2009 Kia Borrego Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2009 Kia Borrego describe a wide spread of problems rather than one dominant failure: brake shudder and lighting faults draw the most complaints, followed by transmission shifting complaints, seat belts that unlatch, and steering that wanders or feels hard to control. Many reports come at fairly low mileage for brakes, steering and fuel-filling issues, while electrical and seat belt complaints tend to cluster at much higher mileage. Several complaints mention that dealers found no fault or declined to cover repairs.

1. 1
   Steering

   Pulling, wandering and difficult steering

   • 17 complaints (19%)
   • median 34,726 mi at 3.3 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2019

   Owners report the vehicle pulling to one side, needing constant correction to stay in a lane, or becoming difficult to steer at higher speeds, sometimes after hitting a pothole. Others describe the steering wheel not raising or lowering, and excessive tire wear from alignment that does not hold. Several say the dealer test-drove the car and told them it drove as designed. Reported from delivery mileage up to about 40,000 miles, including several vehicles under 5,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive at highway speed and check for pull or wander; have alignment and tire wear checked, and test the tilt and telescope functions of the steering column.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My brand new 2009 Borrego pulls to right and I should keep steering wheel to left side when I want to drive it straight forward. The dealership mechanics attempted to fix it five times but failed. They rotated the tires and checked alignment again with little difference. After all the attempts they insist that pulling to right side is natural because of road shape( crown phenomenon? )”

   NHTSA complaint #10284554, filed 2009-09, 52 miles

   “New 2009 Kia Borrego difficult to keep between the white lines when driving. I notice it more when I'm on the freeway. Service tech drove car with me and agrees with complaint. He stated, you have to concentrate to keep it straight! Also, said that it can't be fixed it is just the way Kia manufactures this car. Everyday when driving I feel like I am going to hit the car next to me or they are going to hit me! Its not safe.”

   NHTSA complaint #10293054, filed 2009-11, 150 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake shudder, vibration and hard stops

   • 13 complaints (15%)
   • median 64,000 mi at 6.2 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2023

   Owners report vibration and shaking through the pedal and steering wheel under hard or highway-speed braking, with some describing rotors warped well before 12,000 miles and dealers declining warranty coverage. Other complaints describe the rear brakes locking and the rear end dragging, and a few describe the brakes not engaging at all in a low-speed stop. One owner reported the vehicle applying the brakes by itself and coming to a sudden stop. Spread widely, from under 1,000 miles to well over 130,000 miles, with several reports under 25,000 miles.

   Recall 12V245000

   What to check: Drive the car at highway speed and brake firmly from around 60 mph to feel for shudder, and ask for brake and rotor service records. Confirm whether the brake pedal mount recall was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On my new Kia Borrego, 2009 with 6000 miles on it. While driving on the high way I was trying to stop quickly from 70 miles to avoid hitting the car in the front of me who suddenly stop due to some construction on the high way. I hit the brake very hard. The car start pulsating and shaking very hard. It was almost impossible to control the steering wheel. It was a horrifying moment before finally the car speed went to about 15 miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10348930, filed 2010-08, 6,000 miles

   “Front rotor warped before 12,000 miles, Kia dealer refused to cover it under warranty. I went to the dealer on a saturday morning, but they said they were very busy to complete all the issues I had, a recurring vibration at 70-80, brakes vibrating and an oil change, so I rescheduled. I missed the rescheduled date and when I did finally make it in I was over 12000 miles and the dealer refused to cover the brakes. I contacted Kia customer service as I also had to address the vibration between 70 -80 MPH. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10414934, filed 2011-07, 11,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slipping, harsh or erratic shifting

   • 18 complaints (20%)
   • median 76,432 mi at 7.4 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • filed 2010–2025

   Complaints describe the transmission slipping on the highway, holding a gear or refusing to shift up or down, and shifting up too early so the engine bogs and the car will not keep pace. A few owners describe the shifter not moving past neutral or the vehicle not going into reverse, sometimes accompanied by many warning lights and a key that will not release. Dealers replaced transmissions in some cases and applied computer or control module updates in others. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 160,000 miles, with several cases near or below 30,000 miles.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test-drive from a stop through highway speeds and watch for delayed, harsh or early shifts. Ask whether the TCM/ECM software updates were applied and whether the transmission or control modules have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I returned to the place I left. I stopped and tried to move gear shift into park. It would not go past neutral. I could shut off engine, but key would not release from ignition and the accessory, such as radio and some lights stayed on. I was able to press the shift lock release button and then able to put into park.”

   NHTSA complaint #11342648, filed 2020-08, 85,000 miles

   “The transmission shifts up to fourth gear as I slowly accelerate to up to 40 MPH reducing the RPM to as low as 1,300. This quick shifting up through the gears does not match vehicle speed resulting in the RPM being too low to accelerate with the pace of traffic. This causes vehicles behind me to almost crash into the rear of my car due the slowing rate of my acceleration caused by the transmission shifting up to quickly and engine bogging down. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10546899, filed 2013-10, 18,000 miles
4. 4
   Seat belts

   Seat belts unlatch or fail to latch

   • 8 complaints (9%)
   • median 101,000 mi at 7.2 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2012–2023

   Owners describe the driver's seat belt releasing on its own while driving, or refusing to latch without several attempts and then pulling free under a tug. Some report rear and center belts that will not fasten at all. Most say the failure was not diagnosed or repaired, and the manufacturer was often not notified. Mostly reported between about 29,000 and 123,000 miles, with several cases above 100,000.

   What to check: Buckle and tug each seat belt, including the rear and center positions, and check that the latch holds firmly and releases only when the button is pressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The driver's side seat belt unfastens while driving and the right rear and center seat belts will not fasten whether driving or sitting still. The vehicle will not propel forward fully when the gas pedal is pressed to increase speed while in motion on a highway.”

   NHTSA complaint #11406202, filed 2021-04, 195,500 miles

   “Drivers seatbelt does not stay latched. Pops open driving down road without touching it. It happens driving straight on highways city streets going straight and turning. It has been an ongoing problem for at least a year now.”

   NHTSA complaint #11162056, filed 2018-12, 123,000 miles
5. 5
   Exterior lighting

   Low beams and brake lights stop working

   • 6 complaints (7%)
   • median 67,000 mi at 5.6 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2014–2018

   Owners describe low-beam headlights that stop working even after new bulbs are installed, sometimes after the lights flick on and off for months; one report describes an electrical meltdown inside a front lamp assembly that required replacing the whole unit. Others report brake lights burning out repeatedly, with a diagnosis pointing to the brake light switch on the rear driver side. Several owners could only drive at night using high beams. Mostly reported between about 60,000 and 95,000 miles, sometimes after a year or more of intermittent flickering.

   Recall 13V1140001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test low beams, high beams and brake lights with the car running, and check whether the stop lamp switch campaign work was completed. Ask whether the headlamp switch or lamp assemblies have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Low beams don't work. It isn't the bulbs.I'm not car savvy I figured since there was light it was my headlights, later I found out the light was from my fog lights.contacted family friend whom is a certified mechanic and just by what I told him he said it was a bad headlamp switch.”

   NHTSA complaint #10640042, filed 2014-09, 94,226 miles

   “I have a problem with one head light going out, had the bulb replaced twice. I was told the bulb wasn't blown, but headlight would not work. Unfortunately both low beam lights stop working, even after replacing bulbs in both. I am only able to drive at night with high beams on. This is very frustrating, took vehicle to shop awaiting diagnosis. I found out there was a recall on the back stop lamp switch, affecting vehicle's brake lights. I'm wondering if this has caused problems with front head lights???”

   NHTSA complaint #10574653, filed 2014-03, 70,000 miles

Buying note. Check braking, lighting, transmission shift quality and every seat belt on a test drive, since these account for most of what owners report. Ask for service records showing brake work, software updates and any brake light switch or pedal recall work.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.