10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 11
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,522 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2013 Kia Rio engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Kia Rio Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

Mar 012021

Rio

  • 127,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car hardly ever indicated low oil. Had to add oil constantly between oil changes. No problems until the car got over 100K miles. Check engine light came on we checked the oil it was 2 quarts low. Added oil engine started knocking. Mechanic said we had too much oil. Got an engine flush and another oil change engine was still knocking and oil was very dirty. Mechanic indicated this is a common problem with most Kia with the gdi engines. 2 weeks after oil change the car started smoking and was almost completely out of oil. Took it to another mechanic who said the engine should be recalled and he didnt understand why it wasnt. He said my engine was doing what all the other engines have done on the other models recalled. I called the local Kia dealership who told me that I have had the car since 2014 and it was just old. They wont be recalling. I took good care of this car hardly ever went too far past an oil change this shouldn't have happened and I had to get a new car. This should be recalled like all the other Kia it's unfair they sell cars that break once you go past 100K miles.

- North Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #23

Apr 132019

Rio

  • 12,400 miles
Self destroying. Car cylinder can get impacted to the ceiling. Knock sensor not working correctly it is functioning properly but not working correctly, causing an engine to deteriorate at a rapid rate non-intended use, has same engine as other key is in Hyundai in this one is not on the recall and is having the same issue same issues as the recalls. Knock sensor catastrophic failure. For the date of the start of the issue it was well before then don't remember the exact date. Car will not drive smells like the engines going to catch on fire

- Everett, MA, USA

problem #22

Aug 012018

Rio

  • 115,000 miles
Oil consumption with no obvious tail pipe smoke. Not leaking oil. Perhaps a quart of oil added to engine every 750 miles. This issue started around 115,000 miles. No low oil pressure indicater light activated. I had to replace catalytic converter do to oil deposits.

- Marshall, WI, USA

problem #21

Jul 292020

Rio

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car has been using alot of oil last 12 months, oil is constantly low everytime it has been checked, serviced, my daughter has had to add oil to the vehicle and checked frequently, the engine locked up on her on a major interstate coming home from a trip. 2 holes in the motor now, estimate of motor replacement from Kia 4,000 plus

- Clemmons, NC, USA

problem #20

Sep 182019

Rio

  • 85,000 miles
While running the engine burns through oil very quickly. Engine does not warn that oil is low but begins to run 'roughly' when oil is needed. I add oil every couple of weeks in between actual oil changes. I only discovered this problem when I took the car in for maintenance and my mechanic told me that there was zero oil in it and he was surprised that the engine was even running at all.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #19

Aug 032019

Rio

  • 64,009 miles
As I was driving to laundrymat my engine starts making noise and then the check engine came on, all the oil had burned out of car, the car stalled and I was stranded. There wasnt any oil or engine warning signs at all B4 this happened, im heartbroken and still have 2 years to pay, this engine is faulty! my aunty who is a police officer owns a 2014 Kia and same happened to hers! please take action agaist Kia to correct this model also, the 201E Kia Rio

- Wheeling, IL, USA

problem #18

Mar 192019

Rio

  • 60,300 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Sitting at a red light in city traffic, pressed the gas to go when green light occurred and car stalled. Lights, power windows, radio all still worked, but the engine was dead. Let car sit for 30 minutes, it started up completely fine. Car stalled again at red light while at idle in city traffic. Let car sit for a few moments, started it up and drove home without incident. No check engine light, no battery light, no low oil light. Took car to neighborhood mechanic, was told nothing was wrong. Battery and alternator were in great working order, ground connections were fine. They took car on 20 mile ride with no stalling. Took car to dealership, they have no idea what is wrong either. Told me to come back when I have a check engine light, other than that, they can not help me. Car continues to stall while idle with no check engine light.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #17

Dec 262018

Rio

  • 70,000 miles
After only 70000 miles I was told the engine has sludge build up and needs to be replaced and is unsafe to drive. The car was always maintained at the dealership and the oil was changed on a regular, timely basis through the dealer. The dealer records were sent to Kia who would not gaurantee to cover the replacement of the engine, they may or may not cover it. If its not covered I am on the hook. I was told by dealer that the oil had metal shavings in the oil, this was also sent to Kia by the dealer. I was told Kia needed a picture that only could be obtained by tearing down the engine and that once this happened the engine couldn't be put back together. At this point I was committed to a new engine, either Kia would pay or I would. At this time I have not done anything. I know Kia has this issue with other Kia models. The vehicle was taken in immedately when a check engine light came on,

- Lake Zurich, IL, USA

problem #16

Sep 262018

Rio

  • 80,000 miles
Car burns through oil. No leaks, just burns oil. When oil is empty, no check oil light comes on. Must add oil constantly. My mechanic said I had 'no oil' in my engine during my last check. He filled it up and then I decided to check it myself a couple of months later and the same thing is happening.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #15

Sep 012018

Rio

  • 140,000 miles
Rattles upon acceleration, burning excessive oil. No oil leaks. Indicator light does no come on until the oil is almost completely gone and rattling upon acceleration is the warning!!!

- City Of Industry, CA, USA

problem #14

Jun 122018

Rio

  • 104,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On 06/12/2018, my 2013 Kia Rio had a fire in the engine compartment that totaled the vehicle. The fire was not the result of an accident or recent maintenance. The car simply burst into flames in the engine compartment while driving.

- Webster, NH, USA

problem #13

Jun 152018

Rio

  • miles
Upon research I was able to find out that the Kia Rio has the same engine used in the Kia optima which has been recalled. Just recently metal shavings were found my Kia Rio why are not all cars with the same engine being recalled?

- Moreno Valley, CA, USA

problem #12

May 012018

Rio

  • 93,000 miles
I was driving with my dog to a vet appointment. I heard a noise that sounded like I hit a pot whole but I looked and there was no whole and the car was still driving like normal so I continued on my way. There was a detour for road construction I ended up having to pull over because I did not know where I was. The car died seemed to be because of the battery loss power so I let the car rest and walked my dog.then got back in my car it started back up and turned around on the highway. Then minutes after going my car lost power and the speed reduced to 40 miles per hour when I had been driving 65 mph. All the warning lights came on and it made a noise from under the carriage /body of the car.this all happen at the same time. I was able to coast into a gas station/ convenience store. I live in Alabama and it was like 90 degrees that day. I tried to restart the car when someone tried to help me and it threw metal from under the body at us. Later found out it threw a rod.I am under 100,000 miles and way under 10 years on the warranty and have been informed by a mechanic that it threw a rod and there is no way to tell what caused it.the rod went threw the oil pan. I was lucky there was no traffic at the time this all happened. Kia tried to tell me it had to be a recall to be covered until I went to there office and confronted the woman whom had said that to me. When I told her I did not have all my paper work /records on the maintenance she said they would have to charge me to look at it to determined what caused the engine to throw a rod. I then talked to a friend of a friend that works at Kia for help and I am still waiting for his reply if they will help me or not.my car is 2013 Kia Rio.my husband had gone to cullman al. Which is about 3 hours from us the weekend before this happened and had checked the oil and added what was needed then.

- Alexander City, AL, USA

problem #11

Jul 012013

Rio

  • 6 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. Ever since the vehicle was purchased, the service engine indicator illuminated and the vehicle failed to accelerate suddenly due to an internal engine failure. The dealer (bob bell Kia of baltimore, 7900 eastern ave #1, baltimore, md 21224, (410) 288-2500) initially diagnosed that there was a wrench under the hood, but had been the only repair facility servicing a vehicle, the second time, the throttle body was replaced. During the third repair, the engine assembly was replaced, but the vehicle failed to accelerate over 20 mph. Also, the service engine indicator remained illuminated within less than 30 days of the third repair from the dealer with no remedy. The vehicle was taken to an inspection station where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to a sensor related to the throttle. The manufacturer issued 15 tsbs on the engine, but there was no recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 6.

- Rosedale, MD, USA

problem #10

Oct 242017

Rio

  • 89,000 miles
I was driving home work on the freeway and had only been on the road for 15 minutes. It was rush hour traffic and had my window down when I noticed and electrical burning smell. I thought it might be from from something outside and kept driving. The smell got stronger and stronger. After just a couple minutes of further driving smoke started pouring in from my defrost vents. I got the vehicle to the side of the road and just as I got out flames were coming from under the hood of the car and it was totally engulfed in seconds. The cause of yet unknown and under investigation from my insurance company. The vehicle has never needed any work done to it and just passed the Maryland state inspection for registration 6 weeks prior to this happening.

- Germantown, MD, USA

problem #9

May 202017

Rio

  • 50,000 miles
I was driving on the highway at 70mph with one other person in the vehicle, when there was a combination of whirring, clicking, and banging sounds from the engine. As we pulled off on the exit it sounded as if parts were falling out from under the car, but when we looked in the rear view mirror there was no debris on the road. When we pulled into the rest area and parked the car to check it out and begin the process of getting a tow truck before the car had us stranded and broke down, smoke began omitting from the hood and it got thicker and flames began coming out from under the hood mainly on the left side of the car until it had spread to both sides and began traveling into the cabin of the car. Car was in good shape, with only a need for an oil change when the problem and fire began. Fire crews arrived and put out the fire. Engine light did turn on and and start blinking as we got on the exit ramp. Car was turned off at the time the smoke and fire began. Most of the damage sustained was on the drives side of the cabin and all of the front of the car and engine area. While we understand this could be something unrelated to a manufacturer default, we want to be sure that we take the correct steps since a car that was only 3 years old did burst into flames.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #8

Sep 162016

Rio

  • 28,200 miles
Just bought a 2013 Rio with 28,000 miles on it on 9/2/16. The car sat in our driveway all last week because we were on vacation, so we maybe put 100 miles on it and drove it 4 times. Drove 20 minutes round trip to the post office yesterday, parked in driveway and went back into house to work. Wife came home from work about 10 minutes later and came running in the house saying the new car is on fire. Called 911 and before fire department was able to get there, the flames were as high as our second floor windows. Car was parked about 10-15 feet away from house, but the heat damaged part of our house as well. I have contacted insurance, but I really feel this is a Kia issue / problem, and we really should not have to use insurance to replace the car. This car is still under manufacture warranty, and they need to be held accountable. Then last night after the tow company came, we started researching this and have found many, many 2012-2014 Kia's doing this. I logged a complaint on your Kia's website, but have not got a response back yet, and yes, I feel I should get a response over the weekend. Our car burst into flames, damaged part of our house from the heat, and it could of been much worse, especially if I parked the car in the garage yesterday. Would really like to hear from Kia, or other owners that have had this problem. It seems that with all of the google hits about Kia's catching fire, there should have been a recall on any of the models that have had this problem, and get them either fixed, or off of the road, at Kia's expense.

- Hermitage, TN, USA

problem #7

May 102013

Rio

  • 11 miles
Whenever car is running would here a knocking or rattling sound, had too replace parking light bulbs three times in first year they burnt out and on three other occasions the check engine light would kick on and when I would get car to service center check engine light would go back out and they would want to charge me to run a diagnostic if nothing showed after they ran it also said my warranty wouldn't cover faulty ignition and door lock first my door locks started getting jammed and I assumed that maybe someone had tried to break into car but then my car was in repair shop on a unrelated issue my repair guy calls and tells me my ignition and key are stuck between acc and start and wouldn't come out or turn the rest of the way on or off also have had to pay for air filter replacement on car at six months old and the labor because it wasn't part of extended service plan the key then has been little tricky having to put in at a angle kinda and now its stuck again in between acc and start again so repair guy did some searching and found that sometimes if you disconnect the neg bat cable it will release the ignition and that it could have something to do with the gear shift not in gauging into park all the way even though the shifter says it is and the shifter wont go up anymore there seems to be one thing after another with this car oh and I also burned myself leaning against front quarter panel but the hood its self was cool to the touch.

- Galt, CA, USA

problem #6

Mar 152015

Rio 4-cyl

  • 9,175 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. While driving at approximately 40 mph and slowing down at a stop light, the contact observed smoke coming from the hood of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and lifted the hood and observed flames. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a salvage yard. The manufacturer was made aware the failure. The failure mileage 9,175. Updated 09/01/2015 updated 10/14/2015

- Galena, MO, USA

problem #5

Feb 212015

Rio

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was smoke coming from the hood. The contact unlatched the hood and discovered that the entire engine compartment was engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the flames. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was not determined. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000.

- Boulder Creek , CA, USA

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