IllustrationExcessive oil consumption 1 quart every 1000 miles. The brake light socket overheats causing fast bulb burn outs.
2018 Kia Rio
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2018 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
Limited mileage data: 6 of 28 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports2 fire reports1 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
2 reportsON TWO OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE (IN MOTION) HAS GOTTEN SMOKE, I SMELLED BURNT, AND IT WAS ELECTRIC SHOCK WHEN I TOUCHED THE BOARD, I HAVE ALREADY REPORTED IT TO THE AGENCY THAT CORRESPONDS TO ME, HOWEVER THEY HAVE NOT SOLVED MY PROBLEM, I AM AFRAID THAT IT COULD BURN MY VEHICLE, MY PHONE NUMBER IS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSU…
Read full complaint
ON TWO OCCASIONS MY VEHICLE (IN MOTION) HAS GOTTEN SMOKE, I SMELLED BURNT, AND IT WAS ELECTRIC SHOCK WHEN I TOUCHED THE BOARD, I HAVE ALREADY REPORTED IT TO THE AGENCY THAT CORRESPONDS TO ME, HOWEVER THEY HAVE NOT SOLVED MY PROBLEM, I AM AFRAID THAT IT COULD BURN MY VEHICLE, MY PHONE NUMBER IS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Official recalls
121V622000 · Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:latch
Aug 9, 2021
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."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
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.
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.