The Used Car Index

2013 Kia RIO problems

NHTSA lists 153 complaints for the 2013 Kia RIO, 8 of them mention a crash and 18 mention a fire. 7 complaints mention an injury, with 8 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA RIO.

At a glance

Complaints
153
With crash
8
With fire
18
With injury (complaints)
7
Injuries
8
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,730,192
Investigations
2
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
133

Complaints per 100k sold: 375.534. Units sold: 40,742; sales year: 2013; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE5334.6%
AIR BAGS3422.2%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2717.6%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC2113.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1912.4%
STEERING106.5%
SERVICE BRAKES85.2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM74.6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING63.9%
POWER TRAIN53.3%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM12V/24V/48V BATTERY1
EQUIPMENTAPPLIANCE1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCEADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINEDELIVERY1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESFUELING/CHARGING DOOR/HATCH/PORT1
SERVICE BRAKES, AIRANTILOCK1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
restraint or airbag3220.9%0.88
fire or overheating2617.0%0.91
mechanical failure2415.7%0.81
electrical electronic2013.1%0.77
loss of control1912.4%0.81
unclear159.8%0.91
visibility or lighting95.9%0.89
fluid or fuel leak42.6%0.78
noise or comfort42.6%0.92
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate7247.1%0.76
low4831.4%0.69
high2113.7%0.85
critical85.2%0.78
none42.6%0.72

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 153 tagged complaints of 153 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

1 recalls.

23V652000

Date: 2023-09-25. Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driv (excerpt)

Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June 18, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.

Investigations

2 investigations; 1 open.

AQ23002

Opened: 2023-11-17. Closed: Not listed.

Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect

Systems: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

EA21003

Opened: 2021-12-22. Closed: 2024-02-05.

Engine Fires

On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.A During the PE investigations, Hyundai and Kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, inclu

Systems: ENGINE.

Linked campaign numbers: 23V877.

Manufacturer communications

133 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM53
EQUIPMENT33
STRUCTURE21
ENGINE16
STEERING14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING13
POWER TRAIN9
AIR BAGS7

11033803

Date: 2026-06-09. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION: CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provi

11034003

Date: 2026-06-08. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov

11028908

Date: 2026-02-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov

11026989

Date: 2025-12-19. Type: Other. Systems: STRUCTURE.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: POSTCARD OWNER RENOTIFICATION (CS2311) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. Kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade and can be installed at the ignition

11026825

Date: 2025-12-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector on certain 2010-2022MY Kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee

11026980

Date: 2025-12-17. Type: Other. Systems: STRUCTURE.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made available to owners of eligible Kia model vehicles free

11026698

Date: 2025-12-09. Type: Other. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal

11017172

Date: 2025-04-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid ty

11017109

Date: 2025-04-03. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repair

11014912

Date: 2025-02-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repair

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
RIO153

Same model, other years

All model years | All Kia models

Other Kia models, 2013

Sources

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