2001 Kia Rio review from North America

The first problem I have encountered with my Kia Rio was the "Check engine" light. After a scheduled oil change, the light came on for no apparent reason. My mechanic believed that the cause of this problem was a faulty oxygen sensor reading. He reset the ECM and it appeared to be fine.

A few months later, after a subsequent oil change, I found that an interior panel on the driver's side had come loose. Presumably, the mechanic caused this problem. At the same time, I think he probably did it inadvertently, which leads me to believe that it was not installed securely. I tried to refasten it, but was unable to do so. The same panel on the passenger side came loose a few months later, again, during a visit to my mechanic for scheduled maintenance. Cleaning the inside of the windshield is done at every one of my visits as a courtesy by my mechanic. It is during this cleaning that I believe the panels have come loose.

In my state, motor vehicles must undergo a safety inspection once a year. At my last inspection, I discovered that my horn did not work, causing my vehicle to be rejected and illegal to operate until the defect is corrected. A local dealer replaced the horn, as it was still covered under my warranty.

My most recent problem involves the car's acceleration in low gears. I took my car to my mechanic and he stated that the probable cause was a leaking valve cover gasket. I needed a tune-up anyway, so I asked him to replace my spark plugs. I then took my car to a local dealer because my car was still under warranty. The dealer verified that the gasket was bad and replaced it for me, charging only a $40 diagnostic fee. In doing the work, the dealer failed to reattach a couple of hoses. This caused the car to idle poorly. I later noticed the problem and reattached the hoses. It now idles well, but the acceleration problem still exists, but to a lesser degree.