2001 Kia Rio electrical problems

Filed Sep 24, 2013 · Electrical, Locks · 140,000 miles · PR

It is difficult to enter the car with the key and when I pull the door handle the lock drops down to the close position and I can't get out this happens on the driver's side and the front passenger side,I have to hold the lock on the up position with a piece of metal or leave the rear doors unlocked in case I have to jump out..this car is a lemon I have replaced sensors alternator, starter, AC parts and many other parts the only thing good is the transmission and the engine...

Filed Aug 17, 2012 · Electrical, Fuel system · CA · crash · fire · 1 injury

Consumer complaint: odi case number: 10136024 component: wheels gas ignition? You tell me? When are these people going to be compensated for their lemons kia-2001 details: dt: the consumer was involved in an accident and a tire blew out. After the vehicle stopped spinning, the consumer got out of the vehicle and it burst into flames, the fire department came and they said fire started from heat of power equipment and the ignition burned. This happened on august 6, 2005. *ak the consumer stated she was not informed about the recall regarding the wheels. The consumers daughter complained that the steering wheel vibrated from the time the vehicle was purchased. The same tire that the blew out was the same one that had been replaced numerous times. *jb occurrences: 1 injuries: 0 fail date: 08/06/2005 deaths: 0 date added to database: 9/9/2005 [file] your own complaint on this model car.

Filed Aug 12, 2009 · Electrical · 13,007 miles · CA

This is a kia rio 4 dr. 2001 ..with 12,000 aprox miles when the ecu fuse broke, on hwy 127 near death valley ..had to get towed into my destination.it took about 5 days to get a part from calif,ups to me from a friend, I changed the fuel level sensor,,which I thought was the problem...the nearest kia dealer was 80 miles away in las vegas,,,I later discovered that it was a blown ecu fuse..not a sensor..I then drove the car aptrox 500 miles back to caloif,when it blew again on the hwy 15 near fontana,...I took the car to kia dealer in ontario calif, they only did 2 warranty items on the car.#1 was an upgrade of the ECM.and #2 replaced a fuel dist sensor////the dealer said it would fix the fuse issue,,,which I told them up front. They returned the car I was going back to nevada it blew a fuse ecu on hwy 15 had it towed home again,,,,the dealer picked up the car from rialto 10 miles away from my parents....they had the car 4 days and told me it would take aprox 600$ to get under the dash where they believe there is a short that is causing this ecu to blow,,I had the car returned on my aaa again took it for a second opinion,,,again they also said it could be under the dash and the amount they wanted to fix it and keep the car for about 3 or 4 days to make sure the problem was fixed. The dealer never test drove the car after the warranty work..as per the invoice mileage in and mileage out...they said they could not duplicate the problem...again...after the 2nd opinion..I had to tow it again when I was driving it home on the streets..that was 55 miles from my parents house... I have all the aaa records on towing ...I'm out of tows... This car could cause an accident ....only because the car will stop running with out any notice and so far I was lucky that nothing went wrong.

Filed Jan 28, 2008 · Electrical · 118,000 miles · ME

Dash lights will not work. Come off and on. Check engine also comes off and on. Repaired twice, still comes on after short drive. Warned by police for dash lights. Car will be towed because unsafe driving condition. Can not afford costly repair to wiring system at this time.

Filed Nov 28, 2006 · Acceleration, Electrical · FL

01 rio is a lemon & safety hazard. Many major repairs done including the timing belt & valves rebuilt, new cooling system, both control arms & boots. Wheel defect recently recalled caused excess wear/ tear on control arms, boots, alignment, tires, costing thousands of avoidable repairs. Fuel intake did come lose, nearly causing an engine fire due to defective part which was recalled. It continuously misfires, engine knocks, stalls. Ecm was recalled but didn't fix the problem. Replaced spark plugs & wires (3 times in 6 months), ignition coil, sensors (oxygen, knock, crankshaft, temp). It stops for a 1-2 days, then comes back. Annoying & dangerous. Also has acceleration problem. At times, it won't go over 40 MPH & also accelerates by itself. Brakes have completely failed, though there's no crack in the line, no leaking fluid. The car is a complete lemon. Online, there are hundreds of similar complaints. Dealers are aware but conveniently can't seem to diagnose the problems especially misfiring. Consumers get nickel & dimed doing needless repairs that don't fix the problem. The optima had similar problems w/crankshaft pos. Sensor which was recalled, but dealer denies any relation to problems with the rio. Another problem - lack of availability & high cost of parts. Its bait/switch to sell a car with known problems, then guess at needless repairs & sell parts at an astronomical markup. It's cheap to buy, but repair costs make it very expensive. Research shows misfiring/engine knock has also LED to engine fires. Also problems with air bags. My airbag light has been on since purchased, but dealer has yet to fix it. Also door locking problems, people being locked in vehicles. My drivers door locks by itself (manual locks). In case of engine fire or accident, a lock malfunction could cause unnecessary death/injury. These are known problems with hundreds of complaints, yet kia has done nothing to address them. The 01 rio is a lemon and safety hazard.

Filed Dec 5, 2005 · Electrical, Engine · IL

2 years ago I noticed that the car does not want to start when it has not been driven for a long period of time (12 hrs). I took the engine cover off and tried to start the car with the remote starter. I noticed that there were sparks coming from the distributor and the spark plug wires. Took car in to dealer and all was done was changed spark plug wire and problem still happens. Dealer just wants to change the wire and plugs.

Filed Oct 6, 2005 · Electrical, Wheels · 58,000 miles · CA · crash · fire

Dt: the concusmer was involved in an accident and a tire blew out. After the vehicle stopped spinning, the consumer got out of the vehicle and it burst into flames, the fire department came and they said fire started from heat of power equipment and the ignition burned. This happened on august 6, 2005. *ak the consumer stated she was not informed about the recall regarding the wheels. The consumers daughter complained that the steering wheel vibrated from the time the vehicle was purcahsed. The same tire that the blew out was the same one that had been replaced numerous times.

Filed Sep 13, 2005 · Body, Electrical · 1,300 miles · CA

Dt: the caller said the dealer made new holes in the frame to put the bolts in. The dealer cut the frame to put smaller bolts and nuts in. Another dealer said doing that ruined the integrity of the frame. Also, there was an exhaust leak into the vehicle. The transmission bracket was bent and it would not hold the transmission in place. When the dealer fixed it the bolts fell out. The caller had to take vehicle back to dealer. The check engine light was on constantly. Vehicle will not pass inspection with the light on. Dealer said it will pass inspection with the light on. Manufacturer said they could not do anything to help the caller because the warranty expired. The caller said fuses blew out. He replaced the fuses over 200 times. The dashboard lights,headlights and other exterior lights went out.

Filed Jul 23, 2004 · Electrical, Fuel system · 36,279 miles · FL

Problems with 2001 kia rio.*mr the consumer's vehicle experienced multiple fuel system problems. The consumer received a recall notice in reference to the fuel distributor and main fuel tube assembly. The consumer contacted the dealer who indicated that the problems were not related. The vehicle also had other problems. The engine would hesitate while driving. The dealer replaced the spark plugs and wires. The rear end vibrated. The dealer replaced both rear dampers. The consumer heard a clunking noise during acceleration. The dealer determined that he motor mounts were cracked. The rear wheel bearings were worn excessively.

Filed Jun 29, 2004 · Electrical · NY · fire

While driving 40 MPH on an incline vehicle was running roughly. Consumer noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Consumer immediately pulled over, and within a half a minute,it was on fire.