NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Kia Rio Recalls
The 2003 Kia Rio has 3 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on August 4, 2006.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Kia Rio. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 3
- Owner complaints
- 74
- Crashes reported
- 8
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
2 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Kia Rio, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
3 recalls on the 2003 Kia Rio
Seat belts: rear/other
- Campaign
- 06V294000
- Reported
- August 4, 2006
- Vehicles affected
- up to 32,257
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 208, occupant crash protection
- Same campaign
- only the 2003 Kia Rio
Child seat
- Campaign
- 05V557000
- Reported
- December 12, 2005
- Vehicles affected
- up to 90,865
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash, injury and death
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 225, child restraint anchorages
- Same campaign
- also 2004–2005 Rio
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery
- Campaign
- 04V179000
- Reported
- April 9, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 187,790
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004 Rio
2003 Kia Rio complaints by year
NHTSA has received 74 owner complaints about the 2003 Kia Rio, the newest on April 1, 2021. Of these, 8 describe a crash (11%) and 2 a fire; owners reported 7 injuries.
In complaints about the 2003 Kia Rio, the component group named most often is the engine and engine cooling (26%), followed by the electrical system (20%) and the power train (16%).
None of the 2003 Kia Rio's 3 recalls concerns the engine and engine cooling.
Where 2003 Kia Rio owners gave the mileage (49 complaints), the median was 30,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine And Engine Cooling19
- Electrical System15
- Power Train12
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic12
- Seat Belts7
- Fuel System, Gasoline6
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 20 | |
| 2004 | 19 | |
| 2005 | 4 | |
| 2006 | 6 | |
| 2007 | 5 | |
| 2008 | 4 | |
| 2009 | 4 | |
| 2010 | 2 | |
| 2011 | 2 | |
| 2012 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Kia Rio peaked in 2003, when NHTSA received 20. 68% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Kia Rio drew 2.7× the complaints of the median Kia Rio year in the same window: 3rd highest of the 19 ranked years.
That makes 2003 one of the Kia Rio years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
The 74 complaints about the 2003 Kia Rio are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Rio by model year
Other 2003 Kia models
Newest record on this page: April 1, 2021. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted