Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
17–18 mpgcombined; city 15–17, highway 20–22; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$18,050–$19,110U.S. average; Ohio $16,120–$17,070 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
Owners have filed 88 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Borrego. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power train
16
0
0
0
Electrical system
15
0
0
0
Service brakes
12
1
0
0
Seat belts
11
0
0
0
Unknown or other
10
1
0
0
Steering
9
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
8
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
0
0
0
Air bags
6
4
0
3
Engine
6
1
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
5
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
4
1
0
0
12 more parts
Structure
4
0
0
0
Seats
3
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
3
0
0
0
Visibility
3
0
0
0
Wheels
3
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
2
0
0
0
Parking brake
2
1
0
0
Suspension
2
0
0
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Equipment
1
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2009 Borrego over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Borrego vehicles. The headliner plates may not be secured properly, which can result in the plates detaching in the event of a side curtain air bag deployment.
Risk: A headliner plate that detaches during a crash may strike an occupant, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will secure the headliner plates, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 30, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC286.
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2009 BORREGO VEHICLES, MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 2, 2008, THROUGH JANUARY 20, 2009, EQUIPPED WITH NON-ADJUSTABLE BRAKE PEDALS. CERTAIN PEDAL MOUNTS MAY HAVE A FIBERGLASS COMPOSITION THAT ALLOWS THEM TO BREAK OFF IN A COLLISION WHERE THE IMPACT HAS NOT IMMOBILIZED THE VEHICLE, WHICH WOULD THEN ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO ROLL.
Risk: IF THIS OCCURS, THE DRIVER WOULD NEED TO STOP THE VEHICLE WITH THE PARKING BRAKE OR EXPERIENCE A POSSIBLE SECOND IMPACT, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy: KIA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE PEDAL MOUNT, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JUNE 15, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 22 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2009 Borrego, the latest on Sep 13, 2021. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (10), power train (5), equipment (4), engine and engine cooling (3), equipment adaptive/mobility (3).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2009 Borrego.
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Borrego Rear-Wheel Drive
3.8 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 21 / 18
Borrego 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
3.8 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 21 / 18
Borrego Rear-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
15 / 22 / 18
Borrego 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.6 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
15 / 20 / 17
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data