Check a VIN

Kia Rio jerking problems

18 of the 1,296 owner complaints about the Kia Rio describe jerking or lurching, most of them for the 2001 model year.

owner complaints
18
worst model year
2001
typical mileage
58,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

  • 2023
    1
  • 2021
    1
  • 2015
    2
  • 2013
    1
  • 2011
    2
  • 2010
    1
  • 2009
    1
  • 2008
    1
  • 2007
    1
  • 2006
    2
  • 2004
    1
  • 2002
    1
  • 2001
    3

What owners say

Filed Apr 23, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · PR

When I started my car, during the warm-up process, it dropped revs and turned off. After several tries, it turned on. While driving, when the vehicle was stopped, it began to jerk slightly. The safety risk is that the car, while I am driving, could turn off and cause an accident, in which people could be at risk, including me. I wouldn't want this to escalate because the dealer doesn't take action on the matter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to evaluate the condition, they say that the technicians did not find anything, that the car did not emit any codes. And therefore they couldn't do anything. Note that I bought that car completely new, 0 miles, in March of last year. And in January the problem started. It is also worth noting that the car had to have a rack&pinion change in less than a year, due to a noise it made when the guide turned. All maintenance has been done with the official Auto Grupo Kia dealership on Kennedy, in Puerto Rico. I fear my safety and that of others behind the wheel, if the major fault in my car is not fixed.

Filed Mar 24, 2023 · Engine · 139,287 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and the contact smelled an oil burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic stated that the engine was misfiring, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer confirmed the misfire and stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 139,287.

Filed Nov 30, 2022 · Brakes, Steering · ID · crash

Having been complaining about a noise from under the front right tire, I was initially told it was a little piece of plastic and that got cut off. I was still hear the scraping and squealing and I kept check the from right tire because I thought that's where it was coming from. I mentioned this to every mechanic at kia and was told "that's just how 2021s sound". Finally after months of complaining the noise got louder and you could hear it was clearly something in steering. They schedules an appointment for Dec 7th on Mon Nov 28th. Said it was safe to drive when that night while working I was turning a corner, I heard a loud spring noise, the tire and wheel jerked. It was snowing, so the car slide, only sliding into the curb. The front right break seemed to be locked and when you turn the steering wheel makes even more noise. Haven't been told the issue, but I'm certain it is not safe and definitely shouldn't be on the streets until it's fixed.

Filed Dec 4, 2019 · Engine · 93,000 miles · TX · fire · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 kia rio. While driving 60-65 MPH on the freeway, the vehicle started to jerk and a loud grinding noise was heard without warning. The contact managed to exit the freeway onto a residential street where the contact noticed smoke under the hood. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion under the hood and the contact's head impacted the steering wheel. The vehicle became engulfed with black smoke. The contact sustained a busted lip, bruised eye, a whiplash, and a concussion. Medical attention was not receive as of yet. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed by an independent mechanic to a lot. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000. The VIN was unknown.

Filed Jul 2, 2017 · Engine · 67,000 miles · CA

At 39,000 miles my car started lurching and had no power. Got it to a mechanic immediately, and spark plugs and coil #1 had to be replaced. I just got to 67,000 miles, emissions control light again came on, car had loss of power and shaking. Again got to mechanic immediately, again #1 coil and #2 coils had to be replaced. Seems to be an underlying electrical problem that the manufacturer has not addressed. Can this problem be permanently fixed? Will a kia dealership be able to fix it even though there seems to be no recall.

Filed Dec 6, 2016 · Electrical, Engine · 88,000 miles · MD

When driving, the car stalls for no reason (there is fuel in the car, has regular oil changes, and a brand new battery). It takes a couple minutes before the car will restart. While on the highway, the engine light will come on and then turn right off, but the RPM gauge stops working even though I am still driving. There is a jerking motion when that happens. This happens on city streets and on the highway. It is becoming unsafe and the dealership cannot replicate the situation. All they do is run the code but nothing comes up. This has been happening since the beginning of november 2016 and has happened every day since then.this is a safety issue because the car could stall anytime while driving and I could be seriously hurt and other drivers could get hurt.

Filed Oct 5, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 64,252 miles · AL

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia rio. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle would jerk violently, accelerate, and stall. All the lights on the instrument panel illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but the failure was unable to be determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,252.

Filed Oct 28, 2013 · Brakes · 50,400 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia rio. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel jerked from left to right when the brakes were depressed without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the brake disks needed to be turned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 50,400.

Filed Dec 5, 2012 · Transmission · 9,158 miles · CA

As I was backing out of my driveway, 6 months after I purchased my brand new 2007 kia rio, I heard a loud noise and felt my car lurch simultaneously, as if I had been hit by a car. When I tried to resume backing up my car had popped out of reverse. Although it doesn't happen frequently, it does happen I have had people in the car when it happens. When I took it to the dealership, I was told they "couldn't duplicate it".

Filed Sep 8, 2011 · Electrical, Steering · 3,679 miles · IL

First the car was pulling to the driver side went to the local firestone shop and they told me the air was too low. It was only 25psi they fixed all my tyres and checked all the tire pressure then the car started pulling on the passenger's side suddenly. Started getting jerks on the steering wheel. Went to the dealer and told the alignment was off. This was a brand new kia rio 2011 not even 6 months old. Also the didn't show me any indication that my drivers side front wheel has less air. The tire was at 25psi and it didn't show me any indication on my speed odometer nor the TPMS light turned one nor the low pressure light cam up.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Kia Rio jerking

Which Kia Rio years have jerking or lurching problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2001 (3 complaints), 2006 (2 complaints) and 2011 (2 complaints).

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used Kia Rio?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history