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What 51 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 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.

All (51)Crash / fire / injury (15)Engine (24)Brakes (10)Airbags (7)Body & structure (6)Transmission & drivetrain (6)Electrical system (5)Fuel system (4)Wheels (2)Equipment Adaptive/mobility (1)Lights (1)

2 of 51 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 3, 2024BrakesFire

The contact owned a 2014 Kia Rio. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). After the recall remedy was completed, the dealer provided documentation indicating that engine rods #3 and #4 were failing and could soon cause the engine to explode if not immediately repaired. Approximately 2 weeks later while the daughter was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle began to decelerate and emit smoke from underneath the hood. The driver was able to coast to the side of the road and safely exit the vehicle as it caught on fire. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed and deemed totaled since the fire consumed it. A dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 133,223.

NHTSA ODI 11592161

Feb 8, 2017AirbagsBrakesCrash

UNRESPONSIVE BRAKING AND AIRBAGS HAVE NOT DEPLOYED IN TWO SEPARATE COLLISIONS WHERE I RAN INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS STOPPED ON CITY STREETS WHERE I WAS DRIVING 25 MPH IN THE FIRST COLLISION AND 35 MPH IN THE SECOND.

NHTSA ODI 10950245

Working with the data? Download all 51 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 2014 Kia Rio verdict →