"How reliable is the 2002 Kia Rio?"

"Based on 171 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Kia Rio has a median complaint mileage of 36750 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Kia Rio?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Kia Rio is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 171 total complaints filed."

2002 Kia Rio: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 171 complaints

171

Total Complaints

36,750mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

12,000 25th Percentile

36,750 Median Mileage

85,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

SEAT BELTS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY

AIR BAGS

SUSPENSION

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"IN MODELS WITH 2ND ROW BUCKET SEATS, A STANDARD CHILD SEAT (FOR 20-40 POUNDS) CAN NOT BE SAFELY SECURED. THE PLASTIC STOP BUTTON ON THE BELT THAT KEEPS THE BUCKLE FROM FALLING TO THE FLOOR WHEN NOT IN USE, ALSO PREVENTS YOUR FROM DRAWING THE SEAT BELT TIGHT ENOUGH TO TIGHTEN THE CAR SEAT DOWN PROPE..."

"WHEN DRIVING 65 MPH VEHICLE SWERVES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. VEHICLE IS HARD TO CONTROL. TOOK TO DEALER AND DEALER INDICATED VEHICLE NEEDED NEW BUSHINGS, FRONT END ALIGNMENT AND TIRES. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT THE DEALER HAS NOT AGREED THAT ANY THING IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. BUT 9 ALIGNMENTS, 4 NEW TI..."

"WHILE DRIVING AT 55 TO 60 MPH THERE'S A HESITATION; THEN, ENGINE SHUTS DOWN IF THIS HAPPENS ON THE FREEWAY SOMEONE COULD BE KILLED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28