Total Complaints
3 filings
KIA RIO5 · model year
2009 KIA RIO5
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2009KIARIO5 carries 3 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 2009 RIO5 is unknown or other with 1 filings, followed by air bags (1) and power train (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.
NHTSA currently has 38 investigation files overlapping the 2009 RIO5, 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.
3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20150728AIR BAGS
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.
Mileage: 84,000
20150728POWER TRAIN
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.
Mileage: 84,000
20150611UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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
Mileage: 58,576
Compare 2009KIARIO5 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2009 KIA RIO5 have?▼
The 2009 KIA RIO5 has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 KIA RIO5?▼
The most-complained component for the 2009 KIA RIO5 is UNKNOWN OR OTHER with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2009 KIA RIO5 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
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.