IllustrationI WAS DRIVING MY KIA RIO. I KNEW THERE WAS A STOP APPROACHING. I HIT THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WHEN I TRIED TO TURN AWAY FROM TRAFFIC THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT MOVE. I HIT A YUKON AND TOTALED MY CAR. THE AIRBAGS NEVER CAME OUT. *TR
2006 Kia Rio
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Kia Rio do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 38.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Rio years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
110–25K
725–50K
1650–75K
1275–100K
5100–150K
4150K+
55 reports with mileage · 19 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports0 fire reports11 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
2 reportsI NOTICED ABOUT A 2WKS AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR; I KEPT HEARING WHAT SOUNDED LIKE THE BRAKES AND INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. THEY INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A NEW CAR THAT THE BRAKE DUST HAD TO SETTLE. ANYWAY ITS BEEN ALMOST A YEAR AND I'M STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND NOW THEIR SAY THAT ALOT OF THOSE TYPE …
Read full complaint
I NOTICED ABOUT A 2WKS AFTER I PURCHASED THE CAR; I KEPT HEARING WHAT SOUNDED LIKE THE BRAKES AND INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. THEY INFORMED ME THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A NEW CAR THAT THE BRAKE DUST HAD TO SETTLE. ANYWAY ITS BEEN ALMOST A YEAR AND I'M STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND NOW THEIR SAY THAT ALOT OF THOSE TYPE OF CARS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND THEIR LOOKING INTO IT. I REQUEST A RECALL, BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT THOSE TYPE OF CAR HAD THAT PROBLEM ALL ALONG. I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW CAR. *TR
Official recalls
112V244000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
May 31, 2012
KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 RIO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2007. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT CAN EXPERIENCE FATIGUE CRACKING. IF SUFFICIENT CRACKING OCCURS, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION SUCH THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT WHETHER A CHILD PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY DURING A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITH A CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO THAT CHILD.
Remedy: KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCS SEAT SENSOR MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.