"How reliable is the 2004 Kia Rio?"

"Based on 53 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Kia Rio has a median complaint mileage of 53015 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Kia Rio?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Kia Rio is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, accounting for a significant portion of the 53 total complaints filed."

2004 Kia Rio: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 53 complaints

Total Complaints

53,015mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

22,957 25th Percentile

53,015 Median Mileage

79,063 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS

SUSPENSION

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD AND REMAINED ON. VEHICLE OVERHEATED. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CAM SENSOR, AND OTHER PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPLA..."

"CHECK ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS NOT ACCELERATION WHILE IN 1ST GEAR. REPLACED FUEL INJECTOR HARNESS. *BF THE DEALER ALSO REPLACED THE AIR CLEANER LID WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED ONE, MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR AND TIGHTENED PIN CONNECTORS. *NM"

"DURING A FRONTAL-IMPACT ACCIDENT, THE DRIVER AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY UNTIL AFTER I HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. I THEN SAW THE PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOY. NEITHER THE SEAT BELT NOR THE AIRBAG STOPPED ME FROM HITTING THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSING CHEST WALL CONTUSIONS AND MUSCLE STRAINS IN CHEST AND BACK. I'M..."

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