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2008 Kia Rio

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Kia Rio do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 38.5.

About this comparison →

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

39 reports with mileage · 7 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 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports0 fire reports7 injury reports

Suspension complaints

2 reports
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90,000 miles · Nov 16, 2016
Suspension

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA RIO. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY AND MADE A LOUD NOISE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL BEARING FAILED. THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT S…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA RIO. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY AND MADE A LOUD NOISE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL BEARING FAILED. THE FRONT LEFT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED APPROXIMATELY NINE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

NHTSA ODI #10926412

50 miles · Mar 9, 2010
SuspensionVehicle Speed Control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA RIO. WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT DRIVER INTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS BUT COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REMEDY THE FAILURE ON 2 OCCASIONS AT NO EXPENSE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 KIA RIO. WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT DRIVER INTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS BUT COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE DEALER ATTEMPTED TO REMEDY THE FAILURE ON 2 OCCASIONS AT NO EXPENSE TO THE OWNER, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE FAILURE PROGRESSIVELY BECAME WORSE. ALSO, WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 5MPH AND UP, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT A WHINING SOUND. THE DEALER ADVISED THE LOWER BALL JOINTS WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 21632. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT.

NHTSA ODI #10318096

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.