2002 Kia Rio from North America - Comments

Transmission replaced

Clutch replaced

Timing belt replaced

CV joint replaced

Motor mounts replaced

Rubber gutter on roof replaced 3 times

Rides extremely shakey and Kia doesn't know why.

Whatever you do, don't buy a KIA Rio.

My check engine light came on a month after I bought it. They said it was because of something with my gas cap.

Then a couple months later, my car started shifting bad, and I'd heard a grinding sound. The transmission and clutch had to be replaced.

A while later, my engine started sounding like a fan was loose or something. It wound up being the timing belt, and I was hearing a popping, so they also had to replace a CV joint.

Recently I just had to get all three of my motor mounts changed. The car still shakes though. It shakes pretty bad from 55-65 mph, and they say there's nothing wrong.

My brakes suck too. They always did feel soft, and now are really shaky too.

I'm trying to get KIA to buy back the car, but New Mexico's lemon law is not tough enough.

Can anyone help me? I think it's time for a class action suit against Kia for making garbage.

Does car have leather bra? It will cause vibration that worsens the faster you go, because front of car is flimsy. If it has one take it off.

I also have a 2002 kia rio I am trying to get lemon law right now cause my car is having the same problems. I actually wrecked a week ago because the brakes fail too. My check engine light came on too and they also told me it was because of my gas cap. Kia cars are dirt.

I have a 2003 Kia Rio and I have had problems 6 months after I bought it. Right now the clutch is being replaced and I want Kia to buy it back, but they won't. They just keep saying that they will fix everything, but I have not even driven my car in a month. I agree on the class action suit.

Hello everyone. I agree with a class action suit being filed. I own a 2001 KIA Sportage. My wife calls it her

FPJ (Foreign Piece of Junk". The Kia's are all garbage. Will never buy another one.

George Thomas.

I bought a 2002 Kia Rio sedan last year in December and within a week I had to get a new fuel pump and a new fuel filter. It has not even been a year and now my back window which I barely roll down, will not roll up. then the worst part is that recently my car shuts off on me, I turn it back on and it wouldn't start its happened about 4 times now and I took it to Kia and they said "theres nothing we could do we will test drive it and we can only see whats wrong with it if it turns off on us" I think this car is a piece of s*** and I'm trying to have them buy the car back or something.

Corrina.

My friend also has a 2002 Kia Rio. It has 37000 miles on it and the timing belt broke going down the interstate. It's been sitting in the dealership for over a week now. Kia wants her to pay the $3000 for the new engine. What about the 10year 100,000 mile warranty. She's not going to buy another Kia. If they decide to give her a different Kia off the lot it is going right down the street to be traded in on something else. :)

I own a 2002 Rio..I've had many many problems.

Clutch parts needing replaced 5 weeks after I bought the car.

Rear wheel bearings replaced 6 times.

Drivers side door weatherstripping replaced 4 times, roof molding replaced 3 times.

Rear Kia logo fell off.

And the list goes on and on.. and Kia won't do anything about this.. just keep saying they will fix it.

I have had similar experiences with my Kia Rio. I am not surprised to learn that someone else is having problems with their Kia Rio as well. I have had my Rio two months over a year and find myself disappointed in my car. When I first bought my car, it would shut off unexpectedly. They had to change my fuel pump. The battery would still be on, but the engine would be off. Once this issue was taken care of my defroster would work sporadically. Know I am having issues with my brakes. I learned that I have uneven wear on my brakes. As a result I had my brakes replaced and my rotors machined. To my surprise I am experiencing uneven wear again. I learned that the reason why is because my calipers are sticking. I took my Rio to the dealership and they had the nerve to tell me that the uneven wear is because my rotor is warped (I guess they didn't realize that I had my rotors machined already). Then they said the uneven wear came from my brakes being dirty and that I needed to rinse them off with a water hose. Then the gentleman told me that the brake pads should only last 20,000 miles so it is not unexpected that they are worn. Keep in mind that all of these different excuses were given in one phone conversation. I don't know if they tried to tell me these things because I am a female or what, but I know it's not true. The reason why my brakes are grinding, squeaking, and wearing down fast on only on tire is because the caliper on that specific tire is sticking. Oh yeah, did I mention that the brakes on all of the other tires are totally fine. They probably have another year on them.

All I can say is that I hate Kia. I know that some of the issues I have experienced are because I am a female. I have had Kia try to charge me $3,000 just to drain my oil. I would not mind being a part of the class action suit or writing up a major complaint to the better business bureau.

I have a 2002 Kia Rio RXV and it also is a piece of crap. As I write now, my car is in the shop. My Kia has 38.000km on it and driving home a few weeks ago the car lost power. I could only do 50km/h max and that was feathering the gas just so I could get home. I thought maybe I got some bad gas so I added some gas line antifreeze... that did not solve the problem so I called Kia and had it towed to the nearest Kia dealer. They determined that it needed a new catalytic converter and O2 sensor which was a week away, under warranty. They also told me that the transmission fluid was aerated and it had to be changed (I would have to pay) and also that the front wheel bearings needed to be repacked, under warranty. When they finally changed the warranted parts they were not the problem. Now they are sending a fuel sample in to see if someone sabotaged my car. Obviously the mechanics don't know what they are doing! After reading these postings I am convinced that the car is junk!

To top it all off my car has been in the shop now for 2 weeks and of course they have no courtesy cars, luckily I have a good North American Chevy to get me around.

I will never again buy from this company.

I've had my transmission replaced 2 times. I've also had to have the weatherstripping on the passenger's side replaced.

The first time I had my transmission replaced was because corrosion fell into my transmission causing it to seize up. The car wasn't even a year old when that happened! The "new" transmission started acting funny a month later. When it was shifting (it's an automatic, by the way) to go faster, it would go into a gear then quickly back out of it, then shift again. The dealership replaced my speed sensor twice, which didn't help at all. They tried four times to fix my car and none of the tries work. It was missing a gear. I filed for the lemon law, and for Kia's final repair attempt, they replaced the transmission. A week later I lost just about all the gears! It didn't even have reverse! Kia realized that if my case went to court, I'd win. So they repurchased that stupid car. The dealership told me that they are going to replace that transmission too! I think this is bullshit that Kia is allowed to keep selling these junk cars that fall apart shortly after you buy them!!! Kia needs to be shut down! I will NEVER own another Kia. I'd rather walk.

I bought a new Rio in April of 2001. It is the most reliable car I have ever owned. I had 140,000 trouble free miles on it, just regular oil changes 2 front brake jobs and 2 sets of tires. Unfortunately, I never bothered to change the timing belt. It broke and destroyed my engine, which is totally my own fault. I probably would have gotten 200,000 miles out of it. I bought an engine at a junkyard (2002 w/20,000 miles) for $450.00. Hopefully it will last quite a bit longer.

I bought a 2002 Kia Rio that was supposed to be new in Feb.2004. After 400 miles it stopped in the highway. They said it was a recalled electrical part. The car drives like a car that has 150,000 miles on it. This is my first new car & I am very disappointed. I am actually afraid to get out on the highway in it. I did not get a notice in the mail about a part recall. They said the car was new & charged $9,000.00. Carfax says there are 3 records on it according to the VIN. I haven`t paid to see what they are, but I`m curious.

The engine light will go on if the gas cap isn't tightened sufficiently because the system will sense an emission leak. The light will go on to let you know. Close the cap tightly (at least 3 clicks) and drive for a couple miles, the light should go off on its own.

I have a Kia Rio 2001 it was recalled the first time because it would feel like it was going to stall or it would shut off then just recently it was recalled again for fuel distributor or something when I had a fourth of a tank it wouldn't start for a few tries every time I turn around there is something we are repairing.

Yeah right. In Australia these are one of the most popular small cars on the road. I know someone who bought 2 at the same time (maybe got a 2 for 1 special) for him & his partner. After reading these reviews it's no wonder they're cheap. I wouldn't touch one with a 10ft barge pole, even with a warranty which doesn't mean anything. The dealership can still pick and choose what to fix under warranty it seems. How can you try to charge someone for a new engine when the timing belt snaps at under 40,000 miles? For God's sake!