2003 Kia Rio problems, complaints & recalls

2021-04-01 · Exterior Lighting · 150,000 mi

“tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia rio. the contact stated the brake lights failed to function while depressing the brake pedal. the contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was informed of failure. the contact was informed that the v…”

2015-12-22 · Seat Belts · 58,000 mi

“seat belts, car seat retaining hooks, ecm, and distributor are recalled. cheyenne kia had 3 weeks before original appointment to get the parts. i delivered the car for repairs only to get a call 4 hours later that they cannot find the parts. it has now been 6 weeks since picking up my car and they cannot find the parts to do the recall repairs. …”

2014-11-03 · Electrical System · 100,000 mi

“all of the brake lights quit working at the same time. done a search to see if there was any other problems like mine and found 3 other owners with the same problem. it has been in a mechanic shop for 2 weeks now and i have just got done talking with him this morning about it and he said that he has not been able to pin point the problem. i feel th…”

2013-11-19 · Service Brakes · 78,000 mi

“front, right brake rotor separated at the inboard half. pieces not found. outboard half remained intact, and is available for study/analysis. was able to use brakes although extremely spongy and danger of resulting fire from sparks (metal-tometal contact). replaced rotor and pads. vehicle is back in service. photos of old pads and rotor are av…”

2013-06-24 · Electrical System · 77,000 mi · 🔥 fire

“going out to dinner, about 1 mile away from home smell coming from car. turned down a side street, smoke coming from heat/air adjustment area on dash. stopped car, fire started coming out of the area where you adjust the heat/air. before fire department could get there the entire car was on fire. this was a total loss. thankfully we were able to ge…”

2012-08-07 · Latches/Locks/Linkages · 85,160 mi

“tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia rio. the contact stated that the driver side door lock failed and could not be unlocked from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. the contact mentioned that in order to exit the vehicle, she had to do so through the front passenger side door. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the driver door …”

2012-04-10 · Suspension · 85,400 mi · 💥 crash

“tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia rio. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle started shaking violently and then crashed into the side of the ramp. when the contact emerged from the vehicle, she noticed the rear passenger tire fractured completely from the suspension system. there were no injuries and the police were notified. a re…”

2011-10-24 · Structure:body · 35,000 mi

“tl* the contact owns a 2003 kia rio. the contact stated that the driver side door failed and could not be opened automatically or manually. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing which located the failure at the door actuator. the manufacturer was contacted but denied assistance with the repair because the warranty was expired. …”

2011-05-23 · Exterior Lighting · 80,020 mi

“i bought my 03 kia rio in 04 and within a mo. have had problems ever since. i took it to the dealership every month for the first 2yrs when it was still in warranty. there was always something constantly wrong or breaking. the tail pipe rattled extremely loud to the point of slightly shaking the car, randomly when i would came to a stop. it was so…”

2010-12-30 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic

“my brake proportioning valve on my 2003 kia rio cracked. my mechanic says it should never crack no matter the temperature climate etc. he says he has never seen a cracked one before and my car would have no signs that it was bad. i would go from perfect brakes to no brakes. that is pretty much what happened. i was lucky and had just got gas an…”