2013 KIA RIO
Chicago, IL
STEERING
Case numberODI11697241
NHTSA complaint #11715067 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
KIA RIO steering problems
55 of the 1,816 complaints filed about the KIA RIO are about the steering — 3% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2013.
55
Complaints
3%
Share of all complaints
10
Crashes
1
Fires
Steering complaints by model year
What owners said
2013 KIA RIO
Chicago, IL
STEERING
Vehicle showed all defect warnings as described in recall #23v652 .To include loss of all hydraulic components. Your reference Claim # [XXX]. I would like to know the status of this claim as the dealer still has my vehicle and now claims needs chassis repair , even though they earlier did an undercoat of vehicle in July per another recall. The dealer now estimates the repairs at over $5800 . Since they have had vehicle over 6 months and all my quote s to repair and held because of further defects, I wonder if this is a scam to defraud people thru your recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11711183 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 KIA RIO
Johnson City, TN
STEERING
Steering Gear Assembly completely broke at 81,000 miles. My daughter was backing up in a busy street at 5pm and lost 100 percent of steering control. Lucking cars dodged her and she didn’t get hurt or worse.
NHTSA complaint #11660866 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2023 KIA RIO
Surprise, AZ
STEERING
The vehicle has difficulty following a center line, higher than normal steering wheel input is required. Feels like the vehicle is being driven in strong crosswinds at any speed above 55 MPH. The vehicle is very, very difficult to keep centered when crosswinds are present. The steering wheel input feels sticky and not smooth at any speed above 40 MPH. A 4-wheel alignment revealed a 0.3 degree of toe mis-adjustment on the RR wheel, no adjustment settings are present. Remaining wheels were within specs. No adjustment for the electronic steering assist. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with the Highline TPMS, however, it is not displayed on the LCD. Dealer and Kia Corp. states it should display, however no fix is available.
NHTSA complaint #11652873 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2016 KIA RIO
Mackinaw, IL
STEERING
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Complete engine lockup during operation at speed which caused steering and braking to be greatly hampered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine failed on a 4-lane highway in traffic which could have easily caused a high-speed accident since the car extremely decelerated and lost power steering and braking in order to get out of traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes confirmed by an independent service center which told me it was either a cylinder rod or a lower engine bearing failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, the manufacture KIA has a recall on other models in this year range but not the RIO. The other models have a similar engine failure caused by a faulty cylinder rod bearing. The RIO has never been added to this recall list, but it should be because it looks like the engine issues are also on this model in the same time frame. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, they only came on when the engine failed. Then every warning light appeared.
NHTSA complaint #11601480 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia RIO LX . The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the contact could not see and it was difficult to steer the wheel causing the vehicle to slide into a ditch. The contact stated the Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Anti-lock Brake light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle out of the ditch to the residence and later to the dealer. There was no physical injuries, however the contact sustain emotional trauma. The police was not called. The dealer stated the Steering Angle Sensor had a dtc1259 code . The vehicle was repaired, replacing the subframe and the control driver front lower control arm. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue yet. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
NHTSA complaint #11568073 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2023 KIA RIO
Ann Arbor, MI
STEERING
Hi [XXX] I just collected my Kia Rio from service at LaFontaine. On driving in the freeway I noticed I had to make frequent adjustments to the steering when going straight and there was oversteering (minor tilt of the steering wheel result in exaggerated larger turn of the car). This does not happen when driving at lower speed outside of the freeway. I will monitor this as I am not sure if this was because I was switching between cars and/or that particular stretch of road is slippery. According to the technicians the alignment is back to spec so I will let you know if this issue persists as I drive the Rio more in the coming days. Hi Team The car veers to the left when driving with steering wheel straight. Tested in a clear non wet road. Please advise on next step. When driving on freeway there are over steering and understeering issues. Extremely dangerous. Yours sincerely [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11566798 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2023 KIA RIO
Ann Arbor, MI
STEERING
Hi [XXX] My Kia Rio 2023 S vin number is [XXX] . Bought a couple months back new at Summit Place Kia Auburn Hills michigan. Once I drive off I realised the steering wheel alignment is off. The car does not drive straight when steering wheel is straight. I called my salesman and he asked me to bring it in for servicing at Summit Place. They did a wheel alignment there and found misalignment at factory condition. A few months later the same issue got worse and was noticeable again when driving. I called my salesman and he told me bringing it into service will incur a service charge as this issue is not under warranty. However, I believe this constant misalignment is from a manufacturing defect causing safety issue and you could access the servicing records that said the wheel alignment was already off at the first emergency servicing. I have also made sure all my tire pressures are topped up to the recommended pressures Kindly advise and rectify this road safety issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11563553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2020 KIA RIO
Orlando, FL
STEERING
I believe my Kia Rio S falls victim to the recall 2020 Kia Rio models have faced. Brake performance has been severely degraded on my vehicle over the past few weeks despite doing all recommended maintenance. When I first got my 2020 Kia Rio S I could brake with 5% pressure applied to the brakes, now it takes about 25-30% pressure and it seemingly is increasing every day. I have contacted the manufacturer and they advised me it would be a $2000 service charge minimum.
NHTSA complaint #11543523 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2020 KIA RIO
Austin, TX
STEERING
My vehicle driver rear window was broken, steer column and stolen case # [XXX] I also own a vin # [XXX] and [XXX] . Please contact me [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11542585 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2020 KIA RIO
Jeffersonville, IN
STEERING
There has not been an incident yet but i don’t know who else to talk to. I am a FedEx Delivery driver and driver the largest Delivery truck made for FedEx and am fine with it ask day. However, the steering on my car is down right dangerous. My car drifts all over the road. It is ten times harder to keep my little cat on the road than my big work truck. So hard in fact that i have resorted to this. I am a good driver never even a ticket so i know how to drive. It’s not my driving please listen when i tell you something is WAY wrong with the steering or suspension or both on this vehicle. Just drive one and you will see very quickly what i am saying i promise!
NHTSA complaint #11521447 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2022 KIA RIO
Seymour, IN
STEERING
Issue 1) Power steering wheel stopped working after practicing parking in preparation for a drivers test. Issue 2) Fuel indicator did not worked as expected, takes 3 to 5 min (in motion) to get the indicator in the right position. I took the vehicle to the dealership, it was scanned and according to them, no DTC was stored, I got videos when both issues came up.
NHTSA complaint #11516967 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 KIA RIO
Grand Junction, CO
STEERING
On 3/19/23, as I was driving on a dry, straight, two lane road at the posted speed of 40mph, the car began to try to steer into oncoming traffic. I had to exert moderate force to keep the car in my lane. This continued continuously for about 1/2 mile. No low tire pressure indicator lights were illuminated, however the lane assist icon was on and green, indicating normal operation. Just as I was going to turn down a side street to check the tires manually, the steering returned to normal. However, the lane assist icon was now white, and as I drove the remaining approximately 2 miles home, the icon would change from white to green every 20 seconds or so. The car now operates normally. We took the car to the dealer today to be checked and they reported they could not replicate the issue. Attached is their report.
NHTSA complaint #11512905 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
Having been complaining about a noise from under the front right tire, I was initially told it was a little piece of plastic and that got cut off. I was still hear the scraping and squealing and I kept check the from right tire because I thought that's where it was coming from. I mentioned this to every mechanic at kia and was told "that's just how 2021s sound". Finally after months of complaining the noise got louder and you could hear it was clearly something in steering. They schedules an appointment for Dec 7th on Mon Nov 28th. Said it was safe to drive when that night while working I was turning a corner, I heard a loud spring noise, the tire and wheel jerked. It was snowing, so the car slide, only sliding into the curb. The front right break seemed to be locked and when you turn the steering wheel makes even more noise. Haven't been told the issue, but I'm certain it is not safe and definitely shouldn't be on the streets until it's fixed.
NHTSA complaint #11495434 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2017 KIA RIO
Warrior, AL
STEERING
steering wheel would not lock into place, moved up and down from dash, once dash was removed to see steering column was not connected, top brackets came loose inside dash, bottom of column was never bolted in place from assembly, dealship will not cover/ help and states new column is needed and quoted 1000.00 to repair
NHTSA complaint #11492979 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 KIA RIO
Cincinnati, OH
STEERING
The steering wheel column does not have a lock therefore someone broke into my car and tried to steal it and destroyed it, also no alarm went off when this happened.
NHTSA complaint #11480234 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2015 KIA RIO
Yukon, OK
STEERING
When the accessory power (not ignition) is left on for more than 5 minutes and I go to start the car WITHOUT returning the key to the off position first, the power steering WILL fail and will cease to operate. I have to turn the car off completely and then restart it to get the power steering to operate again. I am used to it now but someone that is not used to it, they will be surprised if they pull out straight and go to turn with no assistance. The power steering warning light will stay illuminated during the failure but is hard to notice as it comes on momentarily (like an oil light) when the ignition is tuned on and the engine is started. The warning light is small and just blends in with the dash. My car is available for inspection at any time. Yes, others are at risk. I CAN reproduce the problem at any time. Reported to Kia dealer but they could care less. First occurred a few months after the car was bought new and happens multiple times weekly to present date. The car now has 68,000 miles on the odometer.
NHTSA complaint #11455141 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2020 KIA RIO
Whiting, IN
STEERING
my 2020 kia rio pulls to the left. it is not the tires the wheel alignment or the brakes. it has electronic power steering. other 2020 kia rios built after mine were fixed with a download. the car is dangerous so i drive in the right lane.
NHTSA complaint #11417988 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
BOUGHT CAR USED IN NOVEMBER OF 2020 FROM A USED CAR LOT MADE NOTE OF AIRBAG LIGHT ON AND NO HORN THEY SAID THEY WILL SCAN IT AND THEY DID SAID IT WAS THE CLOCK SPRING AND THEY WERE GONNA ORDER ONE. NEVER GOT IT ABOUT A MONTH LATER CALLED LOCAL KIA DEALERSHIP THEY SAID MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE A RECALL FOR AIRBAGS AND DID NOT FIX IT WHEN I HAD THEM LOOK AT IT. VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND CAN BE DEADLY AS I HAVE NO HORN OR AIRBAG TO PROTECT ME IF I GET INTO AN ACCIDENT.
NHTSA complaint #11396175 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING
OUR 2018 KIA RIO WAS BOUGHT NEW. I WAS TRAINING MY WIFE TO PARALLEL PARK WHEN IT HAD ONLY 100 MILES ON IT. AS SHE KEPT REPEATING THE PROCEDURE OF PARALLEL PARKING, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND WOULD NOT ALLOW MOVEMENT UNTIL THE ELECTRICAL CONTROL COOLED DOWN. WE THEN TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER, BOB UTTER IN SHERMAN, TEXAS WHERE WE HAD PURCHASED THE CAR TO HAVE THEM DETERMINE THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. THEY DID NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AND TOLD US THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR! TERRIBLE DEALERSHIP! SO NOW, AFTER THE CAR IS NEARLY THREE YEARS OLD AND WITH LESS THAN 300 MILES OF USE, WE ARE HALF-WAY AFRAID TO USE THE CAR AND KEEP IT IN OUR GARAGE ONLY TO USE IT TO GO CHECK ON OUR MAIL. IT STILL HAS ITS ORIGINAL HALF-TANK OF GAS IN IT AND HAS NOT YET HAD AN OLD CHANGE. PLEASE ADVISE.
NHTSA complaint #11376665 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.