Certain child restraint anchors will not fully latch onto the lower latch anchors located between the rear...
Certain passenger vehicles may have a manufacturing flaw that could cause the wheels to crack under long term driving fatigue. If cracks occur, wheel noise and vibration will result and become progressively worse over time.
On certain passenger vehicles, the fuel intake nipple of the fuel distributor is subject to fracture or cracking during removal of the quick connect coupling securing the main fuel tube assembly to the fuel intake nipple, or when force is accidentally applied...
On certain passenger vehicles, fuel leaks may develop at the fuel distributor assembly because of quality deviations.
Trunk latch failed after 2 years cannot open trunk with key or latch by front seat tried to open trunk and latch will not engage to open,
ON 9/21/2026 AT 3:18AM WAS GETTING OFF TURNPIKE Becker rd. 128 CAME TO A STOP LIGHT WHEN a truck plowed in the back of me then took off. hit me so hard the car shut off. i started the car back up after a few minutes did not see anyone and drove home.
While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly began bucking, lost power, and lost oil. The engine compartment immediately caught fire. The fire was entirely non-collision related and required immediate extinguishing. The incident was logged by the Washington State Patrol. The vehicle was towed and subsequently inspected by a certified Kia dealership. The Kia dealership technicians officially diagnosed the cause of the fire as a catastrophic internal engine failure, specifically noting in writing that they...
"found hole in engine block." They noted there was no other possible causation. This spontaneous engine failure and resulting fire occurred at approximately 99,000 miles. The vehicle is currently disabled and available for inspection upon request.
The rear camera fails to function most of the time. It is a safety issue because I am unable to see cars or objects behind me when I am backing up. I am also unable people passing behind me when I am backing out of a parking space in a parking lot.
The trunk latch is broken which is a known recall for KIA but not for my car model. There is no way to access the trunk otherwise. Now my tail light is out and cannot be fixed because I cannot access the trunk. There is NO OTHER WAY TO ACCESS THE TRUNK.
On [[redacted]], while driving my 2005 Kia Rio northbound on [[redacted]] across the [[redacted]], I was coming from a meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, and heading toward Jeffersonville, Indiana. While I was driving, the hood (bonnet) of my vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly flipped up and slammed into the windshield. The hood struck the windshield with such force that it completely shattered the windshield and became lodged against it, completely obstructing my forward view. The impact was also severe enough to...
bend and break the hood at multiple points around its hinges. I have never experienced or seen anything like this before. Despite having my forward view completely obstructed, I was able to use my side mirrors and rearview mirror to navigate the vehicle onto the shoulder of the highway/bridge and bring it to a stop. The [[redacted]] is a major, multi-lane highway with significant traffic. Because the hood suddenly obstructed my view while I was driving on the bridge, the incident created an extremely dangerous situation and could have resulted in a catastrophic multiple-vehicle accident. Immediately following the incident, I was in a state of shock and remained gripping the steering wheel, unable to move. Shortly thereafter, a man driving a van pulled over onto the shoulder and asked whether I was okay. He then helped by lowering the hood of my vehicle back down from where it was stuck against the windshield. Following the incident, I took my 2005 Kia Rio to the Kia Store dealership in Clarksville, Indiana, where the service manager oversaw the inspection of my vehicle. I have also reported the incident directly to Kia America. Kia America is currently reviewing my complaint, and I have provided Kia with videos showing the vehicle and the incident. At the time of submitting this report, several weeks have passed and Kia's review is still ongoing. Video: [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Across every model year, owners report problems with the engine & cooling (407), airbags (279), brakes (178) most often.
NHTSA lists 11 recalls across all Kia Rio model years. Each year's page lists the recalls for that year; check your own vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether the repair has been done.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data
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