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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 →
28Owner complaints

Model-year median: 38.5

1Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
52
201577
201631
201728
201821
201927
202015
2021
Compare all Rio years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine
15Air Bags
5Electrical System
5Unknown Or Other
5Exterior Lighting
2
All reported categories
Fuel/propulsion System
2Latches/locks/linkages
2Engine And Engine Cooling
1Power Train
1Seats
1Service Brakes
1Steering
1Structure
1

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

Seats complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jan 27, 2026
Air BagsSeats

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 previo…

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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 ODI #11713726

Official recalls

1

21V622000 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.