The 2018 Kia Rio is associated with 28 official NHTSA owner defect complaints and 1 safety recall campaign in the federal safety database. The most frequently reported component area is Engine, accounting for 9 reports (32% of total complaints). EPA testing covers 2 certified vehicle configurations spanning 1.6l 4-cyl powertrain configurations. Gasoline and hybrid variants deliver 32 MPG combined. Detailed NHTSA crash-test ratings are not available in the current AutoUtility dataset for this model year.

Key Data Findings
  • • NHTSA Owner Complaints: 28 reports
  • • Safety Recall Campaigns: 1 campaign
  • • Top Reported Defect Area: Engine (9 / 32%)
  • • Safety Incident Signals: 3 crash / 2 fire / 1 injury reports
  • • NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: Not rated by NHTSA
  • • EPA Efficiency: 32 MPG (2 variants)
Data Note: Compiled directly from official NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, and EPA FuelEconomy.gov databases.
Fuel Economy
32MPG
2 EPA certified variants (1.6l 4-cyl powertrain configurations)
Reported Complaints
28
28 submitted owner reports
Safety Recalls
1
1 official NHTSA recall
NCAP Safety Rating
Not rated by NHTSA

What is the fuel economy and range of the 2018 Kia Rio?

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by certified vehicle variant

Variant Engine Drivetrain Transmission City Highway Combined EV Range Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Rio 1.6L 4-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Automatic (S6) 28 MPG 37 MPG 32 MPG — $1,900 / yr
Rio 1.6L 4-Cyl Front-Wheel Drive Manual 6-spd 29 MPG 37 MPG 32 MPG — $1,900 / yr
Data Boundary Note: EPA specifications are shown by certified vehicle configuration. NHTSA complaints and recall totals are recorded at the model-year level across all configurations.

What are the crash test safety ratings for the 2018 Kia Rio?

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tested Drivetrain / Cab Variant Overall Rating Frontal Crash Side Crash Rollover Rating Rollover Risk
4 DR FWD —
5 HB FWD —
Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as No and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Optional in official NHTSA records for tested 2018 Kia Rio models.
View complete 2018 Kia Rio crash test & safety breakdown →

What defect complaints are reported for the 2018 Kia Rio?

Summary of 28 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
28
Crash Reports
3
Fire Reports
2
Complaints w/ Injury
1
Total Injuries
1

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Engine 9 complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE 2 complaints
Doors, Latches & Locks 2 complaints
Air Bags 1 complaint (1 crash)
AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 complaint

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2018 Kia Rio problems & component breakdown (16 categories) →

Are there open safety recalls on the 2018 Kia Rio?

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #21V622000 Active Recall
Affected Component: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH

Defect Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
View all 2018 Kia Rio recalls & campaign history (1 campaigns) →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.