Factory build sheet
2012 Kia RIO Base
Build KNADH4B3-C · 1.6L · Sedan
VIN positions 1 through 8 read KNADH4B3 and position 10 reads C. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every RIO whose VIN starts KNADH4B3 and carries C in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 2 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 2 known VINs
Factory specification
As filed by Kia with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 1.6 L
- Engine model
- DOHC Gamma
- Valve train
- Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sedan/Saloon
- NHTSA body type
- PASSENGER CAR
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- KIA CORPORATION
The same build, other model years
Kia used the VIN pattern KNADH4B3 for 3 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
- 2010 GLS 1.6L Sedan · 66 vehicles code A
- 2011 GLS 1.6L Sedan · 55 vehicles code B
-
2012 You are here code C
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | KNA | KIA CORPORATION · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | DH4B3 | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | C | Model year — 2012 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2012 Kia RIO as a whole rather than this build alone.
Overall
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
Frontal crash
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
Side crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Rollover
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
1 recall campaign is recorded for the 2012 RIO. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.
2 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to KNADH4B3-C shares the specification above.
- 2 Known VINs
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 2 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.