While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly began bucking, lost power, and lost oil. The engine compartment immediately caught fire. The fire was entirely non-collision related and required immediate extinguishing. The incident was logged by the Washington State Patrol. The vehicle was towed and subsequently inspected by a certified Kia dealership. The Kia dealership technicians officially diagnosed the cause of the fire as a catastrophic internal engine failure, specifically noting in writing that they "found hole in engine block." They noted there was no other possible causation. This spontaneous engine failure and resulting fire occurred at approximately 99,000 miles. The vehicle is currently disabled and available for inspection upon request.
2016 Kia Rio: engine failure
5 of the 80 complaints about the 2016 Kia Rio describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- recalls
- 0
Engine failure by model year
What owners say
Vehicle burning through excessive amounts of oil. Check engine light came on and car was making a loud ticking noise and knock. Dealership confirmed the vehicle will need a new engine. Kia Corporate denied replacement because vehicle is out of warranty. Reported problem to Kia before warranty expired and was still denied.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Complete engine lockup during operation at speed which caused steering and braking to be greatly hampered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine failed on a 4-lane highway in traffic which could have easily caused a high-speed accident since the car extremely decelerated and lost power steering and braking in order to get out of traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes confirmed by an independent service center which told me it was either a cylinder rod or a lower engine bearing failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, the manufacture KIA has a recall on other models in this year range but not the RIO. The other models have a similar engine failure caused by a faulty cylinder rod bearing. The RIO has never been added to this recall list, but it should be because it looks like the engine issues are also on this model in the same time frame. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, they only came on when the engine failed. Then every warning light appeared.
I stayed on top of oil changes and engine continued to burn an excessive amount of oil in between oil changes. No leak was found after having 3 different inspections. I was told this is a common problem with Kia engines from multiple Kia owners, mechanics, and oil change technicians. Despite this, I made sure I always had oil in it and kept up with the changes. Suddenly, while driving on the interstate, the engine completely failed. I had it towed to a mechanic where it was determined internal engine failure if some sort. My car only had 83,000 miles on it when this happened. Due to me being the second owner, ( I bought the cat at 14,000 miles) I was unable to receive the 100,000 miles power train warranty. I called my local Kia dealership to see if there was anything they could do and was told “engines fail all the time” and that there is nothing they can do.Replacing the engine is more than the car is worth. For the engine to fail out of nowhere with no warning (this was the first time any sort of light came on my dash) after spending time and money on upkeep, is unacceptable. It is also completely unsafe. After some researching, I see that this is a very common issue with kia engines and Kia failed to notify me about obsessive oil consumption and the their faulty motors. Over $400 dollars in mechanic fees and over $300 in towing fees to determine all of this and I am out of a car. Getting a new engine or even fixing whatever internal component it is would be way more than what my car is worth with it running.
I need a new engine but cant find one because they all keep catching on fire. This is a issue they should refund me for my car or fit it.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Excessive oil consumption nu/gamma/theta/kappa engines
- Pitstop: low oil pressure at idle after gamma 1.6L GDI short block engine replacement
- Partial repair of c-mdps motor, ECU, worm gear and/or steering column housing
- Fuel smell ECU logic improvement and charcoal canister replacement
- Partial repair of c-mdps motor, ECU and/or steering column housing
- TSB - canister close valve inspection and air drain case replacement
- TSB - canister close valve (ccv) replacement
- Pitstop - engine component re-use guidelines
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2016 Kia Rio engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 2016 Kia Rio?
5 of 80 owner complaints about the 2016 Kia Rio (6%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Kia Rio?
There are 0 recalls and 14 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2016 Kia Rio
Oil consumption 15Check engine light 9Fire or smoke 7Stalling 6
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