There are 3 stored owner reports matching the body & structure 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 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 KIA RIO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR FAILED AND COULD NOT BE OPENED AUTOMATICALLY OR MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE DOOR ACTUATOR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR BECAUSE THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 35,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 KIA RIO. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR FAILED TO OPEN AND THE CONTACT WAS TRAPPED INSIDE. THE DOOR WAS ABLE TO BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS UNRECOGNIZABLE. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR FAILED AS WELL. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE ON THE DOORS. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 74,800.
HAD A CLUNKING SOUND FROM THE RIGHT REAR OF VEHICLE, BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION. TECH CHECKED THE STRUT MOUNTS AND FOUND NOTHING LOOSE. HE THEN REMOVED THE INTERIOR PANELS AND FOUND THE METAL HOLDING THE STRUT TOWER IN PLACE HAD BROKEN BELOW THE WELDS. I WAS IN FORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS WITH ONLY 14,000 MILES ON IT. I JUST RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT WHEN THE DEALER PUT ME IN ANOTHER VEHICLE THE FINANCING OF THE ORIGINAL VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED. I ALSO JUST FOUND OUT THE VEHICLE THAT THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN A TOTAL LOSS WAS LATER SOLD. *TR
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.