RoadVitals

2009 Kia RIO5

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
2
Latest Jul 28, 2015
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Kia RIO5, most frequently naming the airbags and powertrain (other) categories. 2 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Airbags150.0%
  • Powertrain (other)150.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

AirbagsPowertrain (other)
Filed Jul 28, 2015

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 KIA RIO5. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AFTER THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED AND RELEASED, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED AND AN ABNORMAL NOISE EMITTED FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

NHTSA ID
10744203
Incident
May 30, 2015
Mileage
84,000 mi
Filed Jun 11, 2015

REPLACED ALL FOUR ENGINE COILS AND THE SPARK PLUGS (THE PLUGS I'D EXPECT--IT WAS VERY CLOSE TO MY 60K CHECK UP--WHERE I WOULD HAVE DONE IT ANYWAY) I WAS NOT SURE WHICH CATEGORY THIS PART IS IN. .WHEN I STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN THE CAR STARTED SHAKING-WILDLY.--AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO KEEP MOVING WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN-I WAS ON A BUSY STREET--IT WAS A LITTLE BETTER WHEN MOVING BUT WHEN STOPPED IT WAS A VIOLENT SHAKE. GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE ENGINE LIGHT-IT WAS A SOLID--I BELIEVED I COULD KEEP DRIVING SINCE I WASN'T FAR FROM A KIA DEALER. WHEN I PULLED IN THE SERVICE WRITER KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG BEFORE USING THE COMPUTER BECAUSE IT IS SO COMMON A REPAIR ON MY VEHICLE--YET IT IS NOT A RECALLED ITEM DESPITE THE DEALERSHIP TELLING ME IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN ON THIS MODEL. FF THIS IS SO COMMON A KIA DEALER TELLS YOU THEY HAVE TO FIX IT ON ALL CARS LIKE YOURS WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL. KIA HAS TO KNOW THIS IS AN ISSUE $600 LATER I WAS ON MY WAY.

NHTSA ID
10724785
Incident
May 5, 2015
Mileage
58,576 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB_BOD055_R1

EXTERIOR LIGHTING; STRUCTURE

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 that may exhibit fogging, condensation, and/or moisture inside a headlamp assembly. Generally, a fogging condition is considered normal and can be eliminated by turning on the headlamps with the engine running for up to 30 minutes or during normal driving conditions. Headlamp assembly replacement WILL NOT be necessary in most cases.

TSB_ENG063_CLSD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

TSB_ENG063_CLOSED: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN CLOSED

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Kia RIO5 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2009Viewing200—
2008300—

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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.