air bag sensor showing up on dash as issue.
2013 Kia Rio
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Rio years
Owner complaints for the 2013 Kia Rio are substantially higher than 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
87 reports with mileage · 66 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.
- Engine. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 34 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
153 reportsI was sitting behind a S.U.V . when it started to move i doubt if we were going 5 miles I slightly moved my steering wheel not even a half a turn to move straight behind the S.U.V. My car shot to the right jumped a curb, hit a pole, thru two trees down a hill and into a fence. when it was all said and done my car wouldn't sto…
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I was sitting behind a S.U.V . when it started to move i doubt if we were going 5 miles I slightly moved my steering wheel not even a half a turn to move straight behind the S.U.V. My car shot to the right jumped a curb, hit a pole, thru two trees down a hill and into a fence. when it was all said and done my car wouldn't stop, my airbag never deployed and my car was totaled. i kept asking if there was a way this car could be examined.the insurance company took the car.i had started having problems prior to this incident that started around the end of May. but before that the car ran pretty good and only had 52,000 miles.1st it wouldn't start after driving it for a while. you would have to wait a few minutes and it would restart. So my husband took it to our mechanic. he couldn't find anything wrong and it even passed inspection. About a week and a half later i am driving and the car just stopped while I am driving no power.I finally get it to start again.get it to a safer place and called AAA towing. they towed it to Kia. they replaced some type of sensor i believe it was a crank.it ran smooth but it still didn't feel right.it had a hard time pulling hills and the acceleration wasn't right. it kept losing acceleration like it was going to stop on me again then it would seem to kick back in. I had planned that Weekend to take it up to pep boys for diagnostics and take it back to Kia to see what was wrong with it. but I had the incident that friday . i uploaded a police report. and i do have repair ,inspection & and tow bill if needed
I was driving home one night and my brakes stopped working, then all the lights on my dashboard came on. Thankfully I was able to pull over safely off the freeway exit and another car pulled over next to me to let me know my car was on fire. The fire looked like it was in the center bottom of the car. I lifted the hood to the fr…
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I was driving home one night and my brakes stopped working, then all the lights on my dashboard came on. Thankfully I was able to pull over safely off the freeway exit and another car pulled over next to me to let me know my car was on fire. The fire looked like it was in the center bottom of the car. I lifted the hood to the front of the car. There were two bystanders who were able to get a bucket of water and put the fire out before it got too big. There is no visible damage to the outside of the car.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated when he started the vehicle, he noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the air bag sensor on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The deal…
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The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated when he started the vehicle, he noticed that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the air bag sensor on the driver’s side needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted but a diagnostic test was not preformed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I have 2013 Kia Rio with I have been putting oil into it for months. MONTHS! At the end of my work week, before I drive to work on Monday I check the oil. If I drive more than usual on a weekend, I check the oil on Sunday. It’s crazy ! My mechanic told me I need to replace the engine I don’t understand why I take very good care …
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I have 2013 Kia Rio with I have been putting oil into it for months. MONTHS! At the end of my work week, before I drive to work on Monday I check the oil. If I drive more than usual on a weekend, I check the oil on Sunday. It’s crazy ! My mechanic told me I need to replace the engine I don’t understand why I take very good care of my car. But Kia needs to a recall on all these vehicles
Driving car home Going about 35 Smelled car in front of me, that car smells, seems it was my own car try to do brake To pull over. No breaks loose able to coast into parking lot use emergency brake, stop flames shut up through Car into car got out people tried to help put it out fire trucks were called.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, she heard a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle as having no oil in the engine. T…
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The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, she heard a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle as having no oil in the engine. The contact stated that the oil was topped off and the contact was informed to return after one-month. The contact returned to the mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle as having no oil. The mechanic determined that the oil had entered the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the air conditioning system was inoperable. The mechanic diagnosed that the A/C system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
The door locks stop working. There are a ton of complaints on the internet of the same issue, the door locks will not work with the fob or with the key.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted but stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the radiator, transmission, and other parts were melted. The local deale…
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The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted but stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the radiator, transmission, and other parts were melted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
On 04/07/22, I took my vehicle into Covina Valley KIA to replace a fuel line that had melted being constructed too close to the engine. About a month before the line, I noticed smoke was coming from under the hood. Other parts were too close to the GDi engine and were melting, and/or burning. For instance, the ignition coil/engi…
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On 04/07/22, I took my vehicle into Covina Valley KIA to replace a fuel line that had melted being constructed too close to the engine. About a month before the line, I noticed smoke was coming from under the hood. Other parts were too close to the GDi engine and were melting, and/or burning. For instance, the ignition coil/engine wire(s) cluster plastic holder which is mounted on the engine, was melting, breaking, and burning. Also the foam from the engine cover had caught fire. My car had also been throwing a knock sensor code p0326 every year. Replace it each time. Then the last time I fixed it, I got another p0326 that changed into fuel too rich code p2192. I inquired to KIA Management about the 2015 Service Bulletin: SB-10089747-5448 concerning the constant codes. But manager said that a ECU Upgrade may not help and to come down just to clear the codes to see if that helped. The car has been maintained, oil/filter changes 3,000 miles and I am the second owner. But these problems occurred without warning. Bad manufacturing, had to also replace the Fuel Pressure Regulator Valve, Fuel Feed Pipe, and all four Injectors due to melted plastic making it into the Delivery Rail from the melted Fuel Line which is plastic. Will attached my service bill and main receipts for parts bought to rectify this problem.
Official recalls
123V652000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Sep 25, 2023
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 & remedy
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.
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
2AQ23002 · Hyundai And Kia Abs Module Fires
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.
EA21003 · Engine Fires
Opened Dec 22, 2021 · Closed Feb 5, 2024
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. During the PE investigations, Hyundai and Kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types. The remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement. Additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software modification known as Knock Sensor Detection Software (KSDS) which is intended to detect impending engine failure, alert the driver, and limit engine power (to lessen likelihood of engine failure).KSDS is being installed under recalls and non-safety field actions, and both companies have extended limited engine warranties (see recall files). On December 22, 2021, ODI upgraded PE19-003 and PE19-004 to this Engineering Analysis (EA21-003, covering both Hyundai and Kia) to evaluate the scope of the prior recalls related to engine failures/fires and the efficacy of the recall remedies for the recalls, as well as the long-term viability of related programs and non-safety field actions being conducted by Hyundai and Kia. The former issue involved approximately 550,000 MY 2013 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2011 Kia Sorento, and MY 2012-2015 Kia Rio. The latter issue involved approximately 2.5 million recalled vehicles, which have been identified as displaying potential remedy concerns: Hyundai recalls 15V-568, 17V-226, 20V-746, and 21V-727; and Kia recalls 17V-224, 19V-120, 20V-750, and 21V-844. Regarding the recall scope issue, among all of the scope vehicles identified at EA opening, ODI found only the MY 2011 Kia Sorento vehicles equipped with both the Theta II 2.4L 4-cylinder Multi-Point Injection (MPI) and the Lambda II 3.5L 6-cylinder MPI engines experienced relatively high rates of reported fires. In December 2023, Kia issued recall 23V-877 that will cover about 80,000 MY 2011 Kia Sorento vehicles equipped with the Theta II 2.4L MPI engines. The remedy will involve an inspection, and if necessary, a replacement of the engine, as well as the installation of KSDS. It should be noted that in 2021 these vehicles were included in a KSDS product improvement campaign with warranty extension. For the MY 2011 Sorento vehicles equipped with the Lambda II 3.5L engines, ODI believes that future engine failures/fires involving these vehicles will likely be due to a lax in adhering to the proper or scheduled engine maintenance (regular engine oil changes), rather than a design or manufacturing engine issue. Regarding the issue of the efficacy of the recall remedies, ODI found the majority of the recalled Hyundai and Kia vehicles, by model, experienced lower reported fire rates after the remedies were applied. Furthermore, ODI found that for most vehicles that did not receive the recall remedies, by model, experienced relatively high fire rates. To address this problem, Hyundai informed ODI in December 2023, that it will renotify all of its owners covered by the Hyundai recalls of engine failures/fires every 8 months for the next 3 years. In December 2023, Kia stated that it will renotify the majority of its owners every 8 months for the next 3 years.Several previously recalled Kia models are excluded from the renotification due to their lower reported rates of engine fires. Overall, the renotification actions will help to increase the recall completion rates, thus reduce the frequency of engine fires in the future. In view of the recall action being taken by Kia and renotification actions being taken by both Kia and Hyundai, ODI is closing this Engineering Analysis. Also, both companies have been released from the 2020-iniated Consent Orders (Kia since November 2022 and Hyundai since November 2023). The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
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