Total Complaints
4 filings
KIA BORREGO · model year
4 NHTSA complaints, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2010KIABORREGO carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2010 BORREGO is power train:automatic transmission with 1 filings, followed by electrical system (1) and equipment (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 2 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2010 BORREGO, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
4 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) may
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
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.
I NOW FIND MYSELF DEALING WITH AN ISSUE THAT I NOW KNOW IS A WELL-KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH THE ZF 6-SPEED TRANSMISSION USED IN THIS PARTICULAR V8 MODEL. THIS PAST WEEK, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTING BECAME ERRATIC, IN PARTICULAR, AND AMONG OTHER ISSUES, HOLDING ON TO 3RD GEAR AND REFUSING TO UP SHIFT OR DOWN SHIFT PROPERLY. THERE WERE A FEW TIMES IN WHICH WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STAND-STILL ' A STOP LIGHT AND/OR 4-WAY-STOP INTERSECTION, FOR EXAMPLE ' THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT UP FROM 1ST GEAR OR WOULD START ON 3RD GEAR AND WOULD NOT DOWN SHIFT DOWN TO 2ND NOR UP SHIFT TO 4TH. BIZARRE AND DANGEROUS TO SAY THE LEAST, AS IT WAS A STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC SITUATION. ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING AT OVER 35 MPH OR SO, THE ENGINE WOULD SHIFT VERY ABRUPTLY FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR, AND THEN WOULD DOWN SHIFT BACK TO 3RD GEAR. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO SHUT DOWN THE CAR. I DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO SO AFTER FIVE MINUTES OR SO I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND
Mileage: 9
OUR 2009 KIA BORREGO HAS HAD SEVERAL ISSUES. WORST ARE 1) WE PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND BACKED OUT OF GARAGE, WENT TO PUT IN DRIVE AND STARTED DOWN DRIVEWAY. WE FORGOT SOMETHING SO STOPPED AND BACKED UP, UPON PUTTING BACK TO DRIVE WE GOT LOCKED IN NEUTRAL. WE COULD NOT GET CAR INTO REVERSE OR PARK. WE PUSHED THE ENGINE OFF BUTTON WHICH SHUT CAR OFF, BUT STILL WERE STUCK IN NEUTRAL. CAR WOULD NOT START BACK UP. WE HAD TO PRESS BRAKE HARD AND GOT CAR STARTED THEN IT WAS OK. 2) THEN A FEW DAYS LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WAS GOING TO BE DRIVEN TO ANOTHER CITY FOR WORK SO WE TOOK BY KIA. THEY SAID WE COULD DRIVE IT, BUT IT COULD STALL OUT WHILE DRIVING. AT ANY SPEED! WE LEFT AT KIA FOR SERVICE. UNDER WARRANTY, SO NOT EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED IT. BUT DO KNOW MY CAR BATTERY IS NOW DYING AND WE'VE HAD FOR 6 MONTHS. NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT. *TR
Mileage: 7,000
OUR 2009 KIA BORREGO HAS HAD SEVERAL ISSUES. WORST ARE 1) WE PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND BACKED OUT OF GARAGE, WENT TO PUT IN DRIVE AND STARTED DOWN DRIVEWAY. WE FORGOT SOMETHING SO STOPPED AND BACKED UP, UPON PUTTING BACK TO DRIVE WE GOT LOCKED IN NEUTRAL. WE COULD NOT GET CAR INTO REVERSE OR PARK. WE PUSHED THE ENGINE OFF BUTTON WHICH SHUT CAR OFF, BUT STILL WERE STUCK IN NEUTRAL. CAR WOULD NOT START BACK UP. WE HAD TO PRESS BRAKE HARD AND GOT CAR STARTED THEN IT WAS OK. 2) THEN A FEW DAYS LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WAS GOING TO BE DRIVEN TO ANOTHER CITY FOR WORK SO WE TOOK BY KIA. THEY SAID WE COULD DRIVE IT, BUT IT COULD STALL OUT WHILE DRIVING. AT ANY SPEED! WE LEFT AT KIA FOR SERVICE. UNDER WARRANTY, SO NOT EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED IT. BUT DO KNOW MY CAR BATTERY IS NOW DYING AND WE'VE HAD FOR 6 MONTHS. NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT. *TR
Mileage: 7,000
OUR 2009 KIA BORREGO HAS HAD SEVERAL ISSUES. WORST ARE 1) WE PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND BACKED OUT OF GARAGE, WENT TO PUT IN DRIVE AND STARTED DOWN DRIVEWAY. WE FORGOT SOMETHING SO STOPPED AND BACKED UP, UPON PUTTING BACK TO DRIVE WE GOT LOCKED IN NEUTRAL. WE COULD NOT GET CAR INTO REVERSE OR PARK. WE PUSHED THE ENGINE OFF BUTTON WHICH SHUT CAR OFF, BUT STILL WERE STUCK IN NEUTRAL. CAR WOULD NOT START BACK UP. WE HAD TO PRESS BRAKE HARD AND GOT CAR STARTED THEN IT WAS OK. 2) THEN A FEW DAYS LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CAR WAS GOING TO BE DRIVEN TO ANOTHER CITY FOR WORK SO WE TOOK BY KIA. THEY SAID WE COULD DRIVE IT, BUT IT COULD STALL OUT WHILE DRIVING. AT ANY SPEED! WE LEFT AT KIA FOR SERVICE. UNDER WARRANTY, SO NOT EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED IT. BUT DO KNOW MY CAR BATTERY IS NOW DYING AND WE'VE HAD FOR 6 MONTHS. NOW WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT. *TR
Mileage: 7,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.