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2001 Kia Rio Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Critical

355 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.63 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical04V179000

Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery

FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR AND MAIN FUEL TUBE ASSEMBLIES. THE RECALL BEGAN JUNE 18, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL INTAKE NIPPLE OF THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR IS SUBJECT TO FRACTURE OR CRACKING DURING REMOVAL OF THE QUICK CONNECT COUPLING SECURING THE MAIN FUEL TUBE ASSEMBLY TO THE FUEL INTAKE NIPPLE, OR WHEN FORCE IS ACCIDENTALLY APPLIED TO THE INTAKE NIPPLE DURING THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PROCESS OR DURING ENGINE COMPARTMENT REPAIRS.

Critical03V352000

Fuel System, Gasoline

FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR AND FUEL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLIES. OWNER NOTIFICATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, FUEL LEAKS MAY DEVELOP AT THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR ASSEMBLY BECAUSE OF QUALITY DEVIATIONS.

Serious05V159000

Wheels

IF THE CRACK IS SEVERE, THE WHEEL COULD SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE AND POSSIBLY RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE ALL FOUR WHEELS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 22, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY HAVE A MANUFACTURING FLAW THAT COULD CAUSE THE WHEELS TO CRACK UNDER LONG TERM DRIVING FATIGUE. IF CRACKS OCCUR, WHEEL NOISE AND VIBRATION WILL RESULT AND BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE OVER TIME.

Complaint volume

355 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

32Crashes
23Fires
20Injuries
1Deaths

Across 355 complaints. Severity Index 0.63.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine And Engine Cooling…20 · 6%Unknown Or Other19 · 5%Power Train · Automatic T…17 · 5%Air Bags17 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling…16 · 5%Wheels14 · 4%Wheels · Rim13 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling13 · 4%
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 20 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 19 reports
  3. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 17 reports
  4. Air Bags — 17 reports
  5. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 16 reports
  6. Wheels — 14 reports
  7. Wheels:Rim — 13 reports
  8. Engine And Engine Cooling — 13 reports
  9. Air Bags:Frontal — 12 reports
  10. Fuel System, Gasoline — 11 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2000 · 2001 · 2002 (1) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (2) · 2005 (1) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (1) · 2008 (1) · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 (1) · 2013 (1) · 2014 (1) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (2) · 2018 (1) · 2019 (1) · 2020 (1) · 2021 (2) · 2022 (1) · 2023

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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