There are 11 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 2003 Kia Rio in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 11 of 11 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)ALL OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS QUIT WORKING AT THE SAME TIME. DONE A SEARCH TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER PROBLEMS LIKE MINE AND FOUND 3 OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT HAS BEEN IN A MECHANIC SHOP FOR 2 WEEKS NOW AND I HAVE JUST GOT DONE TALKING WITH HIM THIS MORNING ABOUT IT AND HE SAID THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO PIN POINT THE PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE DEALT WITH BY KIA. *TR
GOING OUT TO DINNER, ABOUT 1 MILE AWAY FROM HOME SMELL COMING FROM CAR. TURNED DOWN A SIDE STREET, SMOKE COMING FROM HEAT/AIR ADJUSTMENT AREA ON DASH. STOPPED CAR, FIRE STARTED COMING OUT OF THE AREA WHERE YOU ADJUST THE HEAT/AIR. BEFORE FIRE DEPARTMENT COULD GET THERE THE ENTIRE CAR WAS ON FIRE. THIS WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THANKFULLY WE WERE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. I FEAR IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FAR WORSE IF WE HAD BEEN ON THE EXPRESS WAY AT THE TIME. *TR
THE SWITCH ASSEMBLY BLOWER (PART # 97251 FD000) CONSTANTLY GOES OUT ON MY 2003 KIA RIO. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE. I REPLACED IT. 6 MONTHS LATER IT WENT OUT AGAIN. I REPLACED IT ALONG WITH THE RESISTOR ASSEMBLY (PART# 1K552 61C08). 8 MONTHS LATER, IT WENT OUT AGAIN. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE FUSE. THERE IS NOT A SHORT IN THE SYSTEM THAT CAN BE FOUND. I HAVE YET TO REPLACE THE SWITCH ASSEMBLY ANTICIPATING THE COMPANY RECTIFYING THIS. *TR
VEHICLE WILL NOT START INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE KEY IS INSERTED. DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AND STATES THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM SOON.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND WILL NOT RESTART. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.
I BOUGHT MY KIA RIO 2003 FEBRUARY 8, 2003. THE PROBLEMS STARTED ON MAY 15, 2003 MY CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, AS I TRIED TO START THE CAR BACK UP IT TOOK 3 TO 4 TIMES TO GET IT TO FINALLY START. I TOOK IT IN 3 TIMES TO BE SERVICED AND THEY EITHER TELL ME THAT THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT, OR THEY TELL ME TO USE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF GAS IN MY CAR AND A DIFFERENT GRADE. THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT KIA INC. SAYS IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MIDWEST FUEL, YET WHEN I WENT TO THE SERVICE DESK TWO OTHER PEOPLE WERE BEING SERVICED FOR THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. THE MAINTENANCE CREW ADMITTED AFTER THE SECOND TIME THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS CUTTING OFF, AND THAT IT IS BECOMING A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 2003 KIA RIO. ALL THE TIMES I'VE BEEN SERVICED AT KIA NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE, THEY TELL ME THEY DROVE MY CAR "X" AMOUNT OF MILES YET THEY FIND NO PROBLEM WITH IT, ALTHOUGH WHEN I DRIVE IT EITHER IT CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING, HAS A HARD START, OR THE BRAKES SQUEAKS LOUDLY WHEN I COME TO A STOP. I TOLD THEM ABOUT THE BRAKES AND THEY TOLD ME ITS NORMAL FOR A NEW CAR, YET IT SEEMS TO GET LOUDER AND LOUDER. MY CAR WAS HARD AT TRYING TO START TODAY, AND IT CUT OFF AGAIN AT THE TOLLWAY BOOTH, I WILL BE TAKING IT BACK TO MATTESON KIA AUTO MART TOMORROW JUNE 16, 2003 AND THIS WILL BE THE FOURTH TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *NLM
I BOUGHT MY KIA RIO 2003 FEBRUARY 8, 2003. THE PROBLEMS STARTED ON MAY 15, 2003 MY CAR CUT OFF WHILE DRIVING TO WORK, AS I TRIED TO START THE CAR BACK UP IT TOOK 3 TO 4 TIMES TO GET IT TO FINALLY START. I TOOK IT IN 3 TIMES TO BE SERVICED AND THEY EITHER TELL ME THAT THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT, OR THEY TELL ME TO USE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF GAS IN MY CAR AND A DIFFERENT GRADE. THE MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT KIA INC. SAYS IT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MIDWEST FUEL, YET WHEN I WENT TO THE SERVICE DESK TWO OTHER PEOPLE WERE BEING SERVICED FOR THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. THE MAINTENANCE CREW ADMITTED AFTER THE SECOND TIME THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS CUTTING OFF, AND THAT IT IS BECOMING A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 2003 KIA RIO. ALL THE TIMES I'VE BEEN SERVICED AT KIA NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE, THEY TELL ME THEY DROVE MY CAR "X" AMOUNT OF MILES YET THEY FIND NO PROBLEM WITH IT, ALTHOUGH WHEN I DRIVE IT EITHER IT CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING, HAS A HARD START, OR THE BRAKES SQUEAKS LOUDLY WHEN I COME TO A STOP. I TOLD THEM ABOUT THE BRAKES AND THEY TOLD ME ITS NORMAL FOR A NEW CAR, YET IT SEEMS TO GET LOUDER AND LOUDER. MY CAR WAS HARD AT TRYING TO START TODAY, AND IT CUT OFF AGAIN AT THE TOLLWAY BOOTH, I WILL BE TAKING IT BACK TO MATTESON KIA AUTO MART TOMORROW JUNE 16, 2003 AND THIS WILL BE THE FOURTH TIME FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *NLM
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. *AK
I HOPE THAT I AM WRITING THE CORRECT PEOPLE ABOUT THIS HUGE PROBLEM. ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO I PURCHASED A 2003 KIA RIO IN MILWAUKEE WISCONSIN. ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER I OWNED THE CAR I RAN INTO PROBLEMS WITH IT. IT SEEMED LIKE EVERY MORNING OR ANY TIME THE CAR WAS NOT RUNNING FOR MORE THEN FOUR HOURS IT WOULD NOT START UP. IT WAS LIKE IT WAS OUT OF GAS WHEN I HAD A FULL TANK. IT WOULD TAKE ME ABOUT TWO TO FOUR TRIES BEFORE IT WOULD START. ALSO IT WAS GOING THROUGH MORE GAS THEN WHAT WAS DISCLOSED AS FAR AS MPG. AT THAT POINT I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. AT FIRST THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT BRAND AND MODEL OF CAR AND IT WOULD BE REPAIRED THE NEXT DAY. THE NEXT DAY I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TELLING ME THAT THE CAR'S COMPUTER WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND THEY NEEDED TO ORDER A REPLACEMENT THAT WOULD TAKE ABOUT SEVEN BUSINESS DAYS. THEY TOLD ME THAT I COULD PICK UP THE CAR BUT IT WILL START HARD AND GIVE ME POOR FUEL ECONOMY UNTIL IT WAS REPAIRED. I WAS UNHAPPY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT SO I CALLED KIA, THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WOULD CALL THE DEALERSHIP AND FIND OUT WHY THIS COMPUTER WOULD TAKE SO LONG. TWO DAYS LATER I GOT A CALL FROM THE SERVICE MANGER WHO TOLD ME THAT THEY CAN NOT REPAIR THE CAR'S COMPUTER AT THIS TIME BECAUSE KIA DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR IT YET. HE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE I LIVE IN MILWAUKEE I USE REFORMULATED GAS AND THE COMPUTER CAN NOT UNDERSTAND THAT KIND OF FUEL AND UNTIL KIA HAS A FIX FOR THAT THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO. I THEN ASKED HIM IS THE CAR SAFE, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE FINE TO DRIVE I JUST HAVE TO START THE CAR AND WAIT 5 TO 10 SEC AND TRY AGAIN TILL IT STARTS. *JB
SO FAR THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THE COLD START PROBLEM MY CAR IS HAVING. THE 2003 KIA RIO CINCO HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THE SAME COLD START PROBLEM. IN THE 1.5 YEARS I HAVE HAD THE CAR I HAVE NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. THEY HAVE STATED THAT THE PROBLEM IS FIXED EVERY TIME, HOWEVER IT CONTINUES. *AK
2003 KIA RIO. POSSIBLE MALFUNCTION WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. *TT
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.