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What 153 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Rio
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
27 of 153 complaints match · Electrical system · clear filters · page 2 of 2
Nov 27, 2013Electrical systemFire
I WAS STOPPED FOR A STOP SIGN AT AN INTERSECTION WHEN FLAMES SHOT UP FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOOD! THERE WAS NO WARNING AT ALL THAT ANYTHING WAS EVEN WRONG W/THIS CAR! NO LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD...NO WARNING! *TR I QUICKLY PUT IT INTO PARK AND JUMPED OUT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS THERE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF REPORTING THIS INCIDENT TO THE CONSUMER AFFAIRS IN RIVINE, CAL. I STILL DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO CAUSE SUCH A FIRE!
NHTSA ODI 10553953
Jul 11, 2012Engine & coolingElectrical system
WHEN WE PULLED UP TO THE RED LIGHT, THE IDLE STOP AND GO SYSTEM ENGAGED AND STOPPED THE ENGINE. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND, AS WE WERE ON A DOWNSLOPE, WE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN ROLLING INTO THE INTERSECTION. UNFORTUNATELY THE GO PART DIDN'T WORK AND THE ENGINE DIDN'T RESTART. THE LIGHT HAD TURNED RED AGAIN BEFORE I COULD FIGURE OUT THAT I HAD TO PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL TO RESTART IT WITH THE KEY. *TR
NHTSA ODI 10465265
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Working with the data? Download all 153 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026
How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your
pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the
full 2013 Kia Rio verdict →