2007 Kia Rio: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 46 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (42% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2012
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 46 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“the engine has very bad Loss of oil pressure it consumption of a lot oil the engine knock very bad that engine has decreased its power the engine oil light always on so I stop driving the car and car blows white smoke from the engine my mechanic told he did not want to work on the car because of the engine but I can get a invoice he quoted me 3,000 dollars for a new engine i have not even had this car for long could not even drive it around or get my child to school”Owner report · Engine · Apr 2024
“The contact owns a 2007 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the occupant classification system (OCS) seat sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V244000 (Air Bags) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 260,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2023
“Tl* the contact owns 2007 kia rio equipped with bf goodrich tires, tire line: g-force sport, tire size: 195/55/r15, dot number: beln3p1107-15. The contact stated that the driver's and passenger's side front tires sounded like they were flat while driving. The contact inspected the tires and found the tread and steel wires were separated from the sidewall of the tires. The contact stated that the tires were six years old. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 102,668.”Owner report · Tires · Apr 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“I driving up to wisconsin dells from illinois and the vit woulnt go over twenty miles per hr I hate this vehicle and a tune up was done before I left I have a 2007 kia rio and vehicle just died and then started and had no power I had to have it towed back to illinois which cost me 300 dollars has anyone else had this problem only has 95.600 miles was”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Feb 2020
“2007 kia rio has an airbag light on all the time, with a code specifying the passenger seat mat sensor. When clearing the code for the airbag, the code is rethrown after about 10 seconds. NHTSA recall #12v244000 applied to certain models of the 2005-2007 model era, but didn't include all of them, as the vehicle has no open seat mat recall and none had been repaired in the past. Evidently the issue is more widespread than the initial recall. The light stays on all the time.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2019
“I just recent had the battery put in my car. An now the air bag light stays on for the driver on that dash board. An don't know why it's on. The car has been driven in the past few months. So we are scared to be out on the road an it doesn't protect us if we get into an accident an someone gets killed.”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2018
“Tl* the contact owned a 2007 kia rio. While the contact's daughter was driving at an unknown speed, she attempted to apply the brakes, but applied the accelerator pedal by mistake. As a result, the contact's daughter crashed into the preceding vehicle. All the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The contact's daughter sustained a neck and back injury that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2018
“Electrical issues, constantly broken air conditioner, engine problems, spark plug issues, coil issues, 3 batteries in 2 years, loss of power in the middle of the freeway.”Owner report · Electrical System · May 2017
“Tl* the contact owns a 2007 kia rio. The contact stated that the instrument panel failed to function properly. Rally kia (438 auto vista dr, palmdale, ca 93551, (818) 492-3800) was unable to provide a solution to repair the vehicle. The second dealer (galpin kia, 8425 sepulveda blvd, north hills, ca 91343) provided a specific diagnosis with instructions that the contact followed for more than a year, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that they would provide a follow-up response to determine a solution. The contact was waiting for a permanent remedy to repair the vehicle. The VIN and failure mileage were not available. *tt *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2017
“Tl* the contact owned a 2007 kia rio. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, he fell asleep and the vehicle flipped over three times. None of the frontal air bags deployed. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was towed by the police department. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000. Updated 05/11/16*lj *tr”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2016
When filing, owners marked a crash in 11 of these complaints and injuries in 6 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 RIO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2007. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT CAN EXPERIENCE FATIGUE CRACKING. IF SUFFICIENT CRACKING OCCURS, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION SUCH THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT WHETHER A CHILD PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY DURING A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT.
Remedy: KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCS SEAT SENSOR MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2007 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Rio by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2007 Kia Rio reliable?
NHTSA has 46 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2007 Kia Rio. The most complained-about area is air bags (42% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2007 Kia Rio problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 60,000 miles or less.
Does the 2007 Kia Rio have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.