"How reliable is the 2021 Kia Rio?"

"Based on 23 NHTSA complaints, the 2021 Kia Rio has a median complaint mileage of 0 miles. The most common issue is UNKNOWN OR OTHER."

"What are common problems with the 2021 Kia Rio?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2021 Kia Rio is UNKNOWN OR OTHER, accounting for a significant portion of the 23 total complaints filed."

2021 Kia Rio: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 23 complaints

Total Complaints

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Top Issue

Crash Reports

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

STEERING

SERVICE BRAKES

POWER TRAIN

ENGINE

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

SEAT BELTS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"On the way to work, I had the brake pedal pressed waiting for a traffic signal to change. After it changed to green, I released the brake pedal and depressed the gas pedal, only for the vehicle not to move forward - as if the brake was still being applied. I took my foot off the gas pedal, waited a ..."

"Vehicle has less than 4000 miles and throttle body had to be replaced"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

OH: 6 CO: 4 NY: 2 TX: 2 ID: 2 NC: 2 FL: 2 MD: 1 KY: 1 TN: 1

Kia Rio — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2001	355	46,645	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	32
2002	171	36,750	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	34
2003	103	16,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	8
2004	53	53,015	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	5
2005	46	51,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	6
2006	88	64,000	AIR BAGS	18
2007	64	54,036	AIR BAGS	14
2008	57	49,248	AIR BAGS	12
2009	54	34,500	AIR BAGS	7
2010	38	80,000	AIR BAGS	14
2011	32	62,000	ENGINE	5
2012	70	59,500	ENGINE	5
2013	217	64,130	ENGINE	13
2014	74	32,000	ENGINE	14
2015	69	58,000	ENGINE	8
2016	108	45,000	ENGINE	9
2017	34	28,000	ENGINE	4
2018	38	17,570	ENGINE	5
2019	26	8,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	5
2020	37	560	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	5
2023	20	-	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0

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