5th May 2010, 15:59
I've had two Kia Rios (2002 and 2001). Both were bought used, several years old. Frankly, for what I paid, they've been decent little cars. Yes they've had their share of issues, including the infamous bearing issues (need to replace the hubs, not just the bearings). But all in all, I've been pretty pleased, especially with the consistently good mileage.
Replace the timing belt every 60,000 miles. A heck of a lot cheaper than replacing the engine.
16th May 2010, 08:52
In 2005 I bought a used 2004 RIO. My stories have a better ending than most of the previous, but I do still own the car.
The engine light has always come on when driving on the highway for over an hour.
All four door locks wouldn't always unlock when needed, I actually had to climb over and get out the passenger side because my door wouldn't open.
Rear defroster, toss of a coin if it would work or not.
Timing belt snapped at 58000 km. KIA stated it was because of the cold weather.
It took KIA two weeks to finally accept responsibility, and another four weeks to fix. I did however four months after that get reimbursed for the cost of rentals.
None of the above would have been done if I didn't fight for it with KIA Canada.
I had an issue driving on a highway where I lost power with my check engine light on.
I was able to drive, but each gear would lose power when it reached it's max speed.
1st gear wouldn't go faster than 10 km/h before it lost power, so I would change to second and it would go no faster than 20 km/h. By time I got to fifth gear it would max out at 70 km/h and drop to 60 and back to 70. I drove like this for over 100k. I was in the middle of nowhere trying to find a hole big enough to bury the thing when I had a stroke of (in my mind, Genius) disconnect the battery as I have done with the check engine light 40 times prior.
Smooth sailing from that point.
My issues are now:
No heater fan.
No tail or panel lights, started turning off when I used my right signal light.
Left head light, fourth time replacing it.
Manual trans, hard to get into reverse and first.
Left brake light again.
Bottom line: No I would not buy another KIA, but I have said that about Ford and GM before also.
11th Oct 2010, 14:07
I love my Kia Rio. It gets from point A to point B. The gas price is amazing. My car is a trooper... love it!
11th Oct 2010, 19:19
I owe a 2002 Kia RIO, but not for too much longer..
Transmission went just after my 4 year warranty.
I heard about how bad the timing belts were, so I got mine done around 70k.
There was a recall; had that done..
I'll never buy a Kia, and I tell everyone I do know not to buy one either.. If there's a class action law suit, I'm game too.. LOL.
13th Dec 2010, 21:16
My neighbors own a 2004 Kia Rio RX-V. All I can say is that after witnessing the issues and money they've spent on fixing this thing - I will NEVER purchase anything from KIA.
In the two months I have been their neighbors, I have given them countless boosts to get them going in the mornings. Pretty much every single time the temperature outside is at the freezing mark, their car will not start.
It's my understanding that they also replaced the engine already - and they have owned this vehicle for a short amount of time.
What a hunk of junk! At some point I thought I might buy a KIA - but let me re-iterate my above sentiments:
I WILL NEVER BE A KIA CUSTOMER. Thank goodness I bought a Chevrolet.
21st Jan 2011, 18:37
I've had my Kia Rio 2002 for 2 years. I love it!! It hasn't gave me problems, just the wheel bearings and a couple inexpensive things. But so far I love it! No problems so far, and the gas is great!
1st Jul 2011, 12:46
I also had a timing belt go at 70,000 miles. Was not cover by Kia because they said I should have had it changed at 50,000 miles; the car was 3 years old. I had to replace the engine myself, which voided the rest of the warranty. Plus I've had 3 alternators, had to have the car rewired because the wires were arching under the hood. Wheel bearing replaced 3 times, and now I'm having problems with accelerating. Never buy a Kia.
9th Sep 2009, 07:53
My parents bought a 2000 Kia Sportage in 2002, and I got it as a sort of hand me down when my old car bit the bullet.
I've been driving this car since 2007, and I've had several problems with it. The catalytic converter seems to be the root of all my problems. My car hardly has any acceleration, and chugs if I give it too much gas. The timing belt has gone out, and I've had my whole entire muffler system replaced, along with the catalytic converter.
Now, my car is squealing on the passenger side, and it seems like my brakes are starting to go as well. I NEED A NEW CAR! I would've never picked this car for myself.