Kia Rio
Owners filed 1,290 complaints across 24 model years of the Kia Rio. The 2001 drew the most (223); the 2000 the fewest (3).
Model years24
Complaints1,290
Recalls27
Fires93
Deaths7
Every Kia Rio model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 12 | 0 | — | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | — | 2 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2021 | 15 | 2 | — | 2 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2020 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Unknown or Other | Fatalities reported | |
| 2019 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2018 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2017 | 31 | 2 | 6 | 3 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2016 | 77 | 2 | 5 | 7 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2015 | 52 | 1 | 10 | 4 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2014 | 52 | 1 | 8 | 7 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2013 | 153 | 1 | 18 | 8 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2012 | 54 | 1 | 9 | 3 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2011 | 24 | 0 | — | 4 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2010 | 26 | 0 | — | 9 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2009 | 39 | 0 | — | 6 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2008 | 46 | 1 | — | 11 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2007 | 46 | 1 | 1 | 11 | Air Bags | Fatalities reported | |
| 2006 | 74 | 1 | — | 12 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2005 | 36 | 1 | 4 | 4 | Engine and Engine Cooling | Fatalities reported | |
| 2004 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2003 | 74 | 3 | 2 | 8 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2002 | 128 | 1 | 6 | 25 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 2001 | 223 | 3 | 14 | 21 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 2000 | 3 | 0 | — | — | Air Bags | Routine |
Which Kia Rio years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2001 is the weakest year on record, with 223 complaints concentrated in the engine and engine cooling › engine. It carries 3 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.