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2008 Kia Rio Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

57 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 1.19 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious12V244000

Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITH A CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT raises the risk of INJURY TO THAT CHILD.

Remedy & full details

KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCS SEAT SENSOR MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.

KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 RIO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2007. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT CAN EXPERIENCE FATIGUE CRACKING. IF SUFFICIENT CRACKING OCCURS, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION SUCH THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT WHETHER A CHILD PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY DURING A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT.

Complaint volume

57 this model-year 9 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

12Crashes
0Fires
11Injuries
0Deaths

Across 57 complaints. Severity Index 1.19.

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

Air Bags23 · 40%Air Bags · Frontal4 · 7%Service Brakes, Hydraulic3 · 5%Engine3 · 5%Vehicle Speed Control2 · 4%Fuel System, Gasoline2 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling2 · 4%Service Brakes2 · 4%
  1. Air Bags — 23 reports
  2. Air Bags:Frontal — 4 reports
  3. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 3 reports
  4. Engine — 3 reports
  5. Vehicle Speed Control — 2 reports
  6. Fuel System, Gasoline — 2 reports
  7. Engine And Engine Cooling — 2 reports
  8. Service Brakes — 2 reports
  9. Exterior Lighting — 2 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal — 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 (1) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (1) · 2008 · 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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