Faults:

I have not had one problem with my Rio and I drive it very hard. If you take care of a Kia it will take care of you. If you don't take care of a Kia it will turn around and bite you in the butt.

General Comments:

I am in love with my 2002 Rio. It is quick, fun to drive and handles amazingly well for such a small car. I have never had a problem with my rio and anyone that buys one I am sure will be happy with there purchase.

Faults:

Six months after I bought my car I started having my current problems.

I fill up with gas and get back on the road and within five minutes it shuts down completely, at 60km or at a stop or going through an intersection.

Now the check engine light and the overdrive light are frequently on and it stalls and catches all the time.

It has had the charcoal cannister replaced, the computer replaced and too many others to keep track, oh and just recently the fuel pump (it stalled 2 days after they said they fixed it).

My car has been in and out of the dealerships non-stop since I've owned my brand new showroom model egg-smelling car.

There seems to be no support from the company what so ever and the service guys seem to be aimlessly fixing whatever KIA tells them to try next.

Oh and tomorrow I get to take it back in so they can take the engine apart.

That seems to be there last resort.

I have put calls in to the District Manager with no reply.

Contacted customer service who listened "nicely" but that was it.

My lease is over in less than a year and I will never ever buy a KIA again.

And I will go out of my way to warn others.

I am not the only one with these exact problems, so I know that it is not an isolated "lemon" problem.

Faults:

The day I drove it off the lot, looked to my right and found the adjuster for the side mirror broken.

Within months I had warning lights flashing, I brought it right in and was told it was a sensor chip.

A few months later I was in a parking lot and simply could not shift the car out of Park.

A couple of weeks after that, I had backed the car out of my drive-way and could not shift out of reverse.

Check air-bag light comes on for the first time shortly after 1yr of purchase. This will happen no less than half a dozen times over the next 2 years.

Year 2, shifter sticking again.

I notice a whistle from the windshield at highway speeds.

More warning lights flashing on and off -- especially if it rains.

Year 3, car difficult to start in rain or extreme cold.

Driving on highway is deafening -- car shakes and is so loud I can't hear the radio.

Alternator goes, needs replacing, and battery too.

More warning lights, check-airbag and the O/D off light flashes constantly, I'm told this is the shifter again. It's completely replaced this time, but the problem happens again less than two months later.

General Comments:

Almost without fail I am at the dealership every 3 months -- and not just for an oil change. All work so far has been covered under warranty, but the warranty does not cover my time or frustration.

This is without a doubt THE worst car I have ever driven -- and it's not that cheap either -- apparently a single woman doesn't get the advertised deals at a KIA dealership.

I'm sick of the KIA service folks telling me how much everybody else loves their Rio.