The 2002 Kia Rio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 187,790 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 171 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FUEL INTAKE NIPPLE OF THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR IS SUBJECT TO FRACTURE OR CRACKING DURING REMOVAL OF THE QUICK CONNECT COUPLING SECURING THE MAIN FUEL TUBE ASSEMBLY TO THE FUEL INTAKE NIPPLE, OR WHEN FORCE IS ACCIDENTALLY APPLIED TO THE INTAKE NIPPLE DURING THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY PROCESS…
Consequence
FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL DISTRIBUTOR AND MAIN FUEL TUBE ASSEMBLIES. THE RECALL BEGAN JUNE 18, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
Complaints by component
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
17
1crashes1fires
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
14
13crashes13injuries1deaths
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
13
1crashes1fires
SEAT BELTS
10
4crashes4injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
9
1crashes1injuries
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
8
2fires1injuries
AIR BAGS
7
6crashes10injuries
SUSPENSION
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
5
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
5
Total complaints171
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I have had the berings replaced 2 times in the passenger side two times now and its doing it again the other side was done first . The car just stopped dead in the road and I could not get it to move before I got it fixed the time before this . I dont have the money to keep fixing this same…”
“I just got my car fixed on mon. 8/25/14. I took it in because it was idling rough. The shop put in new spark plugs and wires. It cost me $180. I drove it home. It was smooth. Then I drove to downtown akron, about 15 miles, to a hike. When I was almost there, my car just went dead while I was…”
“Slowing to turn into gas station, rear axle broke do to excessive rust rot. The body on this car had stated to rust at 8000 miles, rear frame has excessive rust rot also. Numerous other kia rio owners are reporting this issue this is alarming I could have slammed into the gas pumps as the brakes…”
“Slowing to turn into gas station, rear axle broke do to excessive rust rot. The body on this car had stated to rust at 8000 miles, rear frame has excessive rust rot also. Numerous other kia rio owners are reporting this issue this is alarming I could have slammed into the gas pumps as the brakes…”
“Slowing to turn into gas station, rear axle broke do to excessive rust rot. The body on this car had stated to rust at 8000 miles, rear frame has excessive rust rot also. Numerous other kia rio owners are reporting this issue this is alarming I could have slammed into the gas pumps as the brakes…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia rio. The contact stated that the rear driver and passenger's side seat belts would not retract. The contact inspected the seat belts and discovered that part of the seat belt was disintegrated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…”
“Tl* the contact owned a 2002 kia rio. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle was involved in a front end crash. The front driver side air bag deployed aggressively and metal fragments struck the contact's face. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a head laceration that required stitches, a…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2002 kia rio. The contact stated that when refueling the vehicle, fuel would spew back out from the filler neck. In addition, the contact stated that a strong gasoline fuel odor was constantly present within the vehicle after refueling. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA02009 Opened 2002-07-02 · closed 2003-07-02
AIR BAG NON DEPLOY
THIS INVESTIGATION IDENTIFIED A TOTAL OF 82 REPORTS ALLEGING NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DUAL FRONT AIR BAGS.OF THE 82 REPORTS, ONLY ONE INCIDENT, THE FATAL CRASH THAT WAS THE BASIS FOR OPENING THE INVESTIGATION, HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A MODERATE TO SEVERE CRASH IN WHICH THE AUTOMOTIVE RESTRAINT CONTROLLER ISSUED A COMMAND…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2002 Kia Rio as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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