2023 KIA RIO — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
20
Owner Complaints
0
Recalls
4
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2023 KIA RIO
The 2023 KIA RIO has received a total of 20 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 4 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Unknown Or Other (5 complaints), Engine (3 complaints), and Steering (3 complaints).
Recalls for the 2023 KIA RIO
There are no recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2023 KIA RIO. No Active Recalls
Owner Complaints for the 2023 KIA RIO
20 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2023 KIA RIO. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Power Train | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical Systemignitionanti Theftimmobilizerproximitykeysender | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
Paint peeling. Took a month to have the dealer /warranty repair the roof in July 2025. Then in Sept 2025 have 2 more areas doing the same thing. Reached back out to dealer end of Sept then mid Oct following up find out service person is gone, start over with new service person, follow up early Nov, again mid Nov and find out that service person is gone. Contact manager and he wants us to start over again with him. Need to send car out for quotes to give to warranty even though this has already been repaired once and we were told this is a known issue. Now trying to go through a Kia dealer that has a body shop on site to try and get warranty approval and repair done before vehicle hits 36K even though this should be covered regardless (and purchased extended warranty but also not covered)
I’ve been hearing this rattle noise mostly when I crank the vehicle. I took it to go get checked out and they heard it when I first brought it in for them to check. But when they got it to the back for mechanic to listen for it, of course it didn’t do it. They kept my car a whole day to try n find the issue/hear the noise and was unsuccessful. I’ve been told that it could possibly have something to do with the car timing or something with the engine. My car only has 34000 miles on it and it’s making this noise. They won’t approve me to trade it in or anything to help fix the problem or get me in something better.
I’ve been hearing this rattle noise mostly when I crank the vehicle. I took it to go get checked out and they heard it when I first brought it in for them to check. But when they got it to the back for mechanic to listen for it, of course it didn’t do it. They kept my car a whole day to try n find the issue/hear the noise and was unsuccessful. I’ve been told that it could possibly have something to do with the car timing or something with the engine. My car only has 34000 miles on it and it’s making this noise. They won’t approve me to trade it in or anything to help fix the problem or get me in something better.
The vehicle has difficulty following a center line, higher than normal steering wheel input is required. Feels like the vehicle is being driven in strong crosswinds at any speed above 55 MPH. The vehicle is very, very difficult to keep centered when crosswinds are present. The steering wheel input feels sticky and not smooth at any speed above 40 MPH. A 4-wheel alignment revealed a 0.3 degree of toe mis-adjustment on the RR wheel, no adjustment settings are present. Remaining wheels were within specs. No adjustment for the electronic steering assist. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with the Highline TPMS, however, it is not displayed on the LCD. Dealer and Kia Corp. states it should display, however no fix is available.
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle restarted; however, the transmission failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The following day the contact was able to start the vehicle and the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer found no failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,900.
Safety Rating for the 2023 KIA RIO
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2023 KIA RIO in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2023 KIA RIO
Kia America, Inc. has issued 4 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2023 KIA RIO. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
TSB_ELE338_R1 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5WSOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - 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 to update the software on Display Audio 2.0 (D2V) and AVN...
TSB_ENG249 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ENGINE OIL RESET LIGHT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA548) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the engine system on some 2023MY Rio (SC) vehicles produced from September 30, 2022 through August 31, 2023. After resetting the engine oil reset light in...
TSB_ENG249 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ENGINE OIL RESET LIGHT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA548) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the engine system on some 2023MY Rio (SC) vehicles produced from September 30, 2022 through August 31, 2023. After resetting the engine oil reset light in...
TSB_ENG239 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC23) - This bulletin provides information related to extracting in use performance tracking emissions data from the Engine Control Unit (ECU) of certain vehicles sold in California. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires the emissions data from vehicles...
NHTSA Investigations for the 2023 KIA RIO
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the KIA RIO
- 2018 KIA RIO — 33 complaints
- 2019 KIA RIO — 26 complaints
- 2020 KIA RIO — 36 complaints
- 2021 KIA RIO — 23 complaints
- 2022 KIA RIO — 11 complaints
- 2023 KIA RIO (current)
Other KIA Models
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- KIA FORTE — 3,450 total complaints
- KIA SEDONA — 3,334 total complaints
- KIA SEPHIA — 3,080 total complaints
- KIA TELLURIDE — 2,109 total complaints