2007 Kia Rondo Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe the vehicle stalling, losing power, or abruptly activating the brakes or stability-control system while driving, and these reports carry across a wide mileage range rather than being tied to one age. A second cluster involves lighting and brake-switch faults, where complaints frequently mention an earlier recall repair that did not stop the symptom.

1. 1
   Engine

   Vehicle stalls or loses power while driving

   • 19 complaints (16%)
   • median 58,450 mi at 7.3 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • filed 2008–2021

   Complaints describe the engine shutting off or the car refusing to accelerate at speed — sometimes preceded by a check engine light, sometimes with no warning at all. Owners report repeated stalls that return after restarting the car, and several say the vehicle would only move at reduced power before stopping again. Dealers and independent shops variously pointed to the throttle body and accelerator sensors, the fuel pump assembly, or a failed engine, and some owners say the problem was never reproduced or repaired. Reported from roughly 80,000 to 110,000 miles in most cases, with some instances as early as 40,000.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: During a test drive, watch for hesitation or a drop in power at steady speed and scan for stored engine codes. Ask whether the throttle body or fuel pump has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Yesterday, my check engine light came on. Then, I was on the highway and the car just stopped accelerating. I had to pull to the side of the road several times, to turn the car off and restart in order to get the car to accelerate. After several stops, the car just would not accelerate and I had to pratically drift home.”

   NHTSA complaint #10347895, filed 2010-08, 58,450 miles

   “About 3 months after I purchased my Kia Rondo I noticed that every time I filled the tank there was a problem.for the last 5 years I have replaced a sensor every year to turn the check engine light of due to this problem. After putting gas in my tank all hell breaks loose. The tank begins to gargle the has the car revs high n then low until it shuts off and if I can get it on again it will rev high n low again while driving until it ahuta off in middle of road while driving. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10717463, filed 2015-05, 30,000 miles
2. 2
   Electronic stability control

   Brakes or stability control activate unexpectedly

   • 42 complaints (36%)
   • median 67,000 mi at 6.1 yrs old (38 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2022

   Owners describe the brakes engaging on their own, sometimes at highway speed, and the car lurching or dragging as if the emergency brake were applied. Some link it to wet weather and report the steering also becoming stiff at the same moment. Several say dealers replaced a brake light switch under recall but the pulsating or self-braking returned, and others say the symptom could not be duplicated. Scattered from very low mileage (under 2,000 miles) through 90,000 miles, with several reports tied to rain or left turns.

   Recall 09V130000Recall 13V1140001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the stop lamp switch recalls (09V130000 and 13V114000) were completed on this VIN. Test drive in the rain if possible and watch for the ESC light or any brake drag.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2007 Kia Rondo has for the fourth time since the end of june slammed on the brakes with no warning. It has been to the dealer for repair three times and it is still not safe to drive. If a truck had been behind the car when the brakes slammed on we would have been killed. I can no longer drive this car on the interstate for fear of getting killed. This is my third complaint.”

   NHTSA complaint #10280465, filed 2009-08, 20,740 miles

   “On 5-9-2012, it was raining heavily. My Rondo, which drove fine the day before and the day after, started making a loud screeching noise and the steering became very tight feeling. I pulled off road into a parking lot, and when I did experienced total loss of steering control. I came very close to crashing into the parked car beside me as a result. I waited a few minutes, restarted the car. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10461719, filed 2012-06, 81,000 miles
3. 3
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights and brake lights failing or dimming

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe headlights that flicker or dim as engine speed changes, low beams that light only a short distance, and rear brake or tail lights that stop working. Some owners say the brake lights fail without warning, and a few obtained the brake light switch recall repair but report the lights still misbehave. Dealers often responded that they could not find a fault, and one owner was told there was no fix available. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 100,000 miles, in no clear pattern.

   Recall 13V114000Recall 09V1300002 related service bulletins

   What to check: With the engine running, watch the headlights at idle and with the revs raised, and have someone confirm all brake and tail lights work. Ask whether the brake light switch recall was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “July 30,2015 hello, this e-mail is to report that both front coil springs were found cracked on my 2007 Kia Rondo. Recently, I was informed that both front coil springs are cracked on my car. I called Kia and a local dealer. The dealer told me this problem is caused by normal wear. The car has 100,000 miles. It has never been in an accident, towed a trailer, nor carried excessive loads. Every spring, I hose under the car. I?m reporting this problem because I believe this is a serious flaw in the cars? Suspension. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10744908, filed 2015-07, 100,000 miles

   “I've had my vehicle since 11/2008. It was purchased used from a Kia dealer. Although I knew it was a used 2007, it was not revealed until 02/2012 that there was more than 1 previous owner and that the back bumper was not the original. Overall the vehicle has driven well, but has 2 very specific quirks that truly need to be addressed by the manufacturer. I took the car in to the dealer regarding the 1st problem, which I see someone else on this site reported the same complaint; however, they told me that if it happens again to bring it back. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10491866, filed 2013-01, 57,699 miles
4. 4
   Seat belts

   Seat belts that fail to latch, retract, or release

   • 13 complaints (11%)
   • median 48,843 mi at 5.4 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2017

   Owners report rear and middle-row belts that will not latch, that release on their own, or whose plastic latch housing cracks so the belt becomes unusable. In one case the driver was briefly unable to release the belt and get out. Some owners say the dealer replaced a faulty belt only for it to break again, and others were told the repair was their responsibility. Mostly reported between about 50,000 and 106,000 miles.

   What to check: Buckle and unbuckle every belt, including the third row, and check the latch housings for cracks. Confirm the belts retract and hold.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2/5/09, I had an accident, my 2007 Kia Rondo, purchased new in 12/07 ran off the road, slid on ice head on into a tree. My seatbelts did not lock up and my airbags failed to deploy leaving me with a broken bone between my 1st and 2nd vertebra and a severely injured right arm and my head hit with windshield. My car was totaled, my son received 9 stitches to his chin and I am facing at least 2 surgeries. Kia's response is that the air bags should not have deployed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10259836, filed 2009-02, 43,001 miles

   “In april of this year my rear seat belt broke in half. This is the seat that my grandson's car seat had been going. Luckily for me and my family he was not in the car at the time of this incident. I took the car into dorschel where I was verbally told that the belt was faulty and it was replaced. On april 21, 2011 I had to take the car back to the dealer because the same belt had broken again. One month later on may 25th, I had to take the car back to the car dealership for the driver seatbelt because it was not working. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10434201, filed 2011-11, 50,658 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in a collision

   • 15 complaints (13%)
   • median 43,001 mi at 7.1 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 8 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2022

   Complaints describe frontal impacts with severe damage where the airbags did not deploy, and owners say they were told the impact did not meet deployment conditions. Others report the passenger airbag 'off' light staying on with someone seated and belted, or the airbag warning light coming on while driving. A related recall covers the driver's side clock spring contact assembly. Reported across the range, from low-mileage vehicles to those over 200,000 miles.

   Recall 12V0140002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 12V014000 (clock spring) was completed, and confirm the airbag warning light goes out after the bulb check on startup and that the passenger airbag light reads correctly with a passenger seated.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Passenger air bag off light comes on even though a passenger is in the seat with seat belt fastened. Sometimes it will go off when a passenger sits in the seat, and at other times it comes on and stays on, regardless of how many times passenger repositions in the seat or refastens the seat belt. I never know if the air bag is armed properly or not. Occurs standstill or while driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #11056198, filed 2017-12, 35,400 miles

   “Ran off the road by a truck and went into a ditch. Not one airbag deployed. The car was equipped with knee airbags, front airbags, side impact airbags and side curtain airbags. Totaled the car, was lifeflighted to vanderbilt. They had difficulty getting me out of the car because the airbags did not deploy. They could not cut the bar between the front and back seats because it was loaded with undeployed airbags. Had a broken leg/hand and neck, chest and back injuries. Notified Kia to find out why the airbags did not deploy. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10318571, filed 2010-03, 30,780 miles

Buying note. Focus a used-car inspection on a highway test drive for stalling or brake drag, every seat belt latch, and confirmation that the brake-switch and clock spring recalls were completed. Service records for the throttle body or fuel pump are worth asking about.

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.