Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Kia Borrego submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I have owned this car since it was new. Anchors Kia hung up on me 3x as I tried to get 2 recall items addressed. I then called the Kia hotline and got hung up on. All I want is my recalled item taken care of…
I absolutely love my kia borrego and have been trying to find a way to give the car back and end payments on it because I can't afford to put parts on it anymore. I'm on disability and can't seem to find the real issue after thousands of dollars in failed attempts. My transmission has not been shifting and if it does shift, it's sudden and aggressive. It will rev up higher than normal and if you continue holding the gas at all it will jerk you as you are driving. It has nearly caused me to swerve or be hit by anyone following. It feels like someone hits the car from behind very hard. Not only is it scary, it is aggressive and could cause whiplash or harm to my children. On 3 occasions I have been driving and my seat belt has randomly popped off on the driver seat and twice in the passenger seat. It's awful I have to plan where I will park or my route because my car randomly shuts off while driving which is dangerous on the curvy roads where I live and the car mostly doesn't shift at all while driving after all the money I've wasted trying to have it fixed. This car was the best thing that I have ever owned until it became a dangerous, unreliable nightmare.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA BORREGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ECU WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WAS JERKING AND FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DELAND KIA (2322 S. WOODLAND BLVD, DELAND, FL 32720, (386) 734-7800) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ECU MODULE AND STOP LAMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V114000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000.
WHILE DRIVING STEP ON BRAKES TO SLOW AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS RELATED TO BRAKES LITE UP AND CAR SHIFTER WAS STUCK IN DRIVE OR NEUTRAL. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES THE LIGHTS COME ON AND OFF . HAD CAR CHECKED AND NOTHING COULD BE FOUND AS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS THIS CAR IS USED BY WIFE AND CHILDREN DAILY. WITH ALL THINGS CONSIDERED WE HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE AND FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES AND INCLUDES ABS MODULE,TRANSMISSION MODULE SPEED SENSOR, OR THE MAIN MODULE WHICH IS TROUBLING WHAT DO WE DO TAKE A GUESS WHAT TO REPLACE. ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED. AS ALL OF THE PARTS LISTED HAVE A HEAVY PRICE TO HAVE CHANGED.
MY DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT DOES NOT LATCH ALL OF THE TIME. IT WILL POP OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE. I AM ALSO HAVE TROUBLE WITH MY ANTENNA AROUND MY IGNITION SWITCH. IT DOESN'T DETECT MY KEY ALL OF THE TIME WHICH MEANS THAT MY CAR DOES NOT START EVERY TIME I PUT THE KEY IN IT. IT MIGHT TAKE A FEW ATTEMPTS. I JUST PUT ABOUT $5000 INTO THIS CAR OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND WAS HOPING TO BE DONE FOR A LITTLE WHILE. THE TECHNICIANS HAVE SHARED THAT NEITHER OF THESE ISSUES ARE OF MY DOING. THE CAR IS SIMPLY NOT READING MY KEY AND MY SEATBELT IS DEFECTIVE.
#1 WHENEVER IT RAINS THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT GOES OUT AND HAS TO BE REPLACED. #2 WHEN THE CAR IS DRIVEN THERE IS A BURNING SMELL INSIDE THE CAR THAT SMELLS LIKE WIRES BURNING. AND THERE IS SMOKE COMING FROM INSIDE THE ENGING COMPARTMENT AND FLOWING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. BETWEEN THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT AND THE FRAME AREA. WE HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO KIA FOR A DIOGNOSTIC AND ALTHOUGH THEY NOTICED THE ISSUE ALSO, THEY COULD NOT FIND WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM. DRIVING THE KIA MAKES ME VERY NERVOUS AND WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM AND HOW TO FIX IT. WE LIVE IN LAWRENCEVILLE GA AND THE ISSUE HAPOENS WEATHER WERE ON THE STREETS OR ON THE HIGHWAY.
WHILE SITTING IN MY CAR WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION LISTENING TO THE RADIO IT WOULD START UP. IT WOULD START UP IN PARK AND IT WOULD START UP AND NEUTRAL AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE STARTER ARMATURE IS ENGAGING AND WON'T STOP AND GAUGING IN NEUTRAL AND STOP I DON'T HAVE TO BE IN THE VEHICLE FOR IT TO START ALL ON ITS OWN WHY DOES START ON ITS OWN IT VERY EASILY CAN YOU BE BUMPED INTO DRIVE AND TAKE OFF DOWN THE ROAD IF I LEAVE IT IN NEUTRAL OR PARK NOW IT SOUNDS HORRIBLE AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE WHEN IT'S ALREADY RUNNING SO THE ONLY WAY FOR ME TO GET THE OFF AND GOING NOW IS TO START THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL BYE JUST SITTING THERE SOON AS YOU START SIDE DROP IT INTO DRIVE AND I HIT THE ROAD NEVER SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHILE IN GEAR BUT IT ALWAYS HAPPENS NOW IN PARK AND NEUTRAL. ON TOP OF THAT IT HAS A CODE FOR A BANK SENSOR IN THE SECOND BANK B BANK OR WHATEVER AND IT IS RETARDED AND ADVANCED IN TIMING. THE TIMING SEEMS TO BE ERRATIC AND ALL THE SENSORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GET IT SMOGGED THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOESN'T GO OFF DUE TO THE TIMING I'M GUESSING. WHILE IN DRIVE IT SEEMS TO WANT TO JUMP IF I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL IT'S OKAY AND DOESN'T JUMP UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS AND THEN THE STARTER KICKS ON.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA BORREGO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING SUDDENLY FLASHED BEFORE THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (MIKE SHAW KIA LOCATED IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TX) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BATTERY WAS FAULTY. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CAUSE OF THE SECOND FAILURE WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.
I HAD JUST STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT WHEN ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD CAME ON. ECS, ABS, BREAK, ENGINE, 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND CRUISE CONTROL ERROR, AND THE SPEEDOMETER, ODOMETER, AND TEMPERATURE GAUGE DOESN'T WORK. I PULLED INTO THE NEAREST AUTO PARTS PLACE AND THEN DISCOVERED I COULDN'T PUT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK. I HAD TO MANUALLY USE THE SHIFT LOCK. THEY RAN THE COMPUTER AND IT SHOWED A SPEED SENSOR ERROR. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A YEAR. SOMETIMES IT LASTS A WEEK, THEN ACTS NORMAL FOR MONTHS OR A FEW HOURS, THEN GOES OFF AGAIN. THIS MAKES IT REALLY HARD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. EVERY TIME WE TRY TO TAKE IT IN, IT SEEMS TO WORK JUST FINE AND THEY CAN'T DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. WHEN I CALLED KIA THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO.
THE ELECTRIC CONTROL ARM ON THE DRIVER SEAT THAT LIFTS AND MOVES THE FORWARD AND BACKWARD COMES UNHOOKED CAUSING THE SEAT TO DROP TO LOWEST POSITION WHILE DRIVING. THIS CAN B A SAFETY HAZARD BY CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PRESS THE ACCELERATOR WHILE DRIVING IF THE ARM SHOULD COME UNHOOKED AND SEAT FALL TO LOWEST POSITION. THE PICTURE ATTACHED IS THE HEAD OF THE ARM AND BRACKET IT CONNECTS TO. I CURRENTLY HAVE A BOLT IN IT TO HOLD IT TOGETHER
IN LATE MARCH, OUR 2009 KIA BORREGO EX WOULD NOT START, ALTHOUGH THE BATTERY WAS STRONG AND ALL ACCESSORIES WORKED. WE ALMOST ALWAYS PARK IN OUR GARAGE, AND THE CAR GETS USED A LOT ON A DAILY BASIS. MY WIFE HAD DRIVEN IT A COUPLE HOURS EARLIER. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY PULLED ERROR CODE P1656 - AUTHENTICATION FAILURE OFF THE ELECTRONIC MODULE. WE HAD TO HAVE ALL OF OUR KEYS REPROGRAMMED TO THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ABLE TO OFFER ANY EXPLANATION FOR THE ERROR. MY CONCERN IS THAT WE COULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED OFF IN THE BOONDOCKS OR SOME OTHER LOCATION. I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT THE CAR COULD SHUT DOWN WHILE WE ARE DRIVING IT, CREATING A SERIOUS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR
WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MILES AN HOUR SUDDENLY ABS,VEHICLE STABILITY ICON,BREAK ICON,ENGINE ICON,CRUISE CONTROL TURNED ON AND SPEEDOMETER FAILED AND SHOWED SPEED OF ZERO WHILE I AM STILL GOING AT SAME SPEED OF 60. FEW SECONDS LATER ALL ICONS DISAPPEARED AS I PREPARED TO STOP SO I KEPT DRIVING TILL DESTINATION. ONCE CAR WAS TURNED ON AGAIN AT DESTINATION, ABOVE ICONS CAME ON, HAD CAR TOWED TO KIA DEALERSHIP. MAIN ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE FAILED AND WAS REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE BY KIA. NOT CLEAR WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED TOTAL FAILURE OF MAIN ECM. *TR
FRONT LAMP - HEADLIGHT COMPONENTS STOPPED FUNCTIONING AFTER FLICKING ON AND OFF FOR OVER A YEAR DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. WHEN UNCOVERED IT WAS REVEALED THAT THE INTERIOR OF THE FRONT LAMP HEADLIGHT COMPONENT HAD SUSTAINED AN ELECTRICAL MELT DOWN RENDERING THE UNIT USELESS AND UNABLE TO REPLACE INDIVIDUAL WIRES OR SINGLE COMPONENTS AND IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE FRONT BUMPER - BUMPER COMPONENTS ON THE R & I FRONT BUMPER UPPER COVER AND R & I FRONT BUMPER LOWER COVER FOR A TOTAL COST OF $468.43. THIS SITUATION RENDERS A POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD SITUATION AND OVER-COSTS IN REPLACING A SIMPLE PART BY HAVING TO PURCHASE AN ENTIRE SECTION OF THE VEHICLE NOT PERTAINS TO THE ISOLATED ISSUE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA BORREGO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE HEADLIGHT AND THE ENGINE STALLED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT EVERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.
THE NAVIGATION SYSTEM DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE ITS INFORMATION. I REQUESTED THE DEALER TO UPDATE MY NAVIGATION DATABASE WHILE I HAD MY BORREGO IN THEIR SHOP FOR OTHER SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN REQUESTED TO PERFORM THAT SERVICE BUT WOULD RESEARCH MY REQUEST. I WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO BUY A DISKETTE WITH UPDATED NAVIGATION INFORMATION FROM INFINITY, SCHEDULE A RETURN VISIT FOR THE BORREGO, DOWNLOAD THE INFORMATION, CHARGE ME FOR THE DISKETTE BUT THEY WOULD KEEP THE DISKETTE AND CHARGE ME FOR THEIR SHOP TIME. THE ESTIMATED COST WAS OVER $400.00. I REFUSE TO PAY FOR A SERVICE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY WARRANTY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA BORREGO. THE CONTACT STATED SHE WAS UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SIX TIMES AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,200 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12,115.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .