Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 Kia Rio submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 41 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 41, in the owner's own words
My car is experiencing excessive oil consumption. Upon inspection, it was determined that the issue lies with my catalytic converter. I have discovered that this problem has been reported in other Kia vehicles. The information I found suggests that the oil I am using is being bypassed by the catalytic converter, which indicates a potential issue with the Kia car’s design. Engine light won’t go off
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, it was discovered that there was no oil on the dipstick. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. An oil consumption test was performed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to exceed 2-3 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The Ford dealer where the vehicle was purchased arranged for the vehicle to be picked up at the residence. The Ford dealer informed the contact that the mechanic and the Kia dealer where the vehicle was taken could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the catalytic converter was clogged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
I was driving when my Kia stalled and shut off but was still playing music and driving. So I pulled over and then my Kia caught on fire and went up in flames.
My car is consuming a lot of oil and I have to add it on a weekly basis. The catalytic converter has already been replace once and is on the verge of having to be replaced again because of this issue. I just bought the vehicle last year. I see that there was a previous campaign with this same issue. See campaign NHTSA ID: 23V-652000. I am wondering why my vehicle was not part of it. Please advise next steps to remedy this safety issue on the 2018 KIA Rio models.
This vehicle is burning oil at an alarming rate: at least 1 quart per tank of gas, approximately 340 miles. No oil light comes on in the dash, even if the engine gets ran to dry. Kia accepts this and claims the vehicle is fine. Even with extended warranty coverage, I’m on month 8 now of trying to get this car fixed with Kia shops and now the catalytic converter is failing. Finally the car has displayed its first check engine code.
I got an oil change right after the car overheated and I believe the engine is blown now. I don’t understand how all this can happen after an oils change.
Vehicle burning through excessive amounts of oil. Check engine light came on and car was making a loud ticking noise and knock. Dealership confirmed the vehicle will need a new engine. Kia Corporate denied replacement because vehicle is out of warranty. Reported problem to Kia before warranty expired and was still denied.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Complete engine lockup during operation at speed which caused steering and braking to be greatly hampered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine failed on a 4-lane highway in traffic which could have easily caused a high-speed accident since the car extremely decelerated and lost power steering and braking in order to get out of traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes confirmed by an independent service center which told me it was either a cylinder rod or a lower engine bearing failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, the manufacture KIA has a recall on other models in this year range but not the RIO. The other models have a similar engine failure caused by a faulty cylinder rod bearing. The RIO has never been added to this recall list, but it should be because it looks like the engine issues are also on this model in the same time frame. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, they only came on when the engine failed. Then every warning light appeared.
I was parked in ghe parking lot and went into the store and came back to my car and starting then it was not getting started i tried many times even though it was like battery dead and i call my insurance company and asked for roadside assistance amd they tried using jump start evne though it was not starting so with the help of other sources i tried to rotate crankshaft manually it was stucked and not rotating so i thought it was engine sezied.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle had an abnormal burning oil odor in the cabin of the vehicle. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who checked the vehicle and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated again. The contact drove the vehicle back to another independent mechanic who checked the engine and determined that engine oil needed to be added. The vehicle was repaired. The mechanic informed the contact to check the oil level every week. The contact stated was adding a quart or more of engine oil every two weeks. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The car would constantly stall, would need to jiggle ignition to get car to turn over. burn oil EXTREMELY. would foul spark plugs around 20k-30kmiles. , coolant would get burned and get shot out to the exhaust area, and finally the car would have smoke coming out of the engine bay after driving for a distance of 15-30 miles while also getting terrible MPG. Car on average should get 38mpg highway and 27mpg city. This car was getting about 20-22mpg highway and 16-20mpg city.
I stayed on top of oil changes and engine continued to burn an excessive amount of oil in between oil changes. No leak was found after having 3 different inspections. I was told this is a common problem with Kia engines from multiple Kia owners, mechanics, and oil change technicians. Despite this, I made sure I always had oil in it and kept up with the changes. Suddenly, while driving on the interstate, the engine completely failed. I had it towed to a mechanic where it was determined internal engine failure if some sort. My car only had 83,000 miles on it when this happened. Due to me being the second owner, ( I bought the cat at 14,000 miles) I was unable to receive the 100,000 miles power train warranty. I called my local Kia dealership to see if there was anything they could do and was told “engines fail all the time” and that there is nothing they can do.Replacing the engine is more than the car is worth. For the engine to fail out of nowhere with no warning (this was the first time any sort of light came on my dash) after spending time and money on upkeep, is unacceptable. It is also completely unsafe. After some researching, I see that this is a very common issue with kia engines and Kia failed to notify me about obsessive oil consumption and the their faulty motors. Over $400 dollars in mechanic fees and over $300 in towing fees to determine all of this and I am out of a car. Getting a new engine or even fixing whatever internal component it is would be way more than what my car is worth with it running.
KIA has failed to remedy the HECU Engine Compartment Fire recall (NHTSA campaign number 23V652000) in a timely manner. The issue has been known since September 2023, Vehicle owners were notified in November, and no further information has been given on the status of the recall. *NOTE* Apologies if this is not the correct form. The recall notice mentions a form where recall issues can be reported but there is no information on where to find it.
Was told that my car was consuming too much oil and I’ve been doing oil consumption test for the past year I even did the chemical that was run through my motor which I had to pay for and it was over $800 I feel like they’re giving me the runaround one of the employees at Dick Hanna Kia also told me at one point that I could actually replace the motor myself but my car is still under warranty at 92,000 miles. I just want it resolved either they replaced my motor or do something I have two more oil consumption test and then at that point they will send the information to Dick Hanna Kia dealerships or wherever they send it and then tell me what to do next actually getting frustrated. I have to go every 1000 miles and it takes time out of my day to do this.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor in the vehicle. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle slowed down and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Rio. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I was driving down the road and suddenly my check engine light starts flashing and the vehicle starts surging. I pull over and shut the car off. I get outside to the hood to open it, as there is steam coming out, and as I put my hand on the hood release, a fire erupts from the engine going over my windshield and driver window. Burning my entire car and $2500 worth of belongings to the ground.
I took my car in and kia is stating that my upper catalytic converter manifold is bad. That should not be happening under 100,000 miles. Of course kia would cover it if it was under 80,000 miles. That's not the case with my car and of course my car had a little over 80,000 miles. So that comes out of pocket when it should not be happening.
From what I understand kia has no fix for manufacturer recall # SC284UB and NHTSA recall# 23V652. That is unacceptable and unprofessional. Kia is a hugh car dealer and they are saying there is no fix yet! I can't believe kia would put people and families at risk. Kia's action plan to put your car outside and not in your garage , is ridiculous. I was never contacted about this recall, that's unacceptable. Kia needs a fix NOW!
At first I thought I was leaking oil. on my next oil change I asked them about the oil consumption. they had me do an oil consumption study. this was around 95,000 miles. at my next oil change they suggested I talked with Kia. before my next oil change my car shut down while my mom was driving on the highway. and I had it towed to kia to find that the catalytic converter was clogged and need to be replace. whats worse is the Kia soul with the 1.6 engine has the exact same problem but that has a recall for it. but not the Rio.
At about 90000 mile brought car into dealership because it was consuming oil. Was told there was no leak found. Oil consumption was not covered. At about 110,000 miles had to bring car into shop because catalytic converter ended up being blocked and had to replaced. Less than a year later at 129,000 miles had vehicle towed back to shop again. Mechanic stated lower bearing had failed and engine would need to be replaced. Contacted junkyards for replacement and there were two he found but we're very expensive. He called Kia and they don't make that engine any longer. Guessing because of all the problems they have with it.
Oil consumption is outrageous, having to put a quart in every time I fuel up from empty. Car has a little over 126k miles on it....
Excessive oil consumption. Over 1 quart every 800 miles. Does not meet similar standards of same vehicle class.
Hello NHTSA, After exhaustively searching online on how to mitigate excessive oil consumption in my girlfriend’s 2016 Kia Rio; Cho et al v. Hyundai Motor Company, Ltd. et al. was brought to my attention. This vehicle failed the oil consumption test performed by KIA. According to the suit, cars with the allegedly faulty engines includes the 2016 Kia Rio. Year: 2016 Make: Kia Model: Rio Trim: LX VIN: KNADM4A39G6599622
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .