The Used Car Index

2017 Kia RIO problems

NHTSA lists 31 complaints for the 2017 Kia RIO, 3 of them mention a crash and 6 mention a fire. 2 complaints mention an injury, with 4 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA RIO.

At a glance

Complaints
31
With crash
3
With fire
6
With injury (complaints)
2
Injuries
4
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
1
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,730,192
Investigations
1
Open investigations
1
Manufacturer communications
65

Complaints per 100k sold: 184.964. Units sold: 16,760; sales year: 2017; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ENGINE1135.5%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC619.4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER619.4%
AIR BAGS39.7%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM39.7%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES26.5%
POWER TRAIN13.2%
SEAT BELTS13.2%
SERVICE BRAKES13.2%
STEERING13.2%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGESTRUNK LID2
STRUCTUREBODY1

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
mechanical failure1135.5%0.74
fire or overheating619.4%0.99
unclear619.4%0.88
electrical electronic412.9%0.84
restraint or airbag39.7%0.94
loss of control13.2%0.80
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
low1238.7%0.73
moderate825.8%0.83
high619.4%0.83
critical412.9%0.76
none13.2%1.00

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 31 tagged complaints of 31 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.

2 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.

23V594000

Date: 2023-08-24. Systems: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES.

Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Rio, 2016-2018 Optima, 2017-2018 Optima Hybrid and Optima Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The trunk latch base may crack, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch base subassembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 19, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC278.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

1 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.

Manufacturer communications

65 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM22
STRUCTURE19
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING12
STEERING12
EQUIPMENT7
POWER TRAIN4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE3
ENG2

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
RIO31

Same model, other years

All model years | All Kia models

Other Kia models, 2017

Sources

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