Saturday, August 8, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

Honda Civic vs Kia Rio

Owner complaints, worst years and recall history side by side, from official NHTSA data. Last verified Aug 8, 2026. Raw complaint counts are not adjusted for sales volume.

Honda Civic

Total complaints
16,042
Avg per model year
365
Recall campaigns (all years)
60
Most complained year
2006 (1,402)
Top problems: Air Bags, Steering, Power Train

Kia Rio

Total complaints
1,245
Avg per model year
54
Recall campaigns (all years)
11
Most complained year
2001 (223)
Top problems: Air Bags, Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling

Complaints by model year

YearHonda CivicKia Rio
202325112
202287710
202113915
202021826
201941421
201872428
201757831
20161,07077
201537752
201429051
2013315153
201245452
201116824
201039626
200939539
200891646
20071,20446
20061,40274
200531436
200435038
Method. Complaints are unique NHTSA reports per model year. A model that sold more units will naturally accumulate more complaints — compare the shape across years, not just the raw totals, and read the year pages for what actually fails.