Faults:

Brakes not calibrated at dealership, but did not find this out until 4 years later when I took it in to have the back brakes replaced. They said the front brakes had never been used and it was a good thing I never really had to use them or it could have flipped the car.

Recently the car locked up and I had it towed to repair shop, only to find out it was due to blown brake light fuses (cost $100 for tow and fuse).

Stop and start running 2 years after I got it, and even after taking it into the dealership for oil changes, they failed to mention that it was a part that was causing the problem until I got about 2 miles from dealership and it failed. Then they did something about it.

Gas gage and clock are not accurate.

Driver visor replace 3 times immediately after purchase. I am waiting for something more to go wrong.

General Comments:

My Pontiac was better on gas mileage with a bigger engine than this KIA. As long as you do not turn on air or heat, go uphill, face into the wind or turn on the radio, it gets good mpg -- especially going downhill.

Faults:

Clutch needed replaced at 60,000 miles. Mostly damaged due to my driving techniques on the drag strip. When I started I was completing the quarter mile in 19.8 seconds, by the time my clutch blew out I was running 17.5 seconds @ 88 mph.

The engine sometimes stalls if it has been idling.

Uphill climbs are difficult unless you are at a high rpm.

General Comments:

The 2002 KIA Rio is an excellent low budget vehicle.

My gas mileage varies mostly due to using the heater. In the summer I experience up to 38mpg with the average being 35mpg. In the Cleveland area Winter, where I use my heater for most of the driving time, I experience my gas mileage dropping to 27mpg with an average of 32.5mpg.

I have completed many journeys in this car, and have always returned home without the car needing repair.

Faults:

New fuel rail at 20,000 kms.

New tranny at 24,000 kms.

Rear seat torn and wires sticking out at 40,000 kms.

New rear wheel bearings at 55,000 kms.

New clutch at 60,000 kms.

New alternator at 70,000 kms.

New daytime driving light controller at 75,000 kms.

Engine seized at 102,000 kms.

General Comments:

This car is the worst car I have ever seen. It actually belongs to my friend, and she bought it brand new.

Right from the start, the engine light came on and Kia said it was the gas cap.

The head lights burned out at least once a year.

The brakes wore out every year, and Kia charged $600.00 for pads and rotors.

The trunk leaked from the day it was new, and Kia would not fix it.

When you used the turn signal, all the lights in the car would flash at the same rate as the signal.

The tranny went, and Kia only did a temporary fix, and 3 weeks later they had to replace it again.

Kia never honored the warranty and charged heaps to fix it, or just said they couldn't find anything wrong with it.

All the regular maintenance was done on this car and finally it threw a piston.

Don't buy one of these things, and if anyone offers to give you one, run away as fast as you can.

Worst car on the road, or I should say broken down at the side of the road.