Home›Kia›Rio›2019

Kia · Compact car

2019 Kia Rio

Gas

Compact Cars
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

94 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns1

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA21

Crash ratingNHTSA overall—

Fuel economybest combined, EPA32 mpg

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2019 Kia Rio is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Rio, is EPA-rated at 32 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 21 complaints, most often about the engine.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Rio	Gas	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl	28	37	32	$1,950
Rio	Gas	FWD	1.6L 4-cyl	29	37	32	$1,950

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 40694, 40695.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

●moderate

Latches/Locks/Linkages

SC216

253,074 vehicles

ProblemKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."RiskA person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.FixDealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

NHTSA campaign 21V622000reported Aug 9, 2021Kia Motors America

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

21complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 4 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2019: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2023: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 3

Most-cited components

Unspecified8

Engine6

Air Bags3

Steering2

Power Train2

Suspension1

What owners describe

“There was no accident the radio/backup camera shuts down completely on the inside of the car when the car is too hot inside”Jun 14, 2026 · Back Over Prevention · NHTSA owner report

“2019 Kia Rio Hatchback trunk latch failure buzzing actuator but won't open emergency release does not work dealer says not covered under recall #21V622000 which covers the trunk for 4 door 2019 Kia Rio and this appears to be the same or similar issue with the trunk emergency release not opening creating a safety risk”Apr 21, 2026 · Structure · NHTSA owner report

“On the morning of October 15th, the oil light of my 2019 Kia Rio came on, immediately followed by extreme engine noise, just before the engine locked. I had the vehicle towed to a nearby service center. They checked and reported that all oil had leaked out and motor had locked. I then had vehicle towed to Kia dealer an…”Jan 13, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Rio model years

2023 Kia Rio

0 recalls · 12 complaints

2022 Kia Rio

1 recalls · 11 complaints

2021 Kia Rio

2 recalls · 15 complaints

2020 Kia Rio

1 recalls · 27 complaints

2018 Kia Rio

1 recalls · 28 complaints

2017 Kia Rio

2 recalls · 31 complaints

2016 Kia Rio

2 recalls · 77 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

JSON for this page · API