There are 2 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2007 Kia Rioin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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". *TR
DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 75 AT 70 MPH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED FROM OVERDRIVE INTO 3RD GEAR. THE SUDDEN SURGE ALMOST SENT ME INTO THE MEDIAN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE SPEED SENSOR UNIT TWICE AND PROBLEM CONTINUES. DEALER KEPT OLD PARTS. *JB
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026