There are 3 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2013 Kia Rioin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY KIA RIO WILL STALL AT SLOW SPEEDS. SEVERAL TIMES WHILE I WAS STOPPED OR BACKING UP AND THE CAR STALLS. WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT MY CAR STALLED WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING. I TOOK MY KIA TO A MECHANIC. HE SAID THE PROBLEM WAS THE REAR FUEL FILTER. HE REPLACED MY FUEL FILTER. THIS DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. HE CALLED KIA THEY RECOMMENDED HE REPROGRAM THE CAR. THIS DID NOT WORK. HE CLEANED THE FUEL FILTER PUT IT BACK IN THE CAR. THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. HIS ONLY RECOMMENDATION. IS TO TAKE THE CAR TO KIA. BUT IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. HOW CAN THEY FIX IT. RIGHT KNOW I CAN ONLY HOPE THE DOESN'T STALL AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA RIO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK AND THE CHECK ENGINE AND AIR BAG WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE WINDOWS DID NOT ROLL DOWN AUTOMATICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KIA OF LYNCHBURG (434-847-3292, LOCATED AT 3400 OLD FOREST RD, LYNCHBURG, VA 24501) WHERE THE TECHNICIAN CHANGED THE OIL AND REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DUE TO AN UNKNOWN FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.
AT APPROXIMATELY 40K MILES THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED AN ANNOYING PING & POWER LOSS, (DEAD SPOT), WHEN ACCELERATING UP A HILL OR INTO A CORNER. DEALER 1ST TOLD ME THAT AFTER AN EXTENSIVE TEST DRIVE NO TROUBLE WAS FOUND, HOWEVER THE MILEAGE WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS WHEN I BROUGHT CAR INTO SHOP, OBVIOUSLY TEST DRIVE WAS NOT PERFORMED, HAD THE MECHANIC COME FOR A RIDE WITH ME, NOISE WAS APPARENT IMMEDIATELY ALTHOUGH MECHANIC DID HIS BEST NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT UNTIL I TOOK A TURN ONTO A STEEP INCLINE WHERE NOISE BECAME QUITE PREVALENT & MECHANIC DID ACKNOWLEDGE IT & STATED THAT IT WAS THE GDI PUMP WHICH WE THEN SCHEDULED TO HAVE REPLACED. SHORTLY BEFORE MY SCHEDULED REPLACEMENT THE DEALERSHIP CHANGED THEIR MIND & NOW SAID THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO A CARBON BUILD UP & SUGGESTED THAT I USE TOP TIER GAS & A FUEL ADDITIVE @ 7,500 MILE INTERVALS, (TECHRON WAS RECOMMENDED), HOWEVER I'VE ALWAYS USED TOP TIER GAS, MOSTLY PURCHASED @ SHELL. DEALERSHIP THEN DECIDED THAT A FUEL SYSTEM FLUSH WAS THE WAY TO GO, WHICH THEY PERFORMED @ NO CHARGE IN AUGUST LAST YEAR. FLUS DIDN'T HELP & I CALLED DEALERSHIP AFTER TRAVELING LESS THAN 2 MILES AFTER THE FLUSH, THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD TAKE A WHILE FOR THE NOISE TO GO AWAY & THE POWER LOSS TO WORK ITSELF OUT & RECOMMENDED TO CONTINUE USING THE TOP TIER GAS, AS I ALWAYS HAD & TO ADD THE TECHRON @ PRESCRIBED INTERVALS WHICH I DID. NOISE HAS NEVER GONE AWAY & POWER LOSS, (DEAD SPOT) IS STILL PREVALENT, MORE SO WHEN WARM. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN IN MAY OF THIS YEAR AS IT IS GETTING WORSE, ALSO OPENED A CASE WITH KIA CONSUMER CARE DEPT, WHICH I SHOULD'VE DONE RIGHT AT THE ONSET LAST YEAR. I'VE BEEN TOLD THE DEALERSHIP THAT IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM & THAT NOTHING IS GOING TO FIX IT BUT THEY STILL WANT TO DO ANOTHER FUEL SYSTEM FLUSH WHICH THEY WANT ME TO PAY FOR. CCD HAS ONLY GIVING ME LIP SERVICE & TO DATE NOTHING HAS BEEN RESOLVED.
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 26, 2026