3KPA25AD0ME3799472021 KIA RioLX, S
2021 KIA Rio was analyzed across NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, crash test data, and public auction records. 15 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA — review the complaint section for the most common failure patterns.
Executive Summary
2021 KIA Rio
2021 KIA Rio was analyzed across NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, crash test data, and public auction records. 15 owner complaints have been filed with NHTSA — review the complaint section for the most common failure patterns.
15 owner complaints filed — top areas: Steering (27%), Engine/Powertrain (27%), Other (20%). 2 crashes reported.
Title Brand Check
Mined from auction damage fields and listing titles — not a DMV title history pull
No auction records available. Title brand status could not be verified — request title history from seller or state DMV.
Vehicle Specifications
Decoded from NHTSA vPIC database
- Make
- KIA
- Model
- Rio
- Year
- 2021
- Trim / Series
- LX, S
- Body Style
- Hatchback/Liftback/Notchback
- Vehicle Type
- PASSENGER CAR
- Drive Type
- FWD/Front-Wheel Drive
- Fuel Type
- Gasoline
- Engine
- 4-cyl 1.6L 120 hp
- Transmission
- Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
- Doors
- 5
- Manufacturer
- KIA MEXICO S.A. DE C.V.
- Assembly
- MEXICO
- GVWR
- Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)
- Base MSRP
- $16,900
Safety Intelligence
Composite analysis from NHTSA recall, complaint, and crash data
✓ No high-risk recall components found
Driver Assistance Features
ADAS equipment data from NHTSA vPIC database
Deferred Failure Risk
Components and defects approaching or past their known service milestones
Water pump failure causes rapid overheating. If the engine overheats even once, head gasket damage is likely — turning a $400 part into a $3,000+ repair.
Degraded transmission fluid destroys clutch packs and solenoids. CVT transmissions are especially sensitive — neglected fluid can result in a $4,000–$8,000 replacement.
Degraded coolant loses corrosion inhibitors and attacks aluminum engine components. Can cause head gasket failure and water pump corrosion.
Worn spark plugs cause misfires that can foul and crack catalytic converters. A $150 tune-up can prevent a $1,200 catalytic converter replacement.
NHTSA Safety Recalls
CLEARComplaint Intelligence
15 complaints analyzed across 6 system categories
33% of complaints filed in Jan & Mar — may indicate temperature-sensitive or weather-related failures.
Owner Complaints
HIGH VOLUME15 safety complaints filed with NHTSA
Back up camera sometimes flips sides, so that obstacles on the right side of the car are shown on the left side of the camera screen. Sometimes the camera doesn't work at all.
Steering Gear Assembly completely broke at 81,000 miles. My daughter was backing up in a busy street at 5pm and lost 100 percent of steering control. Lucking cars dodged her and she didn’t get hurt or worse.
Placed car in park got out to open a gate. Car took off forward even when shifter was in Park Position and almost ran a child over.
Center Console Display blank (screen black) upon startup unable to see cameras and backing up affected creating safety concern.
seatbelts in rear are inoperable/anti theft not working. Kia dealership told me that its not their issue about the anti theft. I have been told on 3 separate occasions that my seatbelts have been ordered but they haven’t!!!! No one is following up with me, when I call I get told “until they can get in contact with the dealership Kia the corporate company cannot do anything” have 2 kids Kia the dealership as well as the corporate company knows about this and no one is doing anything!! NO ONE CARES
At speeds over 20 miles per hours there is a “flapping” noise that sounds like a bag or piece of paper that is blowing in the wind. Although I don’t know were the noise originates, I can hear it clearly from the driver’s side b-pillar. It is incredibly annoying and greatly diminishes what is otherwise a solid entry, level vehicle.
On 3/19/23, as I was driving on a dry, straight, two lane road at the posted speed of 40mph, the car began to try to steer into oncoming traffic. I had to exert moderate force to keep the car in my lane. This continued continuously for about 1/2 mile. No low tire pressure indicator lights were illuminated, however the lane assist icon was on and green, indicating normal operation. Just as I was going to turn down a side street to check the tires manually, the steering returned to normal. However, the lane assist icon was now white, and as I drove the remaining approximately 2 miles home, the icon would change from white to green every 20 seconds or so. The car now operates normally. We took the car to the dealer today to be checked and they reported they could not replicate the issue. Attached is their report.
The contol post for lights, turn signal, and high beams is too sensitive. To control the lights, you twist the top of lever. To turn on turn signals, you flip the lever up or down. To turn on brights, the lever goes forward. To turn of lights, the lever is pulled back. The issue..... If you have brights on, when you pull lever back to dim lights, the top automatically twists to shut off the headlights entirely. DANGEROUS DANGEROUS DANGEROUS. My husband doesn't have this problem, but he has longer fingers and his fingers hit the lever more at the base where nothing twists. I have shorter women's fingers and they can't reach all the way down the lever. I have since adjusted how I dim the brights by reacing under the lever, (close to steering column), to pull the lever back. This is very uncomfortable and tends to cause me to make the turn signal come on, which could cause its own traffic accident. My remedy would be to make the headlights twist in the opposite direction for on off, or make the switch for headlights have a little more resistance.
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.
I had driven my wife to her school about 5 miles and headed back to my work another 5 miles when i tried to accelerate pass car I lost almost all power barely making it up a slight hill I kept going trying to make it to my house barely going 10 miles an hour. I thought the transmission had let go cause while I had the gas peddle floored i went at best 10-15 miles an hour I eventually parked the car I knew it would never make it up another slight hill. It was rowed to a nearby dealer where they could find no problem telling me it was just some bad gas. This sounds like what I read about today with a couple of other models of Kia.
The steering wheel column does not have a lock therefore someone broke into my car and tried to steal it and destroyed it, also no alarm went off when this happened.
I was driving 60-70 miles an hour for 45 minutes then car lost all acceleration and engine light came on. I pulled over immediately turned the car off. Turned it back on drove 1/4 of a mile and same thing happened. I pulled over turned car off and had it towed to the dealership.
Vehicle failed to reduce speed effectively while trying to avoid a collision with another vehicle during a left turn, which then caused the vehicle to turn widely and collide with the curb.
Vehicle has less than 4000 miles and throttle body had to be replaced
On the way to work, I had the brake pedal pressed waiting for a traffic signal to change. After it changed to green, I released the brake pedal and depressed the gas pedal, only for the vehicle not to move forward - as if the brake was still being applied. I took my foot off the gas pedal, waited a second or two, then tried the gas pedal again and it still did not move. I was at the traffic signal for nearly 10 seconds with nothing touching the brake pedal and unable to drive forward. The vehicle did not turn off, display any warning lights, or any signs of other trouble. The parking brake was not applied and the vehicle was in Drive. After putting the vehicle in reverse and back into drive while still stopped at the traffic signal, the car resumed normal operation. The vehicle has less than 200 miles, bought brand new from the dealership a few days prior and has only gone for a car wash at the dealership aside from normal daily commute. The problem has not been reported to the dealership or manufacturer at the time of this report.
Complaint & Reliability Timeline
Annual complaints (blue) vs. composite reliability score (amber) — recall years marked in red
The blue line shows 15 total NHTSA complaints filed over 4 years, with the worst year being 2022 (6 complaints, including 2 crash reports).
The amber reliability line averaged 97/100 across the vehicle's life — relatively stable, with the lowest point of 88/100 in 2022.
Notably, despite 15 complaints on file, no recall has been issued — either the defect pattern has not met NHTSA's threshold for a formal campaign, or a recall may be forthcoming.
Red dots on the amber line flag 2022, a year when complaints included crash events — these are the highest-severity incidents in the dataset.
Legal & Regulatory Actions
Known class action lawsuits, settlements, and manufacturer extended warranty programs
5-Year Ownership Cost Estimate
Based on EPA fuel data, standard depreciation, and US average insurance/maintenance costs
Estimates use EPA fuel economy data, AAA 2024 national averages for insurance and maintenance, and a standard depreciation curve. Actual costs vary by location, driving habits, and vehicle condition.
5-Year Total Cost of Ownership
Estimated based on EPA fuel data, risk-adjusted maintenance, and depreciation
Estimated 5-year cost of ownership: $35,131 (~$586/mo). Repair risk buffer is standard due to vehicle risk profile.
Estimated Market Value
Depreciation-based estimate from original MSRP
Based on original MSRP of $16,900 with sedan depreciation curve. Range reflects ±15% market variance. Actual value depends on condition, options, and local demand.
Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Tailored for the 2021 KIA Rio — specific failure modes your mechanic must check, not a generic list
Recall Probability Forecast
Estimated likelihood of a new recall in the next 18 months based on NHTSA signals
5% baseline recall probability — no strong indicators of an imminent recall.
Maintenance Schedule
OEM-specified service intervals for this vehicle
Maintenance intervals vary significantly by make, model, year, engine, and driving conditions. Always follow the manufacturer's official schedule — not generic industry estimates.
Tip: Request the seller's service records and compare against the manufacturer schedule. Missing intervals are a negotiation point.
Auction History
Public sale records from Copart, IAAI, and auction aggregators
Searching Public Auction Records
Checking Copart, IAAI, BidFax, and other sources for 3KPA25AD0ME379947. Results appear automatically when found.
Insurance Cost Estimate
Estimated annual premiums based on vehicle profile, theft data, and NHTSA safety ratings
Based on 2024 national avg ($2,011/yr full coverage). Individual rates vary by driver, location & insurer. Always compare 3+ quotes.
Market & Background Signals
Theft risk, fleet history, dealer patterns, and emissions compliance
KIA Rio has a Very High theft risk — 6.4× the national average. Insurance premiums are likely significantly above class average.
Manufacturer NHTSA Penalty History
Federal fines issued for recall delays and safety violations
KIA has been fined $27M+ by NHTSA. Most recently in 2020: Failure to promptly conduct recalls for Theta II engine defect.
State-Specific Legal Protections
What consumer laws apply to this vehicle purchase in your state
Select your state to see what consumer protection laws, lemon law coverage, and title disclosure requirements apply to this vehicle purchase.
Complete Data Table
All decoded fields in a single flattened view
Vehicle Identity
| VIN | 3KPA25AD0ME379947 |
| Model Year | 2021 |
| Make | KIA |
| Model | Rio |
| Trim | LX, S |
| Vehicle Type | PASSENGER CAR |
Body & Configuration
| Body Style | Hatchback/Liftback/Notchback |
| Doors | 5 |
| Seat Rows | 5 |
| Drive Type | FWD/Front-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel Type | Gasoline |
| Transmission | Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) |
Engine
| Engine Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement (L) | 1.6 |
| Horsepower | 120 |
Manufacturer
| Manufacturer | KIA MEXICO S.A. DE C.V. |
| Assembly Country | MEXICO |
VIN Structure
| WMI (Chars 1–3) | 3KP |
| Check Digit (Char 9) | 0 |
| Model Year Code (Char 10) | M |
| Plant Code (Char 11) | E |
| Sequence (Chars 12–17) | 379947 |
Safety Data
| NHTSA Recall Count | 0 |
| NHTSA Complaint Count | 15 |
VIN Structure Decode
ISO 3779 character-by-character breakdown of this Vehicle Identification Number
Disclaimer: Data sourced from NHTSA public APIs and scraped auction listings. For informational purposes only. Not a substitute for a paid vehicle history report. Retrieved: 7/13/2026, 12:55:04 AM.