There are 2 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2006 Kia Rioin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
RESUME EDITING I BOUGHT MY CAR IN '06, BEGINNING MY KIA NIGHTMARE...RECENTLY MY TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH WENT OUT...IN KIA AGREED TO FIX IT UNDER THE 100,000 MILE WARRANTY...WITH ME PAYING THE LABOR COST OF $1250..BECAUSE THE CLUTCH WAS NOT A COVERED PART...AFTER AGREEING TO THE REPAIRS AND MY CAR BEING IN THE SHOP FOR NOW 3 WEEKS, I GET A CALL TODAY WITH THE NEWS THAT THEY WILL NOT LONGER HONOR THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY REALIZED THE ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER WERE NOT WORKING....WHICH WAS WORKED ON BY YOU GEUESSED IT KIA....BACK IN JAN...!! MMMMMM.....I'M NOT A HAPPY CAMPER......KIA HAS ACCESS TO MY REPAIR RECORDS...THEIR MECHANIC CHECKED MY CAR BFORE AGREEING TO THE REPAIRS AND AGREEING TO COVERING AND HONORING THE WARRANTY........!! NOW THEY DO NOT WANT TO HONOR THE AGREE AFTER THE REPAIRS ARE DONE! I CAN NOT HAVE MY CAR UNTIL I PAY THE COST !! O...........REALLY????? IS THIS LEGAL..???? I STILL OWE $1661 IN THIS CAR.....WHAT THE [XXX]!! THIS CAR HAS COST ME UPWARDS OF $20,000 AND THE KELLY BBV IS ONLY $2300-$3000 IF I'M LUCKY AND COULD EVEN SELL THE THING!!!! THY AT IS RIDICULOUS!!! I AM MORTIFIED AT THE DISHONESTY OF KIA....I HAVE ORDERED ME A LEMON SHAPE MAGNET WITH THE WORDS (IN RED) "ASK ME ABOUT MY LEMON" "IT IS A KIA DUD!! " WHEN THIS IS OVER I WILL PROUDLY SPORT THESE MAGNETS ,ONE ON EACH SIDE OF MY CAR...FOR THE WORLD TO BE AWARE THAT KIA SELLS LEMONS! I WILL POST ON FB TO WARN MY FRIENDS AND FRIENDS OF MY FRIENDS, I WILL MAKE BUMPER STICKERS AND GIVE THEM TO EVERYONE I SEE UNTIL I AM SATISFIED THAT THE WORD IS OUT AND PEOPLE ARE MADE AWARE THAT KIA IS A DISHONORABLE COMPANY AND WILL NOT MAKE GOOD ON THEIR WORD AND THE FACT THEY OFFER A WARRANTY....ACTUALLY MEANS SQUAT!!.... 6 YEARS I HAVE MADE PAYMENTS ON THIS CAR...I WAS LATE ON ONE PAYMENT...AND NOW...BEING SO CLOSE TO MY PAYOFF....KIA WANTS TO REALLY SCREW ME! $20,000 FOR A CAR THEY NOW REFUSE TO GIVE ME!! I HAVE BEEN RAPED BY KIA!! YOU ARE DISHONORABLE, UNTRUSWORTHY AND JUST DOWN RIGHT CROOKED! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
PURCHASED A 2006 KIA RIO NEW. ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO OR SO THE "AIR BAG OFF" LIGHT WOULD BE ON WHEN SOMEONE WAS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, KIA REPLACED THE SEAT SENSORS, BUT NOTHING ELSE IN THE SYSTEM. A FACTORY MECHANIC INSPECTED THE CAR AND SAID IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY. THEY COULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM TO THIS DAY. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT WHEN THE LIGHT IS ON THAT THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. KIA MAKES A VERY POOR PRODUCT. I HAVE A TRANSMISSION LEAK AND I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT KIA WOULD NOT HONOR THEIR WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH I CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERY 30,000 MILES AS THEY RECOMMEND. KIA DOES NOT TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS. SOMEONE NEEDS TO HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE AND MAKE THEM HONOR THEIR 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026