22nd Jun 2006, 14:57

If a clutch goes at @11,000 kms it could be because of bad driving habits, but it could also be because of vehicle defect. Keep watching this site and check other Internet sites to see if this was a common problem with that car and if you find it is, then start talking class action lawsuit or at least present your findings to the dealer/manufacturer. Sometimes they have secret or goodwill warranties that they don't tell you about until you complain hard enough. Check out the Lemon Aid car book for a list of recalls and these secret warranties to see if you clutch is in fact covered. You can also check the Transportation Safety Board bulletins.

I found it a bit offensive that the last post suggested the lady and owner of this car was 'ignorant', or that it was her fault that the car salesperson lied to her. Where does anyone get off suggesting that it is your fault if someone lies to you? While it always pays to protect yourself with written agreements, have we come so far as to now not only condone lieing car salespeople, but to suggest that the victim of the lies is at fault? Someone needs to give their head a shake.

22nd Jul 2006, 23:46

I concur, its not right to say someones ignorant. Its not her fault this worlds becoming corrupt and unjust. About the car, I have bad reviews. My dad bought it and has since put 70k miles. Its never ran like a luxury car, but up until 13k miles it ran good. After that it was just one thing after another (some covered, some not).It did its job with being a gas saver, and for its price we didn't expect much. Wouldn't recommend the car if you can afford more, but you get what you pay for :>

23rd Mar 2008, 16:55

I bought a Kia Rio 2005 model 4door 5 speed manual trans. Had 45000 miles, Was told it had a 100000 warranty on motor ect. At approx 52000 the timing belt went, which in turn ruined the motor. Kia will do nothing for me. I would go to court but need to file out of my state. Don't even think of buying a KIA, the warranty is BS. I need a motor so that I can sell this Junk Car!!

9th Apr 2008, 05:13

About two weeks ago, my timing popped off the motor at 60,500 miles and Kia refuses to help in any way, shape or form because it states in the warranty that it is to be changed at 60,000 miles; come on, please, give me a break. There needs to be some type of overlapped coverage time; like... a few thousand miles under and over 60,000 miles. So, they want me to pay them $5000 for a new motor. Ridiculous; outrageous!

12th Jul 2008, 17:23

I own a 2005 KIA RIO. At 41000 km they told me due to bad driving my clutch went! They told me it would cost just under 1000 dollars to fix. I found another place at only $615. The problem is they didn't even really look at it, because if they did they would have seen that my manual clutch cable needed adjustment. If they had addressed the issue when I first was concerned (a couple weeks after buying the car) then there would be less damage to the clutch! ALSO they pride themselves on customer satisfaction and service, but then why would they accuse me of bad driving?

This isn't the first manual car I have owned, but this is the last KIA!!!

21st Nov 2008, 12:50

I too have a 2005 KIA Rio, 57,000 miles and the clutch has gone out. I have driven stick for 25 years, so I doubt the cause was poor driving. It's times like this that I thank God for mechanics in the family. I'll just be out the money for parts, and $100 for labor. I dodged a bullet here, but I'm also having problems with my driver's side door sensor. Every time I touch the door while driving, the interior light comes on and the door ajar alarm comes on. When I bought this car, I prayed that it would not be like my Hyundai Accent (almost the same car), which literally died, the day I mailed in the last payment. It was only 7 years old...

4th Dec 2008, 22:47

I had a 2005 KIA Rio (before my fiancée totaled it). I had no such problems with the car (Automatic transmission). Otherwise the car was perfect and I loved every minute of it, but KIA Dealerships will lie their butt off to you like mine did; they said because of the mileage on the vehicle (43,200 miles) they would extend my warranty to 90K miles. LOL YEAH RIGHT!!! Like the young stupid boy I was, I didn't think about asking for that paperwork so I was left with a 60k mile warranty. Don't believe KIA or many other dealerships; get it in writing before signing anything.

12th May 2009, 14:43

I have 98,000 miles on my 2005 Rio Cinco and the clutch just went out. The timing belt went at 85,000 (my fault, should have been replaced at 60,000). I can live with both of those, taking responsibility for the timing belt and getting almost 100,000 out of a clutch isn't too bad. I had neither repaired by KIA and saved a lot of money compared too many of the posts here. However, the front end alignment annoys me. It seems like I can't keep it in alignment and I'm always replacing tires. The garage tells me there aren't even specs for the rear wheel alignment from the manufacturer.

16th Jun 2009, 13:51

To the Nov 21st reviewer... WHY did you buy a Kia when your Accent died? Did you not suspect maybe the car you were replacing it with was also problematic? My first car was a Korean lemon (1990 Pontiac LeMans), and it only took me one time owning a Korean car to know to stay away from them.

8th Nov 2009, 23:02

Why in the heck you would get rid of a Mitsubishi Lancer and go to a Kia Rio?

If you're trying to save gas, there's no point cause the difference would be negligible compared to what you sacrifice in quality and other running costs.

Clutches are failure points in cheap cars, but other than that it's all preventative.

12th Nov 2009, 12:53

If you own a Kia Rio, replace the timing belt when told to do so. We bought our son a 2005 Rio Cinco, the timing belt broke at 90K miles, and ruined the engine. Valves bent, head messed up.

A horrible car.

13th Nov 2009, 15:59

To the above comment: It's not the cars fault that you didn't perform the basic maintenance it needed.

24th Dec 2009, 17:36

Obviously something is up with the timing belts wearing out faster than they should. If it's rated for 60k miles, then it should last at least 60k miles!!! On most Japanese cars, the t-belt is rated to 60-90k miles, but in reality lasts much longer. Technically you are taking a big risk by not changing the belt after that... the belt is made of rubber, so it will stretch, crack etc over time, and eventually fail and break the interference type engine.

I would think that rubber belts will wear out faster if you drive in hot summer and cold winter conditions, so it may need to be replaced sooner.

I guess to be on the safe side, change the belt every 50k miles on these cars.