3 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
In some Forte and Rio cars, a bolt in the steering column may not be properly secured. If the bolt comes loose, the steering column can separate from the steering rack, which can take away the driver's ability to steer the car.
Kia is recalling certain Rio vehicles because the brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges. Those edges can damage an inner oil seal inside the master cylinder. Once the seal is damaged, the brakes may not perform as well as they should, which can show up as a brake pedal that travels farther than normal or a longer distance needed to bring the vehicle to a stop.
On these Kia Forte and Rio cars, the trunk latch can become damaged. When that happens, the trunk cannot be opened from inside the trunk compartment. Federal safety rules require a way to get out of a closed trunk from the inside, and because the latch may fail, these cars do not meet that requirement. A dealer will replace the whole trunk latch assembly with a new one.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls covering the 2018–2022 Kia RIO. 2 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Kia Forte and Rio Steering Column Bolt Loose" (NHTSA campaign 22V304000), reported May 5, 2022.
The 2021 Kia RIO has the most, with 2 recalls. The 2018 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
No. None of the 3 Kia RIO recalls on file carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Kia dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: