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Kia · NHTSA safety record

2022 Kia RIO

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 11 safety complaints about the 2022 Kia RIO with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the steering.

The most complained-about system is the latches, locks and linkages, named in 2 complaints, 18% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers January 2023 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

11 complaints on file

11

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

0

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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 27%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 2 · 18%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 18%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 9%
ENGINE 1 · 9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 9%
STEERING 1 · 9%
STRUCTURE 1 · 9%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 9%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 11.

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 2023 at 3.

4 3 2 1
23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2023 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 2022 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.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

STEERING:COLUMN

22V304000 · May 5, 2022

The defect
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.
The risk
Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall SC235.

Kia Motors America · up to 30 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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

While attempting to raise the passenger side window slightly, the automatic window mechanism malfunctioned. Instead of stopping when lightly engaged, the window rolled all the way up and trapped my right wrist between the glass and the frame. When I pressed the window down button, the window continued to roll upward, increasing the pressure on my wrist. I was unable to release my hand on my own and had to call for assistance to pry my wrist free. This put my safety at risk by causing a crush injury to my wrist. The vehicle’s anti-pinch safety feature did not activate. The issue has not yet been reproduced or inspected by a dealer or manufacturer. No warning lights, messages, or other

NHTSA complaint 11683479, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

crash · towed

A deer ran out in front of me. I hit it head on. My hood unlatched and flew up and the hinges cut into the very top of the fenders. I don’t think a hood is supposed to pop open like this.

NHTSA complaint 11505599. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

crash · 72,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Rio. The contact stated that the rearview camera would intermittently turn on while driving at various speeds. The contact also stated that while in reverse(R), the camera would intermittently display a blank or distorted image. Recently, the contact stated that the rear-view camera had failed to operate as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the head unit would need to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was out of warranty and was given an estimate for the repair. As a result of the camera failure, the contact stated that while backing out of a parking spot, she crashed into a parked vehicle

NHTSA complaint 11665837, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

69,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the contact heard an abnormally loud bang and believed that the vehicle had been struck in the rear by an object. The contact opened the trunk and became aware that the trunk shocks had become detached from the latch. The contact was able to open and close the trunk lid, but the lid failed to remain open after being raised. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who advised the contact that the trunk latch spring had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was advised that the spring and latch mechanism were on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not

NHTSA complaint 11723220, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
When my car is running it makes a knocking noise from engine I have taken it th the dealer they heard it but said they can figure out where it's coming from. The engine runs hotter than normal. The rods I think are the cause

NHTSA complaint 11644932. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
When traveling 60 mph and slowing to try to stop, brake pedal went all the way to the floor and vehicle would not brake. Had to engage emergency brake to stop vehicle during normal operation on multiple occasions. Once while stopped at a red light, vehicle was completely stopped, then the brake pedal lowered to the floorboard and the vehicle started rolling forward. I had to turn the steering wheel and engage the emergency brake to avoid colliding with traffic. No dashboard lights came on, no warning lamps or messages. No other symptoms. I went to the Kia Dealership immediately. There was a hole in my front brake line and all of the fluid had leaked out. Vehicle was less than 2 years old,

NHTSA complaint 11624698, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
The windshield wipers only work consistently on the last two settings. When you push the wiper gear down to the initial setting where you can adjust the speed with the dial, it struggles to move or doesn’t move at all. I can hear the wiper gear trying to lift the wipers, but nothing happens.

NHTSA complaint 11588832. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia RIO

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2021 15 2 —
2020 27 1 3
2019 21 1 —
2018 28 1 —
2017 31 2 —
2016 77 2 —
2015 52 1 —
2014 52 1 —
2013 153 1 —
2012 54 1 —

Other 2022 Kia models

Telluride 324 EV6 277 Sorento 189 Carnival 136 K5 128 Soul 88 Seltos 73 Sportage 46

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kia on this site — 181 vehicles.

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.

Where these numbers come from

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.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst