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Introduced to the U.S. market in 2000, the Kia Rio was heralded as a low-cost vehicle that offered great reliability. The 2021 Rio is a fourth-generation vehicle.
There have been rumors that Kia plans to discontinue the Rio after the 2022 model. Some reports say this is due to falling sales. But who knows? After all, U.S. sales, at 31,362 units for the 2021 model, are higher than they’ve been since 2015. That model only sold 23,742 units, while the figures hit an all-time low in 2017, at 16,760.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2020
Contents
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2021 Kia Rio
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Steering | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Lane Departure: Assist | |
| Lane Departure: Warning | |
| Power Train | |
| Fuel/propulsion System |
Also, in general, the Kia Rio has had a fairly good reputation for reliability. However, as we have pointed out in previous articles about the 2019 and 2020 models, it has had its problems. In the past two years, these have manifested in malfunctioning brakes, faulty airbags, a defective steering system, and problematic engine, and powertrain.
Brakes, it seems, have been a problem since day 1. The very first complaint about the Kia Rio to the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the Kia Rio was in May 2001. It states:
“Airbag light comes on (the) dashboard. Also, a warning light. Brake pedal goes all the way to the floor, and there are noises.”
Most Common Problems with the 2021 Kia Rio
Once again, brakes head the list of complaints about the Kia Rio. There are also complaints about the engine and the fuel/propulsion system.
Additionally, there is a recall on this, and the 2020 model, for brake master cylinders of 87 vehicles to be replaced. The warning is that the brake master cylinder may have sharp edges that could damage the inner oil seal. If this happens, it will result in reduced braking performance which would increase the risk of a crash.
2021 Kia Rio Brake Problems
The first complaint about the 2021 Kia Rio is listed under the Service Brakes category.
It states that on July 23, 2021, “On the way to work, I had the brake pedal pressed waiting for a traffic signal to change. After it changed to green, I released the brake pedal and depressed the gas pedal, only for the vehicle not to move forward – as if the brake was still being applied. I took my foot off the gas pedal, waited a second or two, then tried the gas pedal again and it still did not move. I was at the traffic signal for nearly 10 seconds with nothing touching the brake pedal and unable to drive forward.
“The vehicle did not turn off, display any warning lights or any signs of other trouble. The parking brake was not applied and the vehicle was in Drive. After putting the vehicle in reverse and back into drive while still stopped at the traffic signal, the car resumed normal operation. The vehicle has less than 200 miles, bought brand new from the dealership a few days prior, and has only gone for a car wash at the dealership aside from normal daily commute. The problem has not been reported to the dealership or manufacturer at the time of this report.”
The second complaint describes how defective brakes caused a crash.
The “vehicle failed to reduce speed effectively while (I was) trying to avoid a collision with another vehicle during a left turn.” This “then caused the vehicle to turn widely and collide with the curb.”
2021 Kia Rio Engine and Fuel System Problems
One of the engine complaints states: “I was driving 60-70 miles an hour for 45 minutes then (the) car lost all acceleration and (the) engine light came on. I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. Turned it back on, drove 1/4 of a mile, and (the) same thing happened. I pulled over, turned (the) car off, and had it towed to the dealership.”
The other indicates a combined engine and fuel/propulsion system issue. “Vehicle has less than 4000 miles and (the) throttle body had to be replaced.”
What to do if your 2021 Kia Rio is a lemon? Your Lemon Rights
If there is something seriously wrong with your Kia Rio and the issue keeps recurring or the dealer cannot fix it, you might have a lemon on your hands. If you think this might be the case, don’t delay. Contact the Lemberg Law Helpline so that we can assess your problem and advise you.
We have been helping clients with lemon law car claims for years. Sometimes we can negotiate a cash settlement. Other times, we may be able to settle on a replacement car or a trade-in. It depends on the circumstances.
But, ultimately, it won’t cost you anything because the law makes Kia pay the legal fees for lemon law cases.
Complaint Data
| Category | Lane Departure: Assist, Lane Departure: Warning, Steering |
| Date | Mar 20, 2023 |
| State | CO |
| Description | On 3/19/23, as I was driving on a dry, straight, two lane road at the posted speed of 40mph, the car began to try to steer into oncoming traffic. I had to exert moderate force to keep the car in my lane. This continued continuously for about 1/2 mile. No low tire pressure indicator lights were illuminated, however the lane assist icon was on and green, indicating normal operation. Just as I was going to turn down a side street to check the tires manually, the steering returned to normal. However, the lane assist icon was now white, and as I drove the remaining approximately 2 miles home, the icon would change from white to green every 20 seconds or so. The car now operates normally. We took the car to the dealer today to be checked and they reported they could not replicate the issue. Attached is their report. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 07, 2023 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The contol post for lights, turn signal, and high beams is too sensitive. To control the lights, you twist the top of lever. To turn on turn signals, you flip the lever up or down. To turn on brights, the lever goes forward. To turn of lights, the lever is pulled back. The issue..... If you have brights on, when you pull lever back to dim lights, the top automatically twists to shut off the headlights entirely. Dangerous dangerous dangerous. My husband doesn't have this problem, but he has longer fingers and his fingers hit the lever more at the base where nothing twists. I have shorter women's fingers and they can't reach all the way down the lever. I have since adjusted how I dim the brights by reacing under the lever, (close to steering column), to pull the lever back. This is very uncomfortable and tends to cause me to make the turn signal come on, which could cause its own traffic accident. My remedy would be to make the headlights twist in the opposite direction for on off, or make the switch for headlights have a little more resistance. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Steering |
| Date | Nov 30, 2022 |
| State | ID |
| Description | Having been complaining about a noise from under the front right tire, I was initially told it was a little piece of plastic and that got cut off. I was still hear the scraping and squealing and I kept check the from right tire because I thought that's where it was coming from. I mentioned this to every mechanic at kia and was told "that's just how 2021s sound". Finally after months of complaining the noise got louder and you could hear it was clearly something in steering. They schedules an appointment for dec 7th on mon nov 28th. Said it was safe to drive when that night while working I was turning a corner, I heard a loud spring noise, the tire and wheel jerked. It was snowing, so the car slide, only sliding into the curb. The front right break seemed to be locked and when you turn the steering wheel makes even more noise. Haven't been told the issue, but I'm certain it is not safe and definitely shouldn't be on the streets until it's fixed. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Oct 29, 2022 |
| State | MD |
| Description | I had driven my wife to her school about 5 miles and headed back to my work another 5 miles when I tried to accelerate pass car I lost almost all power barely making it up a slight hill I kept going trying to make it to my house barely going 10 miles an hour. I thought the transmission had let go cause while I had the gas peddle floored I went at best 10-15 miles an hour I eventually parked the car I knew it would never make it up another slight hill. It was rowed to a nearby dealer where they could find no problem telling me it was just some bad gas. This sounds like what I read about today with a couple of other models of kia. |
| Category | Steering, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 19, 2022 |
| State | OH |
| Description | The steering wheel column does not have a lock therefore someone broke into my car and tried to steal it and destroyed it, also no alarm went off when this happened. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Apr 02, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | I was driving 60-70 miles an hour for 45 minutes then car lost all acceleration and engine light came on. I pulled over immediately turned the car off. Turned it back on drove 1/4 of a mile and same thing happened. I pulled over turned car off and had it towed to the dealership. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Jan 19, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Vehicle failed to reduce speed effectively while trying to avoid a collision with another vehicle during a left turn, which then caused the vehicle to turn widely and collide with the curb. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Jan 03, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | Vehicle has less than 4000 miles and throttle body had to be replaced |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Jul 23, 2021 |
| State | OH |
| Description | On the way to work, I had the brake pedal pressed waiting for a traffic signal to change. After it changed to green, I released the brake pedal and depressed the gas pedal, only for the vehicle not to move forward - as if the brake was still being applied. I took my foot off the gas pedal, waited a second or two, then tried the gas pedal again and it still did not move. I was at the traffic signal for nearly 10 seconds with nothing touching the brake pedal and unable to drive forward. The vehicle did not turn off, display any warning lights, or any signs of other trouble. The parking brake was not applied and the vehicle was in drive. After putting the vehicle in reverse and back into drive while still stopped at the traffic signal, the car resumed normal operation. The vehicle has less than 200 miles, bought brand new from the dealership a few days prior and has only gone for a car wash at the dealership aside from normal daily commute. The problem has not been reported to the dealership or manufacturer at the time of this report. |
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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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