Kia RIO Cinco Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 41 consumer complaints across the 3 model years of the Kia RIO Cinco (2002–2004) that have at least 5 complaints. 2002 has the most, with 21. Across all years, the part named most often is engine cooling (11 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All RIO Cinco model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 12 | 24,000 | 1 | 3 | — | Not enough data |
| 2003 | 8 | 70,000 | 1 | 2 | — | Not enough data |
| 2002 | 21 | 56,000 | 1 | 3 | — | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine cooling11 26%
- Transmission and drivetrain9 21%
- Fuel system5 12%
- Suspension4 9.5%
- Electrical system4 9.5%
- Body and structure3 7.1%
- Brakes3 7.1%
- Air bags3 7.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2003: “The rear seatbelts don't lock into place right. Normally, when you pull a seatbelt the full way out then let it wind back in, it should have tension on it. The seatbelts in the rear of my vehicle don't do this. They can be pulled back out without stopping. They clip into the buckles fine though. I have 2 car seats in the back, so I need this feature to work properly to secure the child seats.”
NHTSA complaint #10415434, filed 2011-07, 50,000 miles2002: “My 2002 Kia Rio Cinco's timing-belt broke and caused serious damage to the engine resulting in a $2500 fee to fix the vehicle. Because my timing-belt was not changed at 60000 (we have 61000 miles on the vehicle) they would not honor their warranty. I have done research on these vehicles and a lot of people have had problems with these vehicles.”
NHTSA complaint #10154924, filed 2006-04, 61,000 miles2004: “Car is a Kia Rio Cinco, I have experienced what seems to be clutch slippage in all gears. Car will only accelerate about 10 miles in each gear, then begins to stall and then decelerate, unless I move it to the next gear. When I reach 5th gear at about 42 miles per hour, the car will drive ok until I reach 50 and then began to decelerate, stabilizing at about 45 miles per hour.”
NHTSA complaint #10137887, filed 2005-09, 9,298 milesOther Kia models
10,219 complaintsKia Optima
7,532 complaintsKia Soul
5,579 complaintsKia Sportage
4,713 complaintsKia Forte
2,560 complaintsKia Sedona
2,415 complaintsKia Telluride
2,058 complaintsKia Sephia
1,701 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology