2009 Kia Rondo problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (28) · Air Bags (10) · Service Brakes (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Rondo model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
55 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2013-04-01 · campaign 13V114000 · 980,377 vehicles
Defect: 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 20
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (28)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure 2021-09-13 · TSB_BOD055_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: information for headlamp condensation and moisture - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information relating to some kia models tha
Suspension 2021-05-19 · TSB_CHA021_CLSD · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb_cha021_closed: technical service bulletin closed
Engine And Engine Cooling 2018-03-02 · PS539 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pitstop - engine component re-use guidelines - in general, parts and components removed during engine repairs should be considered serviceable, and should be thoroughly cleaned and transferred to the new engine.
Equipment:mechanical 2017-01-18 · TSB-GEN085R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb: mandatory replacement of locking/security hardware - by design, certain fasteners, which are designed to lock into place once fully attached, are utilized in various kia models and are strictly intended for ?one time use.? some examples are: axle shaft nuts with stake collar, cotter pins, washe
Latches/Locks/Linkages 2016-11-04 · TSB-GEN085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb: mandatory replacement of locking/security hardware - by design, certain fasteners utilized in various kia models are strictly intended for ?one time use?. though not limited to the following, some examples are: axle shaft nuts with stake collar, cotter pins, washers with locking tabs and other
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility 2016-10-14 · TSB-SC135R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb: voluntary emissions service campaign: evaporative canister inspection and/or replacement (sc135) - this bulletin provides information to inspect and/or replace the evaporative canister assembly on some optima (tf) vehicles, produced from september 2, 2010 through november 29, 2014, some optima
Showing the 6 most recent of 28 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-10-23 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights · 150,000 mi“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 repa…”
2023-03-01 · Vehicle Speed Control“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 th…”
2023-01-01 · Service Brakes“i had to replace the tires on this car several times in 3 years. they alarm had a glitch that the car would not start and you had to take it specifically to a kia dealer to have they alarm reprogrammed. even upon repairs to your local mechanic. costing them more money and me more money because they could not get in the car by pass they alarm withou…”
2022-04-05 · Unknown Or Other“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.…”
2022-03-11 · Engine“engine star making very loud noise. will driving. mechanic told me engine is damaged and need replacement…”
2021-01-08 · Suspension · 83,000 mi“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!…”
2020-09-24 · Steering · 76,500 mi“every time i go through a small puddle i lose control of steering the vehicle. it has happened backing out of my driveway numerous times, lasts a few minutes and then i regain control of steering. fortunately, it's happened on my street for the most part. last week, september 16, 2020, i was on a very busy main road when i was making a right turn i…”
2020-08-04 · Steering · 93,000 mi“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 t…”
2020-02-19 · Suspension · 130,000 mi“when it is raining or after rain if there are still puddles in the road, when the car goes through any puddles the steering locks up for at least 45 seconds. i had my daughter learning how to drive and this happened to her. i should not have to worry about putting my child at risk like this especially with the price of this car. i've had the powe…”
2019-12-10 · Service Brakes · 90,000 mi“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 safe…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.