2009 Kia Rondo problems & reliability
72 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2009 Kia Rondo, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
3 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2009 Kia Rondo vehicles were involved in 14 fatal crashes with 12 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 31 | 43% |
| Air Bags → | 14 | 19% |
| Electrical System → | 10 | 14% |
| Service Brakes | 9 | 13% |
| Engine | 6 | 8% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 5 | 7% |
| Power Train | 5 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 6% |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 18 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 53 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 85,000 miles (middle 50% between 72,000 and 100,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Oct 23, 2023
“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…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Mar 1, 2023
“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…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Jan 1, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Loss of Motive Power
Defect Petition DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
Technical service bulletins
28 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2009 Kia Rondo. The 10 most recent:
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…
TSB_BOD055_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 13, 2021
Tsb_cha021_closed: technical service bulletin closed
TSB_CHA021_CLSD · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 19, 2021
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.
PS539 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2018
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…
TSB-GEN085R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2017
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…
TSB-GEN085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2016
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)…
TSB-SC135R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 14, 2016
Owner notification letter (sc135) - dear kia owner, kia motors america, inc. Is conducting a voluntary emissions service campaign / warranty extension program regarding the evaporative canister in your vehicle.
SC135OWNER · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 19, 2016
Q and a (sc135/wty009) - evaporative canister voluntary emissions service campaign / warranty extension program
SC135QA · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2016
Dealer parts & service manager memo (sc135) - attention: all dealer parts and service managers, kia motors america, inc. Is conducting a voluntary emissions service campaign / warranty extension program to inspect the…
SC135DEALERPSM · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2016
Dealer principal memo (sc135) - attention: all dealer principals, kia motors america, inc. Is conducting a voluntary emissions service campaign / warranty extension program to inspect the evaporative canister. Kia has…
SC135DEALERP · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2016
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2009 Kia Rondo has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2009 Kia Rondo?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 85,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.