2003 Kia Rio ? review from North America

The door handle broke within a few months.

The front right suspension busted at about 20,000 miles.

The air conditioner switch went out within a few months of owning it.

I was changing a flat tire when one of the lug bolts broke. I went to the auto parts store to get a replacement bolt, and was told that the entire hub assembly had to be replaced. $120 for a used hub assembly. The dealer could not get me one. It's also hard to find parts for a KIA. I had to call about 15 different places to even find one that had any KIA parts.

The wiper arm came off of the motor during an ice storm. When I went to fix it, that's when I discovered that KIA does not use screws. they use these little clips that look like screws. You have to pop them out, and the don't go in as securely as thew were before.

I had shifting problems at 20,000 miles. the dealer told me that I needed it serviced for $800, or my warranty would be void. I guess my warranty is void now. So much for the 100,000 mile warranty.

The battery went out the first year.

It has leaked coolant since I bought it. Nobody knows how to stop it.

I have replaced the tail light bulbs, and headlight bulbs many many times, and it is only 3 1/2 years old. I have owned other cars for much longer and never had to replace any bulb, much less multiple times.

The interior wears very quickly. it looks like it is about 20 years old on the inside. My steering wheel has faded from gray to green. The seats are black, and not cleanable.

The brakes last about 10,000 miles.

I bought his car mainly for the price, the warranty, and the gas mileage. It said it would get around 30 mpg. The last new car a bought was a Cavalier. It also stated about 30 mpg, but got 40 hwy, and about 34. In the KIA I get about 22 hwy, and under 20 mpg city. I get better mileage from my V8 Cadillac than this wimpy little 4 banger.

It also had very little power. Trying to enter a highway is a challenge. Trying to get across the intersection before the light turns red is a challenge.

It's comfort is OK for a small car.

It has a sunglass holder in the ceiling that is too small to hold any pair of sunglasses.

It has a lot of wind noise, and whistling.

It bottom outs in most inclined driveways. My rear bumper and exhaust are bent up because of this.

I have had it in 4 times because of paint falling off. It has been repainted several times, all under warranty.