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The subcompact 2020 Kia Rio is meant to be a budget-friendly form of transportation that won’t disappoint. Newer models claim to offer “get up and go,” but customers are currently dealing with a faulty engine, defective powertrain and malfunctioning service brakes.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2021
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2020 Kia Rio
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Engine | |
| Wheels | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Air Bags | |
| Seat Belts: Rear/other:buckle Assembly | |
| Steering |
Problems with the Engine?
Even though drivers are saving a lot of money with the 2020 Kia Rio, no one expects the engine to be lagging, but that’s precisely what is found.
One NHTSA review says, “My Kia Rio 2020 had the check engine light come on today. The engine coolant temperature gauge went all the way to the hot mark. The car is one year old and has 60093 miles on it. The dealership refused to repair it under warranty. I called Kia corporate and was told the same thing. This is unacceptable. My expectation is that they will repair this issue for no cost. As all maintenance has been done at the dealership. I have not noticed any fluid leaks nor have I been told when at the dealership about any fluid loss.”
Sadly, there are a lot of engine problems with the little Rio. TSB_ENG222_R5 states that the Nu/Gamma/Theta/Kappa engines used by the company can all go through an excessive amount of oil. Additionally, there have been class action lawsuits because of engine fires. It appears that high exhaust gas temperatures have damaged the catalytic converter, causing improper engine combustion and permanent damage to the pistons. If the piston rod breaks, oil can leak out and a car fire can occur. It doesn’t matter how little is spent on a vehicle, no one wants to lose it in a spontaneous fire, but that’s what current customers face.
Problems with the Powertrain?
The powertrain doesn’t seem to provide much more reliability, clearly part of the Kia lineup filled with defects.
Another NHTSA complaint reads, “The contact owns a 2020 Kia Rio. The contact stated that he was a former service technician and that while driving and stopping at a stoplight, the traffic light turned green and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle idled and stalled for a few seconds before inadvertently accelerating and crashing into the vehicle in front. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently on several occasions. The contact attempted to take the vehicle to the local dealer to be inspected however, the dealer was unable to inspect the vehicle for a month. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,714.”
Kia isn’t fooling anyone with this shoddy transmission. Even TSB_TRA097 states that the logic of the CVT needs to be updated because there are multiple codes being thrown due to the defects. Do the updates fix the problems or stop the codes from occurring so easily? One many never know the answer to that question, but it’s unlikely that Kia is investing a lot of money into the cheap Rio. By now, Kia is probably just hoping the Rio would disappear.
Problems with the Brakes?
Stopping the vehicle also seems to be causing problems because of defective brakes.
One NHTSA complaint says, “I called the dealership about my brake problem five days ago about the brakes going down to the floor almost. I was told by the service manager that was a safety issue so he gave me their roadside assistance number. Yobe picked up, they did on Friday morning 9/25/20. The car was delivered and the service manage said he would call me that day about the problem but I have not heard from him. I could only get a recording about making an appointment. I talked to the finance manager about the brakes causing a fire on other brand vehicles. He told me to wait for the service report. The car was moving. A friend also commented on the brakes also after the car went to a dealership. She checked on it and came up with the news report in Houston about the safety issue.”
It turns out that there’s a recall on the Kia Rio that affects the brake. NHTSA Campaign Number 21V936000 states that the brake master cylinder may have sharp edges on the inner oil seal, leading to damage. It can also create reduced braking performance and long brake pedal travel, which is exactly what the customer above was discussing. If the vehicle can’t stop in time, an accident is inevitable, leading people in a lot of danger. Maybe it’s time for Kia customers to make a stand. If they all started to “get up and go,” the automaker would surely take notice and change might finally occur.
Is your 2020 Kia Rio a Lemon?
Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Kia pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Complaint Data
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Sep 27, 2022 |
| State | TN |
| Description | The passenger headlight has water inside it, and water vapor. The connections for the light blubs is corroding. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train |
| Date | May 12, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 kia rio. The contact stated the vehicle was parked at her residence, when entering inside the cab, she noticed the gear shaft was melted. The contact stated she did not visibly see fire. The police did come to her residence and informed the cause of the fire was an electronic failure but they do not file any fire reports. The contact did not contact the fire department. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer and was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed back to her residence. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. |
| Category | Engine, Vehicle Speed Control, Wheels |
| Date | Apr 30, 2022 |
| State | LA |
| Description | Yes my son bought this car last year I have been checking since january there has still been no recalls on his particular car he was in a car accident and unfortunately him and his passengers were all killed. I have contacted an attorney who has sent an inspector they said initial look it look like something to do with a rod in the engine and it catching fire but from other things it's possible he could've had other problems dealing with the brakes the emergency assistance. So they think possible electrical and what else they have not said. They are getting with kia to get his car moved there so they can have one of their people take it apart to preserve evidence to find out which or if many of the recalls had happened to his more happened to his car |
| Category | Electrical System, Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Jan 04, 2022 |
| State | KS |
| Description | Marker lights on the right side won't work both went off line and licence light same side is out same time and bulbs ,fuse replaced and still not working the kia service will not fix in kia of manharttan in kansas andi have 68,000 miles and they didn't offer a basic warrantty to be long when online for my my car and suppose to be under warranty for 110;00 |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Dec 30, 2021 |
| State | MN |
| Description | Rear ended a car at 60 mph on black ice and the air bags did not deploy |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jul 23, 2021 |
| State | TX |
| Description | My kia rio 2020 had the check engine light come on today. The engine coolant temperature gauge went all the way to the hot mark. The car is one year old and and has 60093 miles on it. The dealership demontrond kia refused to repair it under warranty. I called kia corporate and was told the same thing. This is unacceptable. My expectation is that they will repair this issue for no cost. As all maintenance has been done at the dealership. I have not noticed any fluid leaks nor have I been told when at the dealership about any fluid loss. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jul 22, 2021 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 kia rio. The contact stated that he was a former service technician and that while driving and stopping at a stoplight, the traffic light turned green and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle idled and stalled for a few seconds before inadvertently accelerating and crashing into the vehicle in front. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently on several occasions. The contact attempted to take the vehicle to the local dealer to be inspected however, the dealer was unable to inspect the vehicle for a month. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 41,714. |
| Category | Seat Belts: Rear/other:buckle Assembly |
| Date | May 27, 2021 |
| State | PA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2020 kia rio. The contact stated while driving through an intersection, another vehicle ran a red light and crashed into the left front passenger side of the vehicle. The contact stated that the seat belt detached from the base. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained broken teeth, a split tongue, a broken hand, a concussion, and an abdominal contusion that required medical attention. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. |
| Category | Steering |
| Date | May 21, 2021 |
| State | IN |
| Description | My 2020 kia rio pulls to the left. It is not the tires the wheel alignment or the brakes. It has electronic power steering. Other 2020 kia rios built after mine were fixed with a download. The car is dangerous so I drive in the right lane. |
| Category | Engine, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 11, 2021 |
| State | TN |
| Description | While driving, my 2020 kia rio has stalled when accelerating while turning at a traffic light and while attempting tp pass a car on interstate. Also several time when jnust driving. Very scary feeling. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 08, 2021 |
| State | IL |
| Description | My car was parked at my place after getting out of it around 8:30am. I returned to my vehicle at 12pm and the inside was burnt because a fire started in the middle consul.*dt*jb |
| Category | Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Feb 02, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | Wind shield fluid disappears when driven without use. Continually filling res. And within 10-15 miles fluid disappears. We cannot tell if there is fluid in the tank if needed and could cause visibillity problems while driving.. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 28, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | I called the dealership about my brake problem five days ago about the brakes going down to the floor almost I was told by the service manager that was a safety issue so he gave me their roadside assistance number yobe picked up they did on friday morning 9/25/20 the car was delivered and the service manager said he would call me that day about the problem but I have not heard from him I could only get recording about making an appointment I talked to the finance manager about the brakes causing a fire on other same brand vehicles he told me to wait for the service report the car was moving afriend also commented on the brakes also after the car went to dealership sha checked on it and came up with the news report in houston about the safety issue |
| Category | Wheels |
| Date | Aug 25, 2020 |
| State | TX |
| Description | I bought a new kia rio, after just 300 kilometers of use a tire exploted when I was driving, I went to kia dealer to report the incident, after days the kia answer was that it was my fault maybe beacuse I drove with low pressure in that tire or I hit an edge or I hit a hole but none of those three things happened. In the pictures you can see how the cut of the explotion is aligned with a metallic part installed in the wheel. When explotion of tire occurred I was driving in a highway, this was a dangerous situation and my safety was in risk. Tire information: brand: nexen, model: nblue hd, serial: dot 8elx labr 4619, code: nexoe306, description: 185/65r15 88h nblue hd |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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