2008 Kia Rondo: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 97 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (17% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Apr 2013
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 97 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2008 Kia Rondo. The contact stated that while driving approximately 24 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop immediately as intended. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 166,000.”Owner report · Service Brakes, Air · Nov 2023
“My rondo speeds up while I'm driving it on the road, and it smells of gas inside my rondo, it runs high when I start it and there's a hesitation before it drives.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2020
“My vehicle reves up high when I start it and when I'm on the highway it would just cut off and there's gas fumes I smellinside my kia, it also hesitates while driving.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“There is a smell of gas fumes periodically in the inside of my vehicle, I even smell it when my vehicle is parked and when I start my vehicle it hesitates to start and I have to restart it over.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Apr 2020
“Was in car accident at 55 mph 3 car wreck. Impact with rear of a pick-up truck. Air bags all failed to deploy. Was on highway.”Owner report · Air Bags · Nov 2019
“My check engine light is on. When I refuel my vehicle it has difficulty restarting. Over the course of the last couple months, it has started to stall. Looking at forums I found quite a few people with the same "issue" but no solutions. I have had my vehicle on a diagnostic machine and it comes back with an evap code. The codes have been cleared but come right back on. I see the fuel pump has been recalled, I have had my car since the fall of 2009 and to my knowledge I haven't had this repaired, but for some reason this does not show up when I do the recall search. Has it already been repaired prior to my purchasing the vehicle?”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Oct 2019
“I took my 2008 kia rondo for the annual wv state inspection today. The service technician told me that I have a broken front passenger side coil spring. He said that this could be dangerous if the spring should pop out of it's normal position. He said that the end of the spring could rupture the tire and cause a bad accident. I didn't notice any handling or noises that alerted me to this condition, so I don't know when it might have broken. I do not see any kia recalls for this condition. The vehicle has 112,500 miles on it.”Owner report · Suspension · May 2019
“Takata recall - I purchased my 2008 kia rondo ex at white bear mitsubishi on nov. 20. 2018 . & drove it for two or three days . I was backing out og parking space & I heard a loud noise & a bang & my kia stopped on the spot . I got out to look what happened & my front drivers side tire was completely flat . A friend tried to blow it up with air thing & no luck . Some guys came out to help me try to change tbe tire & thats when he descovered that the coul snapped in two different places & went through my tire completely . So my kia has been parked ever since that day . I dont know what to do about this safety issue im having . Please help me out here.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Nov 2018
“Smelled gas and looked under car and saw gas leaking from the gas tank area. Can not drive car due to gas leak and safety issue.”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2018
“Steering system has experienced a thumping grind on reverse turns when steering wheel is fully engaged. Repaired multiple times by lubing stops. Brake calipers do not engage properly and have been replaced numerous times. Air conditioning drain line is located directly above passenger side engine cradle mounting excess condensation has completely rusted through the cradle and broken apart. Vehicle only has 65,000 miles.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 14 of these complaints and injuries in 11 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
KIA IS RECALLING 6,680 MY 2008-2009 RONDO LX AND EX VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 2.4 LITER ENGINE. THE FUEL PUMP MAY NOT OPERATE PROPERLY RESULTING IN NOT ENOUGH FUEL GETTING TO THE ENGINE. POOR ENGINE STARTING, ENGINE HESITATION, AND OTHER IMPAIRMENT MAY RESULT, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT MAY ILLUMINATE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP SUB-ASSEMBLY WITH AN IMPROVED PART. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 22, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. (KIA) IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2008 KIA OPTIMA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 29, 2005, THROUGH JANUARY 29, 2008, AND MODEL YEAR 2007 AND 2008 KIA RONDO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 13, 2006, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2008. THE CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY FOR THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) MAY BECOME DAMAGED THROUGH USAGE OVER TIME. IF THE CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY BECOMES DAMAGED, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT WILL EXPERIENCE A HIGH RESISTANCE CONDITION POTENTIALLY CAUSING THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG TO NOT DEPLOY.
Remedy: KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAG CLOCK SPRING CONTACT ASSEMBLY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 11, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2008 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Rondo by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Kia Rondo reliable?
NHTSA has 97 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2008 Kia Rondo. The most complained-about area is air bags (17% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2008 Kia Rondo problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 70,000 miles or less.
Does the 2008 Kia Rondo have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning fuel system, gasoline:storage. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.