Recalls & safety ratings

2008 KIA RIO

Every NHTSA recall campaign covering the 2008 KIA RIO, and the crash-test ratings for the body styles that were tested.
  • 1
    Recalls
  • 49
    Owner complaints
  • 0
    Investigations

Sourced from NHTSA recall and safety-rating data — last checked 5 September 2026.

1 recall campaign

A campaign usually covers only part of a model year's production, so it may not apply to a particular car. Check the VIN to be certain.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

NHTSA campaign 12V244000 · KIA MOTORS CORPORATION

Summary

KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 RIO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 20, 2005, THROUGH DECEMBER 9, 2007. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANT SENSOR MAT CAN EXPERIENCE FATIGUE CRACKING. IF SUFFICIENT CRACKING OCCURS, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION SUCH THAT THE SYSTEM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT WHETHER A CHILD PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT AND THE AIRBAG WILL DEPLOY DURING A CRASH NECESSITATING DEPLOYMENT.

Consequence

AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT WITH A CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY TO THAT CHILD.

Remedy

KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE OCS SEAT SENSOR MAT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 26, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.

Notes

KIA'S SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS SC097. CUSTOMERS MAY CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

NHTSA crash-tests vehicles and rates them out of five stars. More stars mean a safer car. Ratings are per body style, so a model can appear more than once below.

2008 Kia Rio 4-DR. w/SAB

Overall
Not rated

Frontal crash

Not rated
Driver
Passenger

Side crash

Not rated
Driver
Passenger
Pole
Not rated

Rollover

Not rated

0% chance of rollover in a single-vehicle crash.

  • Electronic stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No

2008 Kia Rio 5-DR. w/SAB

Overall
Not rated

Frontal crash

Not rated
Driver
Passenger

Side crash

Not rated
Driver
Passenger
Pole
Not rated

Rollover

Not rated

0% chance of rollover in a single-vehicle crash.

  • Electronic stability control: No
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No

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