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2002 Kia Rio Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

171 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.57 · 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.

Complaint volume

171 this model-year 8 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

34Crashes
7Fires
40Injuries
2Deaths

Across 171 complaints. Severity Index 1.57.

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…17 · 10%Air Bags · Frontal14 · 8%Engine And Engine Cooling13 · 8%Seat Belts10 · 6%Service Brakes, Hydraulic9 · 5%Fuel System, Gasoline · D…8 · 5%Air Bags7 · 4%Suspension6 · 4%
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 17 reports
  2. Air Bags:Frontal — 14 reports
  3. Engine And Engine Cooling — 13 reports
  4. Seat Belts — 10 reports
  5. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 9 reports
  6. Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery — 8 reports
  7. Air Bags — 7 reports
  8. Suspension — 6 reports
  9. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 5 reports
  10. Fuel System, Gasoline — 5 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 (3) · 2002 · 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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