2003 Kia Rio Reviews - Page 9 of 16

At 20,000km the car required new tires

At 24,000km a section of the exhaust fell off.

At 40,000km the check engine light has been going on and off. For the past 3 months I have been going to 2 dealers for the light. They have replaced the wheel sensor and transmission sensor. The light came back on again and indicated the wheel sensor again. They finally decided to diagnose the problem. It was corroded wires.

The two Kia dealers were not very helpful as they did not offer a pick up or drop off service.

It has been very inconvenient to keep taking the car in for the engine light.

The engine does not have a protective plate underneath it, so the entire engine compartment is covered with sand and salt from one winter driving.

The car makes loud whistle sounds when driving at high speeds. A complaint was made and I was informed that it is just the design of the car.

After the first oil change at 15,000km I noticed that the fuel mileage would worsen with every tank of gas. I started with about 450km per 30L tank. Now I only get 360km per tank.

Parts come from Korea and take a long time to come in.

The car is not made for tall people.

I am not happy with the Kia dealers as they do not inform you as to how the work is proceeding (if at all).

At 15,000 miles the brakes were worn to less than 18%.

At 18,000 miles the front right bearing locked up.

Car makes loud noises at higher speeds during windy days.

At 22,000 miles the right front bearing locked up again.

At 30,000 miles the right front bearing went out yet again.

Right front spacer was not placed on car during assembly.

Tires required replacement at 22,000 miles.

Gas mileage not as high as factory claims.

Radio cuts in and out when hitting a bump.

Car failed inspection in 2004 with less than 20,000 miles on it.

Windshield Wiper motor burned up at 31,000 miles.

At 15,000 miles the brakes were worn to less than 18%. When taken to the dealer, I was told that this part is not warranted in the 10 year warranty. I pulled out the book and found that the brakes are warranted during the 3 year 36,000 warranty period. I took the car back and showed the dealer. He proceeded to give me an estimate of over $500 and again stated that he would not replace the brakes under warranty.

At 18,000 miles the front end locked up on the highway and required the car to be towed to another dealer. After the service manager read the notes put on my VIN by the previous dealership, he refused to even look at my car. I had it towed to my regular mechanic. He informed me that the right bearing was bad & replaced. At 22,000 miles, the right front bearing went out again. My mechanic states that KIA has a technical service bulletin published regarding the front bearings. He replaced the bearing again using a KIA part. At 30,000 miles the bearing went out again, this time causing me to hydroplane and hit a ditch. My mechanic kept the car for a week to see what was causing the bearings to go bad. The service manager at KIA explained that he does about 5 new bearing jobs a week on these cars and advised that it could be a spacer between the bearing and the axle. It seems that most of these cars left the factory without that part. It took KIA a week to get the part to my mechanic due to the demand.

It is important to note that even though KIA states they warranty their cars for 10 years, none of the things that have gone wrong with the car was "covered by warranty" according to the three dealers I have been to. I have filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation, the Better Business Bureau, and the National Transportation Safety Board. I have every avenue at KIA including the arbitration process.