Model year record
2023 Kia Rio recalls & problems
The 2023 Kia Rio has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 12 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is unknown or other (5 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2023 Kia Rio.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Crash test ratings
2023 Kia Rio 5 HB FWD
| Frontal crash | Not Rated |
|---|---|
| Side crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
Forward collision warning: Optional · Lane departure warning: Optional
2023 Kia Rio 4 DR FWD
| Frontal crash | Not Rated |
|---|---|
| Side crash | Not Rated |
| Rollover | Not Rated |
Forward collision warning: Optional · Lane departure warning: Optional
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (New Car Assessment Program). Ratings are comparable only between vehicles of similar size and weight, and ratings from 2011 on use tougher tests than earlier years. Photos: NHTSA.
Fuel economy
Rio
| City / highway | 32 / 41 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.6 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (AV-S1) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $1,850/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 5 | — |
| Steering | 3 | — |
| Engine | 3 | — |
| Electrical systemIgnition › Anti-theft › Immobilizer/proximity › Key/sender | 2 | — |
| Power train | 2 | — |
| Suspension | 2 | — |
| StructureBody | 1 | — |
| Seat belts | 1 | — |
| Wheels | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Unknown or other
Paint peeling. Took a month to have the dealer /warranty repair the roof in July 2025. Then in Sept 2025 have 2 more areas doing the same thing. Reached back out to dealer end of Sept then mid Oct following up find out service person is gone, start over with new service person, follow up early Nov, again mid Nov and find out that service person is gone. Contact manager and he wants us to start over again with him. Need to send car out for quotes to give to warranty even though this has already been repaired once and we were told this is a known issue. Now trying to go through a Kia dealer that has a body shop on site to try and get warranty approval and repair done before vehicle hits 36K…
- Engine
Iâve been hearing this rattle noise mostly when I crank the vehicle. I took it to go get checked out and they heard it when I first brought it in for them to check. But when they got it to the back for mechanic to listen for it, of course it didnât do it. They kept my car a whole day to try n find the issue/hear the noise and was unsuccessful. Iâve been told that it could possibly have something to do with the car timing or something with the engine. My car only has 34000 miles on it and itâs making this noise. They wonât approve me to trade it in or anything to help fix the problem or get me in something better.
- Steering
The vehicle has difficulty following a center line, higher than normal steering wheel input is required. Feels like the vehicle is being driven in strong crosswinds at any speed above 55 MPH. The vehicle is very, very difficult to keep centered when crosswinds are present. The steering wheel input feels sticky and not smooth at any speed above 40 MPH. A 4-wheel alignment revealed a 0.3 degree of toe mis-adjustment on the RR wheel, no adjustment settings are present. Remaining wheels were within specs. No adjustment for the electronic steering assist. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with the Highline TPMS, however, it is not displayed on the LCD. Dealer and Kia Corp. states it should…
- Engine
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle restarted; however, the transmission failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The following day the contact was able to start the vehicle and the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer found no failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,900.
- Electrical system
When I started my car, during the warm-up process, it dropped revs and turned off. After several tries, it turned on. While driving, when the vehicle was stopped, it began to jerk slightly. The safety risk is that the car, while I am driving, could turn off and cause an accident, in which people could be at risk, including me. I wouldn't want this to escalate because the dealer doesn't take action on the matter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to evaluate the condition, they say that the technicians did not find anything, that the car did not emit any codes. And therefore they couldn't do anything. Note that I bought that car completely new, 0 miles, in March of last year. And in…
- Suspension
Hi [XXX] I just collected my Kia Rio from service at LaFontaine. On driving in the freeway I noticed I had to make frequent adjustments to the steering when going straight and there was oversteering (minor tilt of the steering wheel result in exaggerated larger turn of the car). This does not happen when driving at lower speed outside of the freeway. I will monitor this as I am not sure if this was because I was switching between cars and/or that particular stretch of road is slippery. According to the technicians the alignment is back to spec so I will let you know if this issue persists as I drive the Rio more in the coming days. Hi Team The car veers to the left when driving with…
- Steering
Hi [XXX] My Kia Rio 2023 S vin number is [XXX] . Bought a couple months back new at Summit Place Kia Auburn Hills michigan. Once I drive off I realised the steering wheel alignment is off. The car does not drive straight when steering wheel is straight. I called my salesman and he asked me to bring it in for servicing at Summit Place. They did a wheel alignment there and found misalignment at factory condition. A few months later the same issue got worse and was noticeable again when driving. I called my salesman and he told me bringing it into service will incur a service charge as this issue is not under warranty. However, I believe this constant misalignment is from a manufacturing…
- Seat belts
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the vehicle failed to sound a seat belt warning chime to indicate that the passengerâs side seat belt was not buckled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.