Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 28 safety complaints
about the 2018 Kia RIO with the US government. Of those, 3 describe a crash, 2 mention a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the latches, locks and linkages.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 15 complaints, 54% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 35,785 miles,
the median across the 6
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers April 2019 to August 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
28 complaints on file
28
Complaints
3
Describe a crash
2
Mention fire
1
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 15 · 54%
15 54%
AIR BAGS 5 · 18%
5 18%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5 · 18%
5 18%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 18%
5 18%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 7%
2 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 7%
2 7%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 2 · 7%
2 7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 4%
1 4%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 4%
1 4%
SEATS 1 · 4%
1 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 4%
1 4%
STEERING 1 · 4%
1 4%
0815
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 28.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2025 at 6.
8 6 4 2
192019202020212021222022232023242024252025262026
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2018 Kia RIO. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
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 the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
The risk
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
Kia Motors America · up to 253,074 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
POWER TRAIN
1 injured · crash · towed
On 10/02/2021 - Was at a stop, put car in drive press the peddle car accelerated at high speed, miss another car and hit tree. Accident cause by acceleration issue with KIA Rio. Need advice on how to get KIA to replace total vehicle. Auto Insurance is just calling it a accident.
NHTSA complaint 11436781. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
fire · towed · 110,000 miles
The contact owned a 2018 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 85 MPH, the engine emitted abnormal noise with no warning lights illuminated. The contact proceeded to exit the highway and enter a gas station parking lot, and upon exiting the vehicle, it was apparent that the engine had begun to catch on fire. The location of the fire was the front engine compartment. The fire was extinguished by bystanders using fire extinguishers. A fire department report was not filed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. No injuries were reported. The local dealer was contacted however, the vehicle was not diagnosed as the vehicle was reported a total loss. The …
NHTSA complaint 11652874, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
fire
My 2018 Kia Rio actually lit up on fire as I was driving down the highway on way to work. As I drove down the highway, I noticed that I had trouble using the brakes. It seemed as if they were working one second and then not working the next. At that time, I noticed fire coming from underneath the car and I was able to get the vehicle to the side of the road. As I was exiting the vehicle, the flames were coming up on either side of the driver and passenger doors. Within the next couple minutes the car exploded. Fire rescue put out the fire and the interstate was closed to all traffic. Since the incident, my family and I have done research and found several incidents with very similar stories …
NHTSA complaint 11593284, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed · 54,000 miles
I HIT A DEER HEAD ON GOING 74 MPH ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE. SEVERE FRONT END DAMAGE. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY
NHTSA complaint 11385131. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
The Components that have malfunctioned are the airbags, exaust system, electrical systems, sensors, gaskets, and a few other things. We had 5 failed clockspring repairs. The first (3?) under warranty, we paid for another when they said it was our fault, then that mechanic said that it needed to go back to a dealership because it was defective. I advocated for months for it to be evaluated. No one at kia helped me despite this being a repeat warranty issue. I finally found a shop that would waive a diagnostic and he confirmed the issues atleast with the airbags- however in order to fully diagnose the engine they also needed to replace parts in order to perform an oil consumption test. While …
NHTSA complaint 11755104, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Vehicle has excessive oil consumption defect acknowledged in Kia TSB ENG222. Repeated catalytic converter failures indicate potential overheating risk similar to 2019 Gamma engine recall for fire hazard. Engine burning oil creates risk of critically low oil levels leading to engine failure/stalling while driving. Multiple emission system failures (oil consumption, catalytic converter) suggest unsafe vehicle condition. Vehicle failed Kia’s own oil consumption tests in December 2023 and March 2024. Kia dealership recommended engine replacement per TSB ENG222 in March 2024. Kia denied coverage citing “second owner, out of warranty” despite defect clearly existing at time of purchase and being …
NHTSA complaint 11739727, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
The first problem part is the airbag. The clockspring was fixed twice under warranty. Then the dealership said they wont keep doing it and blamed me wrongly. I had a private mechanic repair the same part twice due to the code it was giving but it turns out thats not what's wrong with it. The entire airbag and electrical components are bad, that is why the two repairs the dealership as well as the private mechanic made did not work. We also have some engine problems they wont continue to fix because my warranty is now surpassed. The car burns through 20 quarts of oil in between changes, it has no leaks. It has so much carbon buildup. They replaced a gasket and thats another part that has …
NHTSA complaint 11727159, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Took my car in as the airbag light on the dashboard kept turning on and off— with or without a passenger in the seat. The dealership ran a diagnostic inspection and turns out that the passenger side OCS Mat and ECU are faulty and need to be replaced (DTC codes B176700 and B17672F). I have not been in a crash and there are no obvious signs of damage to the seat that might have caused this. There’s no active recall for this but it does seem that one other person has reported issues with the passenger airbag system and I know other Kia models have had recalls in the past. The car had about 90,000 miles on it when this issue started and it’s up to date on all maintenance but I was quoted over …
NHTSA complaint 11727369, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SEATS
My car is a 2018 Kia Rio that has a clean history and has never been in an accident. Recently my airbag light came on and I had a diagnostic run that showed a B1448 code indicating an OCS mat defect in the passenger seat. The 2015-2018 Kia Sedona models also had the same problem and were issued safety recalls. Due to this previous history I believe there could be a safety recall needed for the Kia Rio models as well.
NHTSA complaint 11713726. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
My 2018 Kia Rio is burning 2 quarts of oil every 800 miles, confirmed by a Kia dealership through an official oil consumption test. The issue first started around 110,000 miles and has progressively gotten worse. I have owned the vehicle since it had 40,000 miles, and I have always had the oil changed on time and maintained the car properly. Despite proper maintenance, the engine gives off a strong burning-oil odor, and smoke enters the cabin while driving. This happens consistently, not occasionally. Because the engine loses oil so quickly, it can run dangerously low without warning, creating a risk of sudden engine failure while driving. I regularly transport my [XXX] child, and the fumes …
NHTSA complaint 11700932, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed August 9, 2021.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst