2003 Kia Rio review from North America

I have had my tires replaced once, and about to go for the second trip (that is IF they can get the thing running again).

Upon buying the car, the drivers side door handle wouldn't open the door from the outside, a trip to the dealer provided that most 03 Rio's have this problem. The problem eventually resolved itself.

The steering and car itself has always been shaky at anything above 50 mph.

My dome light only works when the door is open and the 12v. charger thing (where the cigarette lighter SHOULD go, but the dealer took mine out of the car before the car was given to me so I am left with a charger hole that won't charge anything) doesn't work at all. Another trip to the dealer concluded that it was a fuse, and they would change the fuse (my car was in for an oil change anyway). Still, no luck with my dome light or charger.

My most recent adventure with my "Krapia", as I like to call it, would be the broken timing belt which has in turn DESTROYED my engine. (I'm at just over 62 thousand miles) and the dealer doesn't want to cover it under warranty. Go figure, right. Well no one ever told me that the timing belt HAD TO be replaced at 60k, to my knowledge it was only a recommendation. Well now my car, which still has three or four payments left on it, is pretty much useless..

Sad that Kia would market a car to lower income families that has such an unforgiving defect.

And, why isn't there a trunk popper on the inside of the car? That's just silly.

What a piece of crap.

Next time I'll spend the extra money for an American made car.