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RecallScanner Severity Profile

Kia RIO

Watch3 recall campaigns, verify by VIN.
0
RecallScore
Critical
1
Fire risk
1
Crash risk
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
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All Recalls

3 campaigns
3 recalls 1 critical🔥 1 fire risk💥 1 crash risk
Model year
Brakes
Sep 25, 2023
954 days ago

Your engine can catch fire while parked or driving due to an electrical short in the control unit.

Affected: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE · 2017
FIRE RISK
NHTSA
Summary

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 Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.

Consequence

An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC284.

Brakes
Jan 12, 2021
1940 days ago

Your brakes can fail to stop the car, making crashes more likely.

Affected: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER · 2021
CRASH RISK
NHTSA
Summary

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.

Consequence

Reduced braking performance can cause longer brake pedal travel or extend the distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 11, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall SC223.

Other
Aug 24, 2023
986 days ago

Your trunk latch can crack and trap someone inside the trunk compartment.

Affected: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH · 2017
NHTSA
Summary

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 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 base subassembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC278.

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Full analysis: how to read the Kia RIO recall history
Year range, common components, complaint patterns, and how to use this page.

Understanding the Kia RIO recall history

The Kia RIO currently has 3 recall campaigns indexed from the NHTSA public database. Each recall represents a formal campaign to fix a defect at no cost to the current owner. Owner complaints are self-reported incidents that haven't (yet) resulted in a recall but can indicate emerging patterns worth watching.

The most frequent recall category for the RIO in our dataset is brake (2). These clusters matter when you're shopping for a used RIO: recalls in these systems tend to be the ones most likely to have been skipped by previous owners, because they aren't always visible during a routine test drive or pre-purchase inspection.

The tracked recalls span model years 2017–2021, with campaigns reported to NHTSA between 2021 and 2023. Not every model year carries every recall. Each campaign is scoped to a specific year range and often a specific build window, which is why a VIN lookup is the only way to know whether a particular RIO is actually affected by any of these campaigns.

How to use this page

The safest path for an owner is to run your VIN through the checker above. A VIN query hits NHTSA's live API and tells you whether your specific RIO has an open, unresolved recall. If you're researching a used RIObefore buying, use the recall list below to understand the model's full history, then check the seller's VIN to see whether prior owners actually completed the free repairs. Many don't, and unresolved recalls can linger for years.

Figures are generated live from the RecallScanner dataset, which is sourced from NHTSA's public recall and complaint APIs and refreshed daily. RecallScanner is independent and not affiliated with Kia or any U.S. government agency.

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