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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.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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

What owners reported most

All reported categories

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

Service Brakes complaints

1 reports
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55,000 miles · Jul 17, 2018
Service Brakes

BRAKE LIGHTS IN REAR CAME ON DURING DRIVING AND REMAINED ON. AFTER BECOMING AWARE OF THE ISSUE, AND REPLACEMENT OF THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH WHICH DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE, AND AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION THE PROBLEM WAS A DESIGN DEFECT. THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH HAS A "BUTTON" WHICH WHEN DEPRESSED INTERRUPTS THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY, THERE …

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BRAKE LIGHTS IN REAR CAME ON DURING DRIVING AND REMAINED ON. AFTER BECOMING AWARE OF THE ISSUE, AND REPLACEMENT OF THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH WHICH DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE, AND AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION THE PROBLEM WAS A DESIGN DEFECT. THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH HAS A "BUTTON" WHICH WHEN DEPRESSED INTERRUPTS THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY, THERE IS AN "EAR" ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHICH WHEN YOUR LET OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSES THE SWITCH BUTTON AND CUTS THE CURRENT. THE PROBLEM IS THE BUTTON ON THE SWITCH IS AROUND 1/16 IN DIAMETER, AND FOR SOME STRANGE REASON KIA DRILLED A 1/4" HOLE ON THE "EAR" OF THE BRAKE PEDAL WITHIN 1/16 OF AN INCH WHERE THE SWITCH BUTTON CONTACTS THE EAR, WHICH ALLOWS ONLY 1/16 OF A INCH OF THE EAR TO DEPRESS THE PEDAL, WHICH IN THIS CASE WITH MY CAR WITH 50 THOUSAND MILES, ALLOWED THE BUTTON OF THE STOP LIGHT SWITCH TO ENTER THE HOLE IN THE EAR ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND NOT DEPRESS THE BUTTON ON THE SWITCH, WHICH THEN ALLOWED THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO CONSTANTLY BURN. I SUSPECT THAT NORMAL WEAR OF THE BRAKE PEDAL BUSHING ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN, THE STRANGE THING IS THERE IS NO REASON FOR HOLE TO BE IN THE CONTACT AREA WHERE THE EAR AND THE SWITCH BUTTON MEET. AND WITH ONLY A MINOR AMOUNT OF THE SWITCH BUTTON MAKING CONTACT AND THE REST OVER THE HOLE IN THE BRAKE PEDAL "EAR" IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THIS WOULD BE THE RESULT. I HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, AND NOTICED THE SWITCH FOR THE CLUTCH PEDAL WHICH REQUIRES THE CLUTCH BE DEPRESSED IN ORDER TO START THE ENGINE, IT WAS SET UP WITH A HOLE VERY CLOSE TO WHERE THE SWITCH BUTTON MAKES CONTACT. THE ABOVE HAPPENED WHILE WAS DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK.

NHTSA ODI #11112032

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.