The 2019 Kia Rio has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 253,074 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 29 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the unknown or other. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Kia 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…
Consequence
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers 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.
Complaints by component
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
8
1crashes1fires1injuries
ENGINE
6
1fires
AIR BAGS
3
3crashes3injuries
POWER TRAIN
2
STEERING
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
1
Other/I am not sure
1
SERVICE BRAKES
1
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints29
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“There was no accident the radio/backup camera shuts down completely on the inside of the car when the car is too hot inside”
“There was no accident the radio/backup camera shuts down completely on the inside of the car when the car is too hot inside”
“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…”
“The engine experienced a rod bearing failure resulting in internal engine damage and sudden loss of normal engine operation. The vehicle and failed engine components are currently available for inspection upon request. The engine failure occurred while the vehicle was traveling at high speed on…”
“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…”
“360 car seat will not click lock will steady spin around”
“The oil light flashed in the car once after an oil change, so I took the car back the very next day to the mechanic and he said there was no oil in the car at the time. He filled the car back up with oil, and by the end of the week, the car needed oil again, but no light indicated the car was low…”
“The oil light flashed in the car once after an oil change, so I took the car back the very next day to the mechanic and he said there was no oil in the car at the time. He filled the car back up with oil, and by the end of the week, the car needed oil again, but no light indicated the car was low…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2019 Kia Rio as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.