Original owner of 2002 kia rio - timing belt failed at 93,000 miles causing total engine failure (interference engine). Timing belt is covered under warranty for 100,000 miles for original owner according to the manual. Kia would not honor warranty. Several thousand dollars later, I had a replacement engine installed. It failed 2,300 miles later due to the camshaft shearing and the interference problems. Again, not covered under warranty.
2002 Kia Rio: engine failure
5 of the 128 complaints about the 2002 Kia Rio describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 5 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Engine failure by model year
What owners say
While traveling on a residential road the car back fired then the engine seized up, the timing belt was the likely cause according to the dealer, but because it had 60,274 miles they would not cover it under warranty. The service person said they have had at least six similar failures in the last year, a couple were less than 59,000 miles and were covered. In talking to kia direct, they said because we bought the car used and had no service record from before, nothing could be done. It's clear from the number of failures this is a design defect. The timing belt failure and subsequent engine lockup could cause a fatality if it happened at freeway speeds!
I have a 2002 kia rio with approx. 51,000 miles. The car suddenly broke down and would not start. I had the car towed to the dealership who told me the engine had seized due to sludge in the oil system. I provided kia with all the oil maintenance receipts every 3000 miles. Kia's response was that the oil was not maintained properly and the maintenance records were fake. Basically, they say that I and a certified mechanic (owner of a auto and towing shop) are liars. Kia will not pay for the engine repair and I cannot afford to fix a problem that was caused by an engine malfunction (oil and receipts were maintained properly). It has been 1 month ago, I have no car and seriously at risk of losing my job due to this problem and kia will not reconsider any information I provide.
While driving 40 MPH vehicle began to shake violently, and then the engine failed. Dealer stated they could not fix it.
Car loses power. Belt continuously burns and snaps. Dealership replaced engine, alternator, two transmittions, 10 belts and nothing fixed the problems. I just got my car back on friday, tuesday ot broke and is now sitting worthless in my yard. I still have three more years of payment on it. Am now going through lemon law process.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Pitstop - engine component re-use guidelines
- Improved timing belts for the kia rio and optima. tt
- This revised bulletin provides information on service campaign to reprogram the engine control module...
- Voluntary service campaign SC034 to reprogram the engine control module (ECM). vehicles experiencing...
- This bulletin provides information on service campaign to reprogram the engine control module (ECM) on...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2002 Kia Rio engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 2002 Kia Rio?
5 of 128 owner complaints about the 2002 Kia Rio (4%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Kia Rio?
There are 0 recalls and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Kia Rio
Stalling 21No deployment 12Check engine light 8Fire or smoke 6
VIN decoder
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