AutoUtility currently tracks 31 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Kia Rio. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 11 complaints (35.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 3 filings cite a crash, 6 cite a fire, 2 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 31 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (11 reports • 35.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Brakes & Traction Control (7), Body & Structure (3)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 3 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 6 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 2 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 Kia Rio
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Brakes & Traction Control
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V652000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Body & Structure
NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V652000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
- Campaign #23V594000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Electrical System
Air Bags & Restraints
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Kia Rio
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The engine of my Kia Rio 2017 is the system that is failing it is sudden with no warning and has been diagnosed by Kia themselves stating that the engine will seize. My safety is put at risk because the car may seize while in traffic causing difficulty steering and breaking. This problem was first..."
"As my car was driving my vehicle encountered sudden changes and my engine light went on. As the vehicle stopped driving on its own there was smoke coming from the hood and a fire stared shortly after underneath the car."
"I was driving my 2017 Kia Rio at approximately 70 mph when the vehicle began shaking violently. I heard a loud mechanical sound from the engine compartment that sounded like something broke loose and was being thrown around. I immediately began pulling over as smoke started entering the cabin. As..."
"Unknown"
"My son and I were driving home from work on IH-35 and I noticed smoke coming from under my hood. Then within seconds, flames appeared moving quickly towards the windshield. I attempted to move to the shoulder and after doing so, I was unable to stop since the brakes were no longer working. I had to..."
Complaint History for Kia Rio
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2023)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Kia Rio | 52 | 4 | 1 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Kia Rio | 77 | 7 | 2 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Kia Rio Current Page | 31 | 3 | 2 | Current |
| 2018 Kia Rio | 28 | 3 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Kia Rio | 21 | 4 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Kia Rio | 26 | 3 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Kia Rio | 15 | 2 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Kia Rio | 11 | 2 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Kia Rio | 12 | 0 | 0 | View 2023 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Kia Rio
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 14 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions fo...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.