Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Kia Rio owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Rio. The contact stated that after the niece had park and exited the vehicle smoke and flames were present coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The fire department was called to scene to extinguish the flames. During the incident the vehicle was destroyed and towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that prior to the incident the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption but no assistance was offered from local dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.
The GDI 1.6L engines are manufactured with a flaw that affects piston rings and makes oil consumption go up which in turn can make the engine run dry and damage the engine, which if you're in a bad location could be dangerous. My car has been dealing with the issue and I searched yet found no recalls for the engine. 2. It can put me and others at risk, if my car breaks and I'm driving in a snowy or hot area, or breaks when driving up hill or down hill. 3. Look all over the internet GDI 1.6 Oil consumption issue. 4. Yes, repair shop. 5. Plenty of times barely drove 200 miles and I get the red lamp for no oil/low oil level.
Check engine light comes on. I pull the code of p050a. I looked that up and there is a Techincal Service Bulletin, from Kia on this problem of Cold start idle air control system performance. Kia only put out a recall on the Kia Soul and not the Kia Rio. They have the exact same engine and computer with the 1.6L. The bulletin list both vehicle but the recall is only for the 1 vehicle. I was told by Kia dealer sorry to fix this I would have to pay to reprogram the computer. Kia originally was replacing the throttle body on the engine than decided because of cost, to reprogram the computer.
Will not start early morning, use about 3 quart oil a week, before warranty ran out Kia dealer check out and said to drive it another 900 miles, which made no sense, and bring back in Then they said it was out of warranty, what a scam Kia dealership is.they had overfill oil level 3 times before this problem
I brought my Kia in for a recall, and they determined the part was discontinued thus making my vehicle inoperable. When I brought my vehicle in, it was driveable-now I have been without my vehicle for over a month.
I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2012 Kia Rio, which currently has approximately 150,000 miles. I first became aware of these problems at approximately 120,000 miles. The vehicle has excessive oil consumption despite being consistently and properly maintained. I have been meticulous about maintenance because the vehicle has a lifetime powertrain warranty, and I have documentation and receipts for required maintenance, including regular oil changes and other scheduled services. On multiple occasions, I have taken the vehicle in for a scheduled oil change and discovered that it had little or no oil remaining. Because of this, I have had to begin having oil added between regularly scheduled oil changes. I do not know the exact amount of oil being consumed because I initially had no reason to monitor or measure oil consumption between oil changes. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 Kia Rio. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, when depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to accelerate over 25 MPH. The contact stated the vehicle began to hesitate and made an abnormal noise. The contact stated the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road for 10 minutes before continuing to drive. However, he continued to experience the failure and saw smoke exiting the hood. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and open the hood and saw fire in the engine compartment. The fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to unknown location for inspections. The insurance adjuster deemed the vehicle was a total loss. A dealer was not contacted. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 Kia Rio. The contact stated while her son was driving at 30 MPH, white smoke appeared and flames started from the engine compartment. Fire in the engine compartment the vehicle was destroyed the driver pulled over to the side of the road and all occupants were able to exit without injuries. The flames quickly engulfed the entire vehicle within seconds. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. A police a report was filed. The manufacturer stated they would investigate and offered a low book value to replace the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 155,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Kia Rio. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact heard a thumping noise and black smoke emerged from the tail pipe. Also, the oil warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle started to lose power until it stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (southside Kia, 9401 atlantic boulevard, jacksonville, florida 32225) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Driving car at about 60 MPH and car began to smoke. Got out on side of highway lifted hood and everything was on fire. People assing by along with hero and fire dept made sure flames were put out . I never made any modification to vehicle and we keep it serviced. Feel like problems are with manufacture wiring. I have done insurance claim and contacted manufacture. The miles are aprox 102K
NHTSA investigations
Engine Fires
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Engine complaints in other Rio years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2012 Kia Rio?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2012 Kia Rio, 46% of the model year's 54 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Kia Rio engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2012 Kia Rio, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Kia Rio engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 97,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 8 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.