The 2015 Kia Rio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,730,192 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 69 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC23V6520002023-09-251,730,192 affected
Defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may experience an…
Consequence
An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the HECU fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2024 through June…
Complaints by component
ENGINE
23
6fires1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
9
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
8
3fires2injuries
AIR BAGS
5
3crashes6injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
1crashes1fires4injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
3
1crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
2
2fires
SEAT BELTS
2
1crashes3injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
1crashes2injuries
Total complaints69
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The entire car failed. Caught on fire from the console and passenger seat while driving on 1-15 . 8.15.2025 . Car filled wit black moke and fire.l was driving blind. Brakes failed, power failed, burning the entire time. I somehow got out of burning vehicle and ran about 100 yards and watched the…”
“The entire car failed. Caught on fire from the console and passenger seat while driving on 1-15 . 8.15.2025 . Car filled wit black moke and fire.l was driving blind. Brakes failed, power failed, burning the entire time. I somehow got out of burning vehicle and ran about 100 yards and watched the…”
“The entire car failed. Caught on fire from the console and passenger seat while driving on 1-15 . 8.15.2025 . Car filled wit black moke and fire.l was driving blind. Brakes failed, power failed, burning the entire time. I somehow got out of burning vehicle and ran about 100 yards and watched the…”
“The contact owns a 2015 kia rio. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, he observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, prompting him to pull to the shoulder of the roadway and evacuate the vehicle. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed flame…”
“The contact owned a 2015 kia rio. The contact stated that while the friend was driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to lose automotive power, and smoke was seen coming from under the hood. The vehicle was parked and the friend exited the vehicle and discovered flames coming…”
“The contact owns a 2015 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable…”
“Engine making noise and smelling like it’s burning. Towed to mechanic said oil was not there despite recent oil change and said sparks of metal was on oil dipstick. Now being told needs new engine after recall oiece completed and the car has less than 110k miles. Kia will not honor an engine…”
“The contact owns a 2015 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…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationAQ23002 Opened 2023-11-17 · open
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured…
InvestigationEA21003 Opened 2021-12-22 · closed 2024-02-05
Engine Fires
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. During the PE…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2015 Kia Rio as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.