2002 Kia Rio engine problems
41 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2002 Kia Rio, which is 24% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 41 24% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 79,000 miles 21 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When engine problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 4 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 21 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 79,000 miles, and 43% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 3 crashes, 2 fires.
What owners wrote
I got the second hand 2002 kia rio 4 months ago . Me and my wife were driving for 1 mile when the smell of smoke came and in the couple of seconds there was smoke came from the bonnet. I switched off and tried to open the bonnet but the smoke got more and more ,so we left the car immediately and we saw flames came from right part of the bonnet. We were just shocked and scared of fire. We called 911 and firefighters and in less than ten minutes front part of the car was totally ruined.
While my daughter was driving her 2002 kia rio, all of a sudden the car just stopped running and would not start up. There was no prior indication that anything was wrong - no light or indicators on. Had it towed to our mechanic - engine was locked up. He didn't know for sure why - oil and coolant were fine. We didn't want to pay to have the reason diagnosed, as it doesn't really matter what caused it - the motor is shot.
Other problems reported for the 2002 Kia Rio
- Brakes 25 complaints
- Air bags 21 complaints
- Fuel system 16 complaints
- Seat belts 16 complaints