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

Steering complaints

1 reports

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100 miles · Nov 27, 2020

Steering

Read full complaint

OUR 2018 KIA RIO WAS BOUGHT NEW. I WAS TRAINING MY WIFE TO PARALLEL PARK WHEN IT HAD ONLY 100 MILES ON IT. AS SHE KEPT REPEATING THE PROCEDURE OF PARALLEL PARKING, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND WOULD NOT ALLOW MOVEMENT UNTIL THE ELECTRICAL CONTROL COOLED DOWN. WE THEN TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, BOB UTTER IN SHERMAN, TEXAS WHERE WE HAD PURCHASED THE CAR TO HAVE THEM DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. THEY DID NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AND TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR! TERRIBLE DEALERSHIP! SO NOW, AFTER THE CAR IS NEARLY THREE YEARS OLD AND WITH LESS THAN 300 MILES OF USE, WE ARE HALF-WAY AFRAID TO USE THE CAR AND KEEP IT IN OUR GARAGE ONLY TO USE IT TO GO CHECK ON OUR MAIL. IT STILL HAS ITS ORIGINAL HALF-TANK OF GAS IN IT AND HAS NOT YET HAD AN OLD CHANGE. PLEASE ADVISE.

NHTSA ODI #11376665

Official recalls

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

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.