There are 2 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 2005 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 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)I HAD A 2005 KIA RIO BURN DOWN FROM AN APPARENT ELECTRICAL FIRE INSIDE THE DASHBOARD. I WAS DRIVING HOME ONE DAY FROM WORK AND SMOKE STARTED TO SEEP THROUGH THE SEAL AROUND THE DASH. I IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE ROAD AND CALLED 911. WITHIN 5MIN MY CAR BURST INTO FLAMES AND THE WHOLE DASHBOARD STARTED TO MELT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 KIA RIO. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE AIR CONDITIONER BUTTON BECAME STUCK WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN IT OFF. AS THE CONTACT AND PASSENGER ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT THE FAILURE, SMOKE BEGAN TO RISE AND THEN FLAMES WERE PRESENT NEAR THE BUTTON AREA. THE PASSENGER SNATCHED OFF THE CUBBY HOLE UNDER THE CD PLAYER TO FIND FLAMES SHOOTING APPROXIMATELY SIX INCHES HIGH. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.
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.