Wrench.Pro

2018 Kia Rio: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle2018 / kia / rio
known issues6 clusters (reviewed 2026-07-27)
complaints28 on file (2019-04-02 → 2026-08-05)
recalls1
investigations0
fars18 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexedyes
licenseCC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Engine oil consumption between oil changesENGINE7 complaints2022-12 → 2026-05rio-2018-oil-consumption
  • 11700932 My 2018 Kia Rio is burning 2 quarts of oil every 800 miles, confirmed by a Kia dealership through an official oil consumption test. The issue first started around 110,000 miles and has progressively gotten worse…
  • 11559237 For the past year and few months I’ve been having to do an oil change every two weeks because of how fast the engine is burning the oil. Several times I arrive to the shop to find the oil pan is completely empty causing issues with my engine beginning to make strange noises…
  • 11526075 Excessive engine oil consumption which has caused car to enter limp mode
Engine failure and stalling while drivingENGINE4 complaints2024-02 → 2025-10rio-2018-engine-failure
  • 11691729 My 2018 Kia Rio S (VIN [XXX] ) suffered sudden engine failure at approximately 84 000 miles. I pulled over immediately when the oil light came on, but the engine began rattling and was later diagnosed by the dealer as a bearing/seizure failure requiring full engine replacement…
  • 11692892 2018 Kia Rio – severe oil consumption leading to low compression (30 PSI on Cylinder 2) and engine failure. Dealership installed incorrect non-OEM spark plugs prior to failure. Kia denies warranty coverage although this matches known engine defects in other Kia models
  • 11646521 The contact owns a 2018 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted…
Engine compartment fire while drivingENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2 complaints2024-06 → 2025-04rio-2018-engine-fire
  • 11652874 The contact owned a 2018 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 85 MPH, the engine emitted abnormal noise with no warning lights illuminated. The contact proceeded to exit the highway and enter a gas station parking lot, and upon exiting the vehicle…
  • 11593284 My 2018 Kia Rio actually lit up on fire as I was driving down the highway on way to work. As I drove down the highway, I noticed that I had trouble using the brakes. It seemed as if they were working one second and then not working the next. At that time, I noticed fire coming…
Airbag light and passenger OCS mat faultELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS3 complaints2026-01 → 2026-03rio-2018-airbag-ocs-mat
  • 11713726 My car is a 2018 Kia Rio that has a clean history and has never been in an accident. Recently my airbag light came on and I had a diagnostic run that showed a B1448 code indicating an OCS mat defect in the passenger seat…
  • 11727369 Took my car in as the airbag light on the dashboard kept turning on and off— with or without a passenger in the seat. The dealership ran a diagnostic inspection and turns out that the passenger side OCS Mat and ECU are faulty and need to be replaced…
Trunk latch failure and recall part availabilityLATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES4 complaints2021-06 → 2022-07rio-2018-trunk-latch
  • 11421816 The contact owns a 2018 Kia Rio. The contact stated while attempting to open the rear trunk a clicking noise was heard coming from the trunk as the trunk failed to open. The contact attempted multiple times to open the trunk but it would not open…
  • 11442870 The contact owns a 2018 Kia Rio. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V622000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available…
  • 11454745 My vehicle was recalled for a "interior trunk release" issue. My trunk will not open at all anymore…
Vehicle theft and anti-theft alarm functionUNKNOWN OR OTHER2 complaints2022-12 → 2023-01rio-2018-theft-alarm
  • 11498683 My vehicle was stolen while parked with a club on the steering wheel then damaged and abandoned. I was without a vehicle for a month during repairs. It has been reported on the news that Kias are easily stolen due to the type of ignition system…
  • 11501364 Auto theft alarm listed as standard. There is NO THEFT DETECTION AT ALL. There is only a bogus flashing led that does nothing when parked. This is fraud.

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

countearliest_datelatest_datecrash_flaggedfire_flaggedtop_components
282019-04-022026-08-0532ENGINE:15; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:5; AIR BAGS:5; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:5; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM:2

Recalls all years →

campaign_numberreport_received_datecomponentsummaryconsequenceremedy
21V62200009/08/2021LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCHKia 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."A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.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.

Investigations all years →

none listed

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_yearsoccupant_deathsmatch_typevpic_recovered
2010-202418legacy-code0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2018 Kia Rio vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2018/kia/rio
@misc{wrenchpro_2018_kia_rio_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2018 Kia Rio},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2018/kia/rio}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

hub · known-issues · methodology · license · research (interpretation)