Problems · by component

2013 Kia Rio electrical system problems

27 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Rio cite electrical system, 18% of all 153 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
27
18% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
8
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the electrical system

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Was sleeping and heard a pop looked and there was a fire under the hood tried to extinguish it got it outside on the road, and it burned to the ground basically”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 24, 2026Electrical systemFire reportedODI 11726820
“Vehicle showed all defect warnings as described in recall #23v652 .To include loss of all hydraulic components. Your reference Claim # [XXX]. I would like to know the status of this claim as the dealer still has my vehicle and now claims needs chassis repair , even though they earlier did an undercoat of vehicle in July per another recall. The dealer now estimates the repairs at over $5800 . Since they have had vehicle over 6 months and all my quote s to repair and held because of further defects, I wonder if this is a scam to defraud people thru your recall.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 15, 2026Steering, Electrical system, Service brakesODI 11711183
“On July 17, 2025, shortly before 4am, my son's 2013 Kia Rio caught fire, while sitting in the driveway turned off, and was totally destroyed. The car was parked in the driveway at his house and there were not any warning signs before it happened. On June 10, 2024 we had the HECU fuse replaced through a recall that could cause a fire. After we had it "fixed" we had no idea that it could still catch on fire! My son could have been in the car when this happened or other structures could have caught on fire! The fire department was called to put the fire out and the car was inspected by Kia and by our insurance company. Kia does not care that we had the part replaced and that the car STILL caught on fire. They have stated that they will not do one thing about it. They didn't offer a rental car, removal of the burned car or any money to replace the car. I do not know how they get away with this especially when the fire inspector for Kia told me that they knew that changing the fuse wasn't a "fix" but it would hopefully short the fuse before a fire would start! So they knew it was still possible! Kia should not be allowed to manufacture cars!! As of the past week,…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 3, 2025Electrical system, EngineFire reportedODI 11684896
“The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that after receiving a notice of a recall, the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the recall repair; however, several days later, the contact experienced intermittent difficulty starting the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally stalled while coming to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 23, 2025Electrical systemODI 11662782
“It's very high insurance..I paid twice the amount of the car in insurance and registration Kelly Bluebook said car is worth 5000.00 Brand New...I paid 6995.00 plus taxes There's a recall on my vehicle and it has 147,000 miles and i haven't even drove anywhere but from Palace Station to Decatur”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 4, 2024Power train, Electrical system, EngineODI 11628733
“The contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and charged a fee for diagnostic testing; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 4, 2024Service brakes, hydraulic, Electrical system, EngineODI 11618114

Showing 6 of 27 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 29, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

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

Other 2013 Rio problem areas