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2005 Kia Rio Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

46 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.61 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious05V557000

Child Seat

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, IF THE CHILD SEAT IS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED, PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH COULD OCCUR.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LOWER ANCHORS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 30, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 225, 'CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS.' CERTAIN CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORS WILL NOT FULLY LATCH ONTO THE LOWER LATCH ANCHORS LOCATED BETWEEN THE REAR SEAT BACK AND REAR SEAT CUSHION BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHILD SEAT ANCHORS AND A METAL WIRE LOCATED IN THE FRAME OF THE REAR SEAT BACK. UNTIL THE RECALL REPAIR IS COMPLETED, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED BY YOUR CHILD SEATS MANUFACTURER ON HOW TO PROPERLY INSTALL THE CHILD SEAT WITH YOUR VEHICLE'S REAR SAFETY BELTS RATHER THAN USING THE LATCH SYSTEM.

Complaint volume

46 this model-year 6 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

6Crashes
4Fires
10Injuries
1Deaths

Across 46 complaints. Severity Index 1.61.

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 Cooling10 · 22%Engine5 · 11%Electrical System4 · 9%Vehicle Speed Control3 · 7%Air Bags3 · 7%Seat Belts3 · 7%Power Train2 · 4%Steering2 · 4%
  1. Engine And Engine Cooling — 10 reports
  2. Engine — 5 reports
  3. Electrical System — 4 reports
  4. Vehicle Speed Control — 3 reports
  5. Air Bags — 3 reports
  6. Seat Belts — 3 reports
  7. Power Train — 2 reports
  8. Steering — 2 reports
  9. Fuel System, Other — 1 reports
  10. Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch — 1 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 (1) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (2) · 2005 · 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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