2019 Kia Rio problems and recalls

Owners have filed 21 complaints on the 2019 Kia Rio, and NHTSA has issued 1 recall. The most cited component is the Unknown Or Other (8 complaints).

21
Complaints
1
Recalls
4
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
4
Injuries
95.0
Severity index

Severity index 95.0 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 95.0p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Components cited in complaints

Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 8 complaints (38.1%)8 38%EngineEngine: 6 complaints (28.6%)6 29%Air BagsAir Bags: 3 complaints (14.3%)3 14%Power TrainPower Train: 2 complaints (9.5%)2 10%SteeringSteering: 2 complaints (9.5%)2 10%Back Over PreventionBack Over Prevention: 1 complaints (4.8%)1 5%StructureStructure: 1 complaints (4.8%)1 5%Other/I Am Not SureOther/I Am Not Sure: 1 complaints (4.8%)1 5%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
UNKNOWN OR OTHER838.1%
ENGINE628.6%
AIR BAGS314.3%
POWER TRAIN29.5%
STEERING29.5%
BACK OVER PREVENTION14.8%
STRUCTURE14.8%
Other/I am not sure14.8%

Complaints filed per year

0242019: 42020: 32022: 42023: 42024: 12025: 22026: 3 (partial year)194202223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20194
20203
20224
20234
20241
20252
2026 (year to date)3
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2019 to 2022 (7 against 11).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
21V62200009/08/2021LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCHKia 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 F

Other Kia Rio model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 11 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.