U.S. public vehicle records

2002 Kia RIO problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

128 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

36,750 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2002 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 64 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 17 of 128 complaints (13.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	21	16.4%
Engine operation	19	14.8%
Transmission and shifting	10	7.8%
Steering behavior	8	6.3%
Fuel system concerns	5	3.9%
Electrical and battery issues	3	2.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Air Bags:Frontal

Engine And Engine Cooling

Seat Belts

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery

Air Bags

Suspension

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	17
Air Bags:Frontal	14
Engine And Engine Cooling	13
Seat Belts	10
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	9
Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery	8
Air Bags	7
Suspension	6

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 17; Air Bags:Frontal: 14; Engine And Engine Cooling: 13; Seat Belts: 10; Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 9; Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery: 8; Air Bags: 7; Suspension: 6

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 23; 25,000 to 49,999: 10; 50,000 to 74,999: 10; 75,000 to 99,999: 10; 100,000 to 149,999: 10; 150,000 and above: 1

Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (23). 64 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2016

2019

2001: 1; 2002: 19; 2003: 31; 2004: 28; 2005: 16; 2006: 6; 2007: 6; 2008: 4; 2009: 3; 2010: 5; 2011: 3; 2012: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 2; 2016: 1; 2019: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 21 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 19 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 10 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10006681 · 2003-02-06 (February 6, 2003)

WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED THERE WAS A MUSHY FEELING. DEALER REPLACED THE BACK PLATE ASSEMBLY, AND BRAKE SHOES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006681 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10019491 · 2003-05-19 (May 19, 2003)

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT STALLING, THE DEALER REPLACED THE VAPOR AND SERVICE THE FUEL INJECTION, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STALL. *AK THE BRAKES WERE REPAIRED AND THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT WHEN DRIVING. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10019491 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10001206 · 2002-12-19 (December 19, 2002)

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THERE'S A CLICKING NOISE AND VEHICLE WILL STALL, BUT WILL START BACK UP IMMEDIATELY. THE DEALERSHIP CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS *DT

Owner-reported narrative. 9,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10001206 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10014573 · 2003-03-27 (March 27, 2003)

THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10014573 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10020470 · 2003-05-23 (May 23, 2003)

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLES TRANSMISSION FELL OUT OF THE CAR. *NLM

Owner-reported narrative. 4,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10020470 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10029648 · 2004-04-29 (April 29, 2004)

CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE'S STICK SHIFT TRANSMISSION SHUTS OFF WHEN VEHICLE IS IN FIRST AND THIRD GEAR. *AK VEHICLES ALSO DIES WHEN IN NEUTRAL. ALSO, WHEN VEHICLES DIES OR LOSES POWER, CONSUMER LOSES POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. *LA

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10029648 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10038677 · 2003-09-11 (September 11, 2003)

AIR CONDITIONER WENT OUT OF CAR SO HAD IT LOOKED AT. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE COMPUTER CHIP OR SOMETHING. THIS CAUSED THE DEFROSTER IN THE CAR TO NOT WORK. BEFORE I COULD GET IT IN TO BE REPLACED, STARTED HEARING A STRANGE NOISE FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR. CALLED TO GET AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE NEXT DAY ABOUT THE AIR AND THE NOISE. THAT DAY, WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY INTERSTATE, THE NOISE BEGAN TO GET WORSE. I THEN HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR, AND LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE STEERING WOULD NOT RESPOND, AND THE CAR FELT LI…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10038677 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10051925 · 2003-12-22 (December 22, 2003)

AFTER FILLING THE FUEL TANK THE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THEN, VEHICLE STALLED. CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 23,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10051925 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10073804 · 2004-05-18 (May 18, 2004)

RECALL NO.#04V179000, FUEL SYSTEM/GASOLINE DELIVERY: WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN, ANOTHER MOTORIST INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE BACK OF HER VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. AFTER CROSSING THE INTERSECTION THE CONSUMER LEFT THE VEHICLE AND SAW THAT THE FUEL TANK AREA WAS ACTUALLY ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER ISN'T GOING TO ISSUE THE RECALL NOTICE UNTIL JUNE OF 2004. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 50,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10073804 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10010816 · 2003-03-20 (March 20, 2003)

DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THE DEALER HAD MY VEHICLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 DAYS. THE CAR JUST SHUTS DOWN. DEALER PLACED FOUR FUSIBLE LINKS ON LINE THAT LEADS TO FUSE #13. THE DEALER HAD SPLICED INTO WIRING HARNESS, AND THEY A DID SLOPPY JOB. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO CORRECT THIS DEFECT. MY WIFE AND FAMILY ARE NOW FEARFUL OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE DUE TO UNPREDICTABLE NATURE OF DEFECT AND POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM TO US. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10010816 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10628921 · 2014-08-27 (August 27, 2014)

I JUST GOT MY CAR FIXED ON MON. 8/25/14. I TOOK IT IN BECAUSE IT WAS IDLING ROUGH. THE SHOP PUT IN NEW SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES. IT COST ME $180. I DROVE IT HOME. IT WAS SMOOTH. THEN I DROVE TO DOWNTOWN AKRON, ABOUT 15 MILES, TO A HIKE. WHEN I WAS ALMOST THERE, MY CAR JUST WENT DEAD WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I PULLED OVER AND PARKED OFF THE BUSY ROAD ONTO A PARKING LOT (PART OF/BY AKRON UNIVERSITY). THE CAR WAS DEAD. IT MADE A CLICKING NOISE WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. I CALLED AAA AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG (IT HAD A BRAND NEW 6 YEAR BATTERY IN…

Owner-reported narrative. 100,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10628921 at NHTSA ↗