Problems · NHTSA complaints

2011 Kia Rio problems

Owners filed 24 complaints about the 2011 Kia Rio with NHTSA between Sep 2011 and Mar 2025. The most-cited component is engine (7).

Complaints
24
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine7
  2. Electrical system5
  3. Air bags5
  4. Vehicle speed control3
  5. Service brakes3
  6. Structure2
  7. Steering2
  8. Fuel/propulsion system1
  9. Service brakes, hydraulic1
  10. Wheels1
  11. Other / unknown2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20113
20122
20131
20145
20151
20160
20172
20182
20193
20201
20210
20221
20231
20241
20251

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine

7 reports
“Coils, I have been through 6 sets of coils since I bought this car in 2011. This causes the engine to run rough , sputter & have no pick up when trying to accelerate. The 1st set I paid the dealer $125 a piece bc they said I must replace all 4 at once even though when 1 coil burned out under warranty they only replaced the 1. I got smart after dealing with the dealer. I bought lifetime coils from autozone and about every 1.5 to 2 years I am replacing them. It's easy to do but thats not the point. I've never had or heard of any car doing this except mine. And please let's not talk about resetting the computer brain. That is an impossible task in LA the land of teaffic....please take a moment & read the hoops you have to go through on kia's Rio forum. After trying to get my car slogged for a year I paid a guy 135.00 gave him my car for the night so he could do it. Utter [XXX] !”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 23, 2025EngineODI 11649950

Electrical system

5 reports
“The engine and all electrical shuts down without warning. This happened three times in heavy traffic and nearly caused an accident. The engine stops running and the electrical components turn off which shuts down power steering and power brakes. Each time this has happened the electrical is disabled and the car is completely dead with zero response when the ignition key is turned; no dash lights, no starter, no power. After the first incident the plugs and coil packs were changed out. After the second incident the fuse block was changed out which was said to have been overheating. After the third incident the car was parked and has not been driven since. After the "dead" car is towed and it sits for a couple of hours it will start again and run for indeterminable amount of time before shutting down.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 3, 2023Electrical system, EngineODI 11542347

Air bags

5 reports4 crashes
“AS I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION OF WHICH I HAD A GREEN LIGHT, THE VEHICLE COMING THE OPPOSITE WAY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION FAILED TO YIELD AND TOOK A LEFT TURN HITTING ME HEAD-ON. WE WERE EACH GOING BETWEEN 30-35 MILES PER HOUR. I SLAMMED MY HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL, SHEARING MY BRAIN FROM THE INSIDE OF MY SKULL RESULTING IN A MASSIVE INTERNAL BLEED. I ALSO SUFFERED A SEVERE CONCUSSION AND TORE SEVERAL LIGAMENTS IN MY NECK. I CURRENTLY CONTINUE TO SUFFER FROM TERRIBLE MIGRAINES AND HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO RESUME MY PREVIOUS PROFESSION AS AN ARCHITECT. WHY DID MY AIRBAG NOT PROTECT ME FROM SLAMMING MY HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL? IT SEEMS MY AIRBAG ONLY PARTIALLY DEPLOYED. I REMEMBER IT TOUCHED MY FACE BUT DEFINITELY DID NOT PROTECT ME FROM HITTING MY HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL. I WAS IN A SERIOUS BRAIN FOG FOR MONTHS AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND MY LAWYER MIS-ADVISED ME IN NOT PURSUING LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE AIRBAG MANUFACTURER. NOW THE CAR HAS BEEN SOLD FOR PARTS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 2, 2020Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11320026

Vehicle speed control

3 reports
“It was 12/21/2022 at about 3:15 PM in the afternoon and I had just turned right into the parking lot of St. Alexius Medical Center, 1555 Barrington Rd, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169. I took a left turn, and went north about fifty feet and stopped at a stop sign. A car was stopped at the same intersection from the right facing west. As I waited for the other car to turn in front of me, my 2011 Kia Rio started to surge in speed without my foot on the accelerator. I instinctively jammed on my brake pedal to avoid hitting the car turning in front of me. Luckily, I did not hit the other vehicle, but I am concerned that this might happen again unexpectedly. The temperature at the time was about 20 degrees outside.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 21, 2022Vehicle speed controlODI 11498472

Service brakes

3 reports1 crash
“FELT LIKE I COULD NOT GO SPEED I WAS ATTEMPTING. THE BRAKES STARTED TO LOCK UP AND ONE SIDE WAS SMOKING, NOW BOTH SIDES ARE SMOKING AND IS STILL LOCKING UP.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 13, 2017Service brakesODI 11014958

Structure

2 reports
“Painting peeling off the whole car. It’s going to cause the car to rust.Defect in Kia painting process.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 29, 2024StructureODI 11632991
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.