2009 Kia Rondo: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 72 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is steering (33% 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 72 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2009 Kia Rondo. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the exterior brake lights remained illuminated. Additionally, the ESC warning light was illuminated while driving. The contact had to depress the brake pedal three times to turn off the exterior brake lights. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Oct 2023
“I am reporting premature sub frame corrosion. The corroded area would cause a safety hazard if the corroded part of the frame broke all the way off as a result of hitting a large bump or perhaps a big pothole. Fortunately i discovered the problem when I was getting the tires balanced. I will no longer drive the vehicle until it is repaired safely.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Mar 2022
“No compression in cylinder 3 due to oil drainage in spark plug panel caused Loss of motive power and Almost a wreck so to vehicle shutting down on the interstate . As I look I see that this is in investigation already and needs to be took into consideration as soon as possible if our lives really matter to Kia as your customers . So very sad how the engines and fuel systems are on kias”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2021
Show 7 more owner reports
“My husband was sitting in our kia, in park and car turned off, when he heard a loud snapping sound. Car towed to shop resulted in mechanic stating our front driver strut "exploded" into several pieces. Lucky we were not driving when it happened, he stated. Never had a car do this before, ever!”Owner report · Suspension · Jan 2021
“When I drive in wet conditions, sometimes the steering wheel is inoperable for a few seconds. I've seen many other people say they've experienced the same issues with their vehicle and kia claims that there's nothing wrong with the vehicle. This is an issue that could cause injury or death. This needs to be addressed and they need to be recalling these vehicles before something very bad happens.”Owner report · Steering · Aug 2020
“The esc light went to esc off status. Tried to repair brake light switch. Brake light plunger stopper was broken. Cannot find replacement stopper of this type. Appears this is a completely different brake pedal assembly than original rondo lx 2009. There was definitely a recall for this issue and we were not notified. Need assistance in making safety issue corrected. Park position can also slip out without applying the brake. Brake lights can stick on. Need assistance asap from kia.”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2019
“While driving in the rain, the steering wheel locks and the brake light and battery light come on. The car remains on. I could be driving straight or trying to turn. It lasts at least 10-30 seconds making it very dangerous to drive.”Owner report · Electronic Stability Control (Esc) · Nov 2019
“Twice in the last two weeks, while driving in the rain, both the power steering and the brakes failed. The steering wheel would not turn at all, no matter how hard I tried. The brakes were completely inoperable. After 5-10 seconds, the power steering and the brakes would work again. The worst incident ocurred while attempting to turn in a busy intersection; thank god no one was hurt. The other incident was in a school crossing zone, while children were walking or bicycling to school. We are afraid to drive the car until it can be repaired.”Owner report · Steering · Oct 2019
“Front springs breaking and it is numerous model years. Kia knows about this and has done nothing. When you turn the springs twist and break. This is the 2nd time for me that my front springs have broken. Found during a inspection.”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2019
“Several times when in rainy conditions the car have lost the power steering, making a horrible noise, engine and battery lights turn on. Very scary and dangerous situation due to not being able to control the car at all. Only option is to stop the car, turn it off and wait till is operational again. It happened while hitting puddles of water or in heavy rain. I did contact kia about it and they only said there is not a recall.”Owner report · Steering · Jun 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 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 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 2009 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 2009 Kia Rondo reliable?
NHTSA has 72 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Kia Rondo. The most complained-about area is steering (33% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2009 Kia Rondo problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 85,000 miles or less.
Does the 2009 Kia Rondo have open recalls?
2 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.