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2019 Kia Rio

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Kia Rio do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 38.5.

About this comparison →
21Owner 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
77
201631
201728
201821
201927
202015
202111
2022
Compare all Rio years →

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

What owners reported most

Unknown Or Other
8Engine
6Air Bags
3Power Train
2Steering
2
All reported categories
Back Over Prevention
1Electrical System
1Electronic Stability Control (esc)
1Other/i Am Not Sure
1Service Brakes
1Structure
1Suspension
1Vehicle Speed Control
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 21 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 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

4 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports

Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
8,000 miles · Mar 2, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 KIA RIO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE CHANGING GEARS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KIA OF STOCKTON LOCATED AT (6215 HOLMAN RD, STOCKTON, CA 95212) BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE …

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 KIA RIO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHILE CHANGING GEARS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KIA OF STOCKTON LOCATED AT (6215 HOLMAN RD, STOCKTON, CA 95212) BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000.

NHTSA ODI #11315702

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.