Fuel Economy
36MPG
Gas & Hybrid options available
NHTSA Complaints
15
2 crash reports • 0 reporting injuries
Safety Recalls
2
2 official NHTSA recalls
NCAP Safety Rating
Not Rated / Pending

EPA Fuel Economy & Powertrain Specifications

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by powertrain configuration

Powertrain Group Engine / Drivetrain City MPG Hwy MPG Combined MPG Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Standard 1.6L 4-Cyl Regular
Automatic (AV-S1) • Front-Wheel Drive
 33 41 36 MPG $1,700 / yr

NHTSA NCAP Crash Test & Safety Ratings

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

NHTSA 5-Star NCAP laboratory crash evaluations are not currently on file for the 2021 Kia Rio.

Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Not Specified and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Not Specified in official NHTSA records for tested 2021 Kia Rio models.
View complete 2021 Kia Rio crash test & safety breakdown →

Reported Problems & Owner Complaints Summary (15)

Summary of 15 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
15
Crash Reports
2
Fire Reports
0
Complaints w/ Injury
0
Total Injuries
0

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Service Brakes 2 complaints (1 crash)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 complaint
Engine 1 complaint
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 complaint
Powertrain 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 2021 Kia Rio problems & component breakdown (12 categories) →

Official Safety Recalls (2)

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #22V304000 Active Recall
Affected Component: STEERING:COLUMN

Defect Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rio and Forte vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall SC235.
NHTSA Campaign #21V936000 Active Recall
Affected Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER

Defect Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Rio vehicles. The brake master cylinder may have been manufactured with sharp edges that can damage the inner oil seal, resulting in reduced braking performance.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will replace the brake master cylinder, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 11, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall SC223.
View all 2021 Kia Rio recalls & campaign history (2 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.