Problems · NHTSA complaints

2016 Kia Rio problems

Owners filed 79 complaints about the 2016 Kia Rio with NHTSA between Oct 2016 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is engine (39).

Complaints
79
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
6
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine39
  2. Service brakes, hydraulic12
  3. Electrical system9
  4. Air bags5
  5. Service brakes5
  6. Power train5
  7. Exterior lighting4
  8. Fuel/propulsion system4
  9. Engine and engine cooling3
  10. Steering3
  11. Structure2
  12. Visibility1
  13. Service brakes, air1
  14. Latches/locks/linkages1

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 28, 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
20162
20172
20185
20192
20201
20216
20229
202319
202423
20256
20264

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

39 reports6 fires
“While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly began bucking, lost power, and lost oil. The engine compartment immediately caught fire. The fire was entirely non-collision related and required immediate extinguishing. The incident was logged by the Washington State Patrol. The vehicle was towed and subsequently inspected by a certified Kia dealership. The Kia dealership technicians officially diagnosed the cause of the fire as a catastrophic internal engine failure, specifically noting in writing that they "found hole in engine block." They noted there was no other possible causation. This spontaneous engine failure and resulting fire occurred at approximately 99,000 miles. The vehicle is currently disabled and available for inspection upon request.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 19, 2026Electrical system, EngineFire reportedODI 11772186

Service brakes, hydraulic

12 reports1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 23, 2024Service brakes, hydraulicODI 11584777

Electrical system

9 reports4 fires
“The car would constantly stall, would need to jiggle ignition to get car to turn over. burn oil EXTREMELY. would foul spark plugs around 20k-30kmiles. , coolant would get burned and get shot out to the exhaust area, and finally the car would have smoke coming out of the engine bay after driving for a distance of 15-30 miles while also getting terrible MPG. Car on average should get 38mpg highway and 27mpg city. This car was getting about 20-22mpg highway and 16-20mpg city.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 16, 2024Electrical system, EngineODI 11589184

Air bags

5 reports5 crashes
“ON 9/21/2026 AT 3:18AM WAS GETTING OFF TURNPIKE Becker rd. 128 CAME TO A STOP LIGHT WHEN a truck plowed in the back of me then took off. hit me so hard the car shut off. i started the car back up after a few minutes did not see anyone and drove home.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 22, 2026Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11773109

Service brakes

5 reports1 crash1 fire
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Complete engine lockup during operation at speed which caused steering and braking to be greatly hampered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine failed on a 4-lane highway in traffic which could have easily caused a high-speed accident since the car extremely decelerated and lost power steering and braking in order to get out of traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes confirmed by an independent service center which told me it was either a cylinder rod or a lower engine bearing failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, the manufacture KIA has a recall on other models in this year range but not the RIO. The other models have a similar engine failure caused by a faulty cylinder rod bearing. The RIO has never been added to this recall list, but it should be because it looks like the engine issues are also on this model in the same time frame. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 12, 2024Steering, Service brakes, EngineODI 11601480

Power train

5 reports
“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle was slow to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics, who were unable to identify the cause of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 27, 2023Power train, Vehicle speed controlODI 11556929
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026

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