15th Dec 2005, 04:17

A total loss... A complete Christmas headache.. I bought a used 2002 KIA Rio for work. 65,000 miles on it and I was able to drive it for a total of 6 weeks until the engine seized. There were no signs of engine trouble or problems of any kind. At about 35 miles per hour and 3rd gear the vehicle stalled. OK I thought I can take it to the dealer and get it fixed. That would have been easy if I were in the States, but I am forward deployed and the European dealership refuses to work on the car without the maintenance booklet. This must be the season for bad luck and lost booklets. I am stuck with this car as a loss. Best of luck to those that drive the Rio. I hope your luck is better than mine.

30th Jan 2006, 18:56

I have a 2002 Kia Rio too as well I have only had minor problems 2 recalls and stalling out every now and again. I love to drive the car.

14th Feb 2006, 02:46

My Rio has the same stalling problem. I drive long distances and it won't idle when I come to a stop. It also pulls on the freeway when I slow down. Please can anyone help? Has anyone had the problem identified and fixed? I am so stressed when I drive as it is dangerous. The KIA people don't seem know how to fix it.

1st Mar 2006, 12:24

I have a 2002 Kia Rio Cinco. Just lately, I've had problems with the speedometer - it freezes, and then jumps back and forth. On my way to work this morning, I also noticed that the odometer is accumulating much too slowly. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, how was it fixed?

14th Mar 2006, 11:56

My 2003 Kia Rio's timing belt broke at 57,000 miles. I've had all necessary services performed and have maintenance records. Kia rep is fighting warranty replacement even though the stated Kia replacement schedule is at 60,000 miles. So much for the 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty. Promises are easily made, but rarely kept...

18th Oct 2006, 15:54

I have, no correction, had a 2002 KIA Rio. it stalled out in the middle of my drive the other day. most times when this would happen I could restart it, but now it would not turn over. I had it in 5 time to have it looked at before and they found nothing the matter. today I had the junk box towed to a dealer and they said due to a worn timing belt the engine has seized. $4,000 to fix. so, if the rio stalls and drags at acceleration it could be the timing belt and even though it should be replaced at 90,000 km as per manual you better have it looked at. needles to say KIA will not honor the warranty on this item.

31st Jul 2007, 19:01

My 2002 Kia Rio, it has a really rough idle when the A/C is on and it's idleing in drive or park. How do you adjust the idle on this type of vehicle?

1st Aug 2007, 01:05

This car worked flawlessly the first year for me then the problems started. If the brakes goes after 1 year and 1 day it's on you. And all subsequent repairs to the brakes are on you. I got fed up and took it to a friend of mine that's into racing and cars is his whole life. He said that the front brakes were dusty and brakes were ill fitting, which made the pads ride the rotors. That's why the brakes never lasted. The dealership never told me that they just replaced pads and billed me. Rip off!

After 3 years the transmission went, and I could see the pain in their eyes as they realized that they had to shell out money for a new one. But I had all paperwork in order and all tune ups done at the dealership. I could literally hear the grinding teeth of the dealer as he understood there was no way out of this. Now the cars hesitates and if I'm not very careful it'll stall on me. The dealership is just fed up of this car and believe me their yard is full of other cars awaiting repairs as well.

I have at least 4 grand of warranty repairs on this car, and almost 2 grand of service bills and repairs that were out of my own pocket. This is just crazy for a car costing just over 11 grand new. But it's not my fault they built this car so poorly, and nobody forced this dealer to sell this car. He sold me this car and he's responsible even if it's cheap. If these are so bad they shouldn't have sold it in the first place.

10th Sep 2007, 09:34

I also have a 2002 KIA Rio. I have the issue with the stalling occasionally, and every time I've taken it to the dealer, they say nothing is wrong with it. I've never figured out what causes it, but usually after it does it for a few weeks, it seems to fix itself. I have had to replace the tires at least 4 times in five years and have had to replace the brakes more than once. Just yesterday, the speedometer quit working completely. I wish I had some answers so that I could help you guys out, but I'm having the same problems and can never get an answer from Kia or the dealership. I should have been warned that I was on my own after I bought the car. At least it's paid off.

10th Nov 2007, 16:41

I have my dads 2002 KIA Rio and I got it when it had about 100,000 miles on it. It now has about 120,000 miles and it has died. My timing belt needs replaced. It needs a new alternator and the transmission is going up. Whenever it shifts from first to second gear the car kicks. This car is not built to last. What sucks even more is that I'm 2,500 miles away from my parents and in college so now I have to figure out what to do with this car. What a headache. I would never buy a KIA again.

5th Dec 2007, 20:54

I have a 2002 Kia Rio with about 75000 miles and it has metal shavings in the trans. I was told this was normal by the dealer!? Does anyone know anything about this problem?

18th Dec 2007, 12:42

For anyone who is having the issue with their KIA Rio stalling every now and then; We had ours taken into the warranty office 5 times. They replaced all kinds of things, to no effect. Finally they found that this problem was caused by the throttle sensor. So get that replaced, and it will work fine.

2nd Jan 2008, 20:23

We are only 2 payments from being fully paid off & now our timing belt had gone. We have had to have the engine head gasket replaced already and needed to have 10 tires in the last year on the car. It would not hold alignment after having the axle replaced. We have had all the work done at that dealerships and they are not wanting to have to replace the engine under warranty either. I don't think we will every buy another KIA either. Our other car is a Suzuki RENO and we have had no problems with it. I love it & will probably purchase another one of them instead.