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2006 Kia Rio

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2006 Kia Rio do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 38.5.

About this comparison →
74Owner complaints

Model-year median: 38.5

1Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
74
200338
200436
200574
200646
200746
200839
2009
Compare all Rio years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
50Engine And Engine Cooling
6Steering
4Unknown Or Other
4Electrical System
3
All reported categories
Structure
3Engine
2Equipment
2Fuel System, Gasoline
2Power Train
2Service Brakes, Hydraulic
2Exterior Lighting
1Fuel System, Other
1Seat Belts
1Seats
1Service Brakes
1Suspension
1Tires
1Vehicle Speed Control
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

55 reports with mileage · 19 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports0 fire reports11 injury reports

Equipment complaints

2 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Aug 28, 2009
Air BagsEquipment

AIR BAG SERVICE>12/26/05 SEATBELT FAULTY, 7/5/06 DRIVER BELT PRETENSIONER RESISTANCE LOW, 7/24/06 SHORTED SEAT BELT, 8/14/06 HARNESS PINCHED BETWEEN SEATBELT ASSY & BDY, 6/11/07, CODE B1448; STABILANT APPLIED TO OCS CONNECTOR, 7/22/09 CONTROL BOX REPLACED AS POTENTIAL MALFUNCTION; AIR BAG LIGHT CAME RIGHT BACK ON; DRIVER SEAT NO…

Read full complaint

AIR BAG SERVICE>12/26/05 SEATBELT FAULTY, 7/5/06 DRIVER BELT PRETENSIONER RESISTANCE LOW, 7/24/06 SHORTED SEAT BELT, 8/14/06 HARNESS PINCHED BETWEEN SEATBELT ASSY & BDY, 6/11/07, CODE B1448; STABILANT APPLIED TO OCS CONNECTOR, 7/22/09 CONTROL BOX REPLACED AS POTENTIAL MALFUNCTION; AIR BAG LIGHT CAME RIGHT BACK ON; DRIVER SEAT NOW ON ORDER TO BE REPLACED, 8/11/09 RECEIVED CALL SEAT ARRIVED (21 DAYS WITH NO AIR BAG SERVICE, PER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE IT WAS LIKE DRIVING AN OLD CAR), 8/17/09 DROPPED OFF AT 8:30AM, NOT EXACT, (SERVICE 8/17 AS THAT IS MY 9/80 WORK SCHEDULE DAY OFF) I RECEIVED PHONE CALL AT 230PM THAT THE WRONG COLOR SEAT WAS RECEIVED, 8/20/09 I RECEIVED PHONE CALL AT 5:01PM THAT CORRECT COLOR SEAT HAD ARRIVED SO I SCHEDULED FOR 8/31/09 (MY NEXT 9/80 WORK SCHEDULE DAY OFF) FOR IT TO BE REPLACED. WITH THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE SEEN ON THIS SITE I AM GOING TO CONTACT THE REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER AND SOMETHING IS GOING TO BE DONE! THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE, WARRANTY IS A SAFETY NET JUST IN CASE, NOT SOMETHING TO BE USED TO COVER A LEMON OF A CAR! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10282077

Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2006
Engine And Engine CoolingEquipment

CONSUMER 2006 KIA RIO AIR CONDITIONER BLOWS HOT AIR, HEAVY WHITE SMOKE COMES FROM UNDERNEATH HOOD. *TS THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN AFTER THE RADIATOR CAP WAS REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10163708

Official recalls

1

12V244000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

May 31, 2012

KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 RIO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2007. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT CAN EXPERIENCE FATIGUE CRACKING. IF SUFFICIENT CRACKING OCCURS, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION SUCH THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT WHETHER A CHILD PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY DURING A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITH A CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO THAT CHILD.

Remedy: KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCS SEAT SENSOR MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.