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EquipmentPart report

2001 Kia RIO Equipment Problems

Complaints
10about this part
Share
4%of 223 total for the year
Median mileage
17,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 10 complaints about the equipment of the 2001 Kia RIO, 4% of the 223 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 17,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I purchased new tires around february 2007 from sears at the virginia center commons store location. Within three weeks between april and may of 2008 I experienced three flats. Two of the flats were on the same day within 2 hours of each other. I had the fourth one replaced at this time. All three flats were because of faulty valve stems. Recently I read about a 6 million recall of tr413 valve stems from tech international a distributor of shanghai baolong. I believe my problem is part of the recall which notified the clients but not the public. …”

NHTSA complaint #10232137, filed 2008-06, 83,659 miles

“My drivers rear seatbelt keeps coming apart have had it changed six times inside osf two years and am now fighting to get it warented as a saftey defect because I have now reached 60,000 miles. I want this to be investigated as I am aware of the fact there are several others with same issue. This car is not safe for children. Dealer says car seat but I swear to anyone there is no car seat on that side of car even if there was car seat belts are supposed to hold with out the webbing fraying.”

NHTSA complaint #10067536, filed 2004-04, 3,000 miles

“I have had my Kia for 3 years now (bought on april 24,2001), after only having it one year(april 25, 2002) my two front tires were shredded all the way to the metal. The dealer said that my tires were only covered for a year so I had to replace them, come to find out it was caused by the alignment that showed no sign of being off. Right after that the cooling fan shorted causing the engine to smoke and the car to be in the shop for 2 weeks because Kia couldn't order the right part. Soon after that both of my sunvisors broke to the point they are not usable. …”

NHTSA complaint #10078899, filed 2004-06, 9,000 miles

“Consumer has an issue that the lug wench that came with the vehicle was unable to break loose the lugs:nuts and/or applied the proper torque when tightened. Dealer was notified. Dealer informed the consumer that tool meets the DOT specs.”

NHTSA complaint #10108988, filed 2005-01, 17,000 miles

“I was driving down the road in my 2001 Kia RIO and it started to run really funny and the next thing I knew I stepped on the gas and the wasn't accelerating anymore so I pulled over and looked out the passenger side window and the car was on fire so I got out and called 911. The car has been deemed a total loss.”

NHTSA complaint #10052737, filed 2004-01

Related service bulletins

Equipment: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201412%
201311%
201014%
200824%
200712%
200623%
200334%
200222%
2001104%

Other parts of the 2001 Kia RIO

Engine cooling
52 complaintsAir bags
33 complaintsWheels
31 complaintsElectrical system
25 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
25 complaintsFuel system
24 complaintsSuspension
22 complaintsOther or unknown
19 complaintsBrakes
17 complaintsSeat belts
15 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
11 complaintsBody and structure
9 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2001 Kia RIO

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology