10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,696 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.

2016 Kia Rio engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Kia Rio Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #11

Jun 292022

Rio

  • miles

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

On June 29, 2022, I was driving on I-5 southbound when I heard a loud sort of tapping sound coming from my engine. About 30 minutes later, before I had time to get to a gas station, there was a loud "BOOM!" sound and all of a sudden, the catalytic converter light and some other dash lights started to flash and I started to lose power. I pulled over to the left shoulder of the highway and before I could even pop the hood, I noticed flames immediately licking from the underside of the hood. I grabbed my phone and pulled my rabbit in her cage from the back seat of the car and called 911. My car continued to burn, starting a small brush fire, until the fire department finally came and put the fire out. The whole front of my car was completely incinerated and it had made its way to the back hatch in less than hour. I don't know for certain what caused this as the only indication of a problem was the loud tapping sound- zero dash lights were flashing until the boom. I had just taken the car in for an oil change and general check up less than a week before, and they saw nothing amiss. Geico, my insurance company, has inspected it to determine that it is, in fact, a total loss, but I'm sure they didn't do a sort of diagnostic to determine what happened to cause the incident. I am beyond lucky that I was able to escape my car with my pet and my life, but had the fire moved any faster through the car, we would be dead. It all happened within an hour.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #10

Jun 062021

Rio

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving 10-15 mph, he heard an abnormal loud clicking sound coming from the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a nearby gas station, where he noticed the engine oil had spilled and the piston and the connecting rods had fractured. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

- Lithia Springs,, GA, USA

problem #9

May 292021

Rio

  • miles
On May 29th 2021 my 2016 Kia Rio engine caught on fire after multiple attempts of letting Kia know that my engine had a possible recall/detect. I was told that my car wasn-??t apart of the recall list of considered on the list of the 1.6 million or billion others who-??s engines have blown up as well. I have paper work/trail of recent mechanical work/mechanics informing me with -??possible recall issues as well-??. Paid for an oil change May 21st, visited the mechanic and 8 days later my car was in flames at an EXXON gas station pump, literally traumatized.

- Houston , TX, USA

problem #8

Mar 162021

Rio

  • 175,264 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Kia RIO. The contact stated that the vehicle consumed and excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,264.

- Maringouin, LA, USA

problem #7

Aug 221998

Rio

  • miles
I have 2016 Kia Rio LX and I been have problems with it first it was my widow switch keep rubbing so I took the the dealership and the said it needed oil on it was dryout.next I have problem with the fuel tank when I pump gas in the tank it keep rejecting and clicking at the pump like it's full of gas and is not.then something on the dashboard be popping up every now and again and showing the ESC control when driving.now the car to start smoking when I pull off only and I keep having to add oil.

- Maringouin, LA, USA

problem #6

Apr 302020

Rio 4-cyl

  • 148,000 miles
At 148,000 miles on the freeway the gas pedal would not give any power, still running but would not go, stalled a few times. Had to pull over and wait, restart and go a few miles, pull over and wait, then go, etc. Come to find out there was not a drop of oil left. After replenishing, still had issues, then noticed the anti-freeze was low. Replenished is now drivable but continues to burn oil. No leaking & I changed the PCV valve with no results. I'm still adding close to a quart of oil everyday. Have reason to believe the piston rings and valves are shot and oil is circulating throughout/into cylinders. Now it's on its last leg, 152,000 miles. It's been a good ride but time to go. Note* A/C stopped working at 66,000 miles

- Oneida, WI, USA

problem #5

May 092018

Rio

  • 22,000 miles

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

Problems: 1) ac stops working and only blows warm air, 2) windshield wipers does not work. Both front and back 3) front lights does not work

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #4

Aug 212018

Rio 4-cyl

  • 16,003 miles
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Rio. A minute after the contact exited the vehicle, it caught on fire. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer (dyer Kia, 21280 us-27, lake wales, fl 33859) was contacted and advised the contact to call the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and was unable to assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The cause of the fire was unknown. The failure mileage was 16,003.

- Lakeshore, FL, USA

problem #3

Jun 062018

Rio

  • 12,800 miles
The issue has occurred four times since purchasing the car at the end of December 2017 (less than 6 months ago). The dashboard will light up with a number of icons after the car is turned on (see photo from December). The first time this happened, it was a bitterly cold day and the icons popped up as I was driving. I felt the steering become tight, but luckily I was turning into a parking lot to safety. The icons went away after running the car for a long time (I was told it was just the cold weather). But when I checked on my car later before driving, the icons returned. I had to get the vehicle towed later that day because the icons did not go away and the power steering did not return. The issue stopped as soon as it reached the dealership, so they sent me on my way. I turned the car on the following morning (stationary, did not move it yet) and the icons returned, the power steering was gone. I got it towed again. After days of testing, they determined it was an issue with the engine control module and something was fixed with wiring. Now it is June 2018, and the issue happened again (on a warm day - so it is not cold related as I was originally told). I could not steer after turning the vehicle on in the early morning once again. I got it towed to the dealership and the issue is being investigated. I believe this is a major safety issue as the steering is affected, and with how many icons light up related to the air bags and brakes, I am not sure what else could be affected by this issue.

- Crown Point, IN, USA

problem #2

Apr 242017

Rio

  • 915 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate, but the engine continued to operate. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. The failure was experienced numerous times while at a stop or traffic light. The accelerator pedal had to be depressed several times to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to team Kia (1215 scalp avenue, johnstown, pa 15904, 814-266-8611) where the dealer test drove the vehicle; however, the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was diagnosed, but a failure code was not located. The dealer determined that the failure occurred due to low grade fuel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 915.

- Somerset, PA, USA

problem #1

Oct 142016

Rio

  • 14,600 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle restarted independently after a few moments. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,600.

- Yonkers, NY, USA

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