I have one of the first Rios brought into the St Louis area; no radio, no A/C, no power steering. They were in a hurry to get samples to the dealers so they sent a few advance copies pretty well 'stripped' !
The car has been very good for 80,000+ miles; uses no oil, solid clutch, original belts, hoses, and even brake shoes/pads. Only had the spider gear problem with the wipers twice plus a piece of trim has fallen off interior.
Last night and again tonight had a funny electrical problem. After turning on the headlights for approx. 10 minutes at highway speed (65mph), they slowly dim, the air bag warning light comes on, and the engine temperature drops approx 40 degrees. Pulling off the road, when the engine slowed down to idle, the lights returned to full strength and all was normal. When immediately returning to the highway, the symptoms returned almost immediately. I let the car idle for 20 minutes, returned to the road, and all was fine if I stayed under 50 mph or about 1,800 rpm. If I went beyond that, the lights would dim BUT NOT AS MUCH AS BEFORE.
I checked the battery and it is reporting 13.4+ volts; alternator is showing
38+ amps so all is well there. Could this be a voltage regulator problem? or something worse? Like I said, it's been a very good car for one of the first ones to come over however I baby all of my cars and change the oil religiously at 5K.Mike Frandson