Clutch Problems of Kia Motor RIO

At 53,000 the vehicle became impossible to shift from one gear to another. Dealership technician advised it needed a new clutch at a cost of $1600. 00. I have driven this vehicle primarily between detroit michigan and cary illinois. Eighty percent of the miles driven so far have been highway miles with little need to constantly shift gears. When the technicians looked at the vehicle he commented on how small the clutch was. I believe kia has installed an inferior clutch system to keep the price of the vehicle down and then refuses to cover the repairs under warranty.

See all problems of the 2003 Kia Motor RIO 🔎.

: the contact stated while driving 40 mph and depressing the clutch pedal, the gear shifter would not change gears and control of the vehicle was lost. It crashed into a curb and the engine stalled. The vehicle was restarted and the engine stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the clutch plate was replaced and to another independent repair shop, who determined the clutch assembly was detached from the fire wall. There were repairs made to reattach the clutch assembly. The dealer was not contacted.

See all problems of the 2001 Kia Motor RIO 🔎.

At about 5,000 miles or maybe even sooner I began to detect and hear something that sounded and acted like the transmission. Each time taking vehicle for oil change I told the service technician to check the transmission. It jumped in 2nd gear while in reverse. They forgot each time, and due to the fact that my appointment was either cancelled or no oil change person was there when I took vehicle at scheduled time, it went unresolved until the oil change on January '6, 2006. During the January 6, 2006 oil change the mechanic said that transmission didn't sound right. Made another appointment to bring vehicle back for inspection. It took 3 more weeks to get the appointment. I left the car at 9 am, went 5 miles home, and they advised me on the telephone that it was the clutch not the transmission. The warranty on the clutch expired at 12,000 miles. The mileage at time of the failure exceed that by 2,000 miles. The charge would be $668. 00. I think bill byrd kia of panama city florida purposely let the warranty expire by putting off appointments . I bought the car from a dealer in another state, and they didn't want to do the warranty work, and they knew it was the clutch. By the time for next scheduled appointment 3 weeks later it would be over the 12,000 miles. I was furious and did not intend to take this without a fight. The mechanic said it was a problem of wear and tear, and improper driving of a standard shift. I think a clutch should last longer than 12,000 miles. As far as improper driving of a standard shift I have been driving standard shifts for 48 years, including school buses and dump trucks.

See all problems of the 2005 Kia Motor RIO 🔎.

Consumer will not drive over 50 mph, had difficulty in changing 5 speed gears. A service technician noticed that clutch needed replacement.