Scotty,
I've had a 2009 kia rio for 13 years now. I know your sentiment about Kias.
I bought it used with 29K miles and for the most part the vehicle has been fairly reliable. It was built in Korea, has a manual transmission.
I've had the clutch, the timing belt, and the starter repalced. Nothing catatrophic has happened to this vehicle until now.
It began to stall out while idling at a traffic light, but would start back up. I did notice that the check engine light wasn't coming on. I thought it might be something minor like a crankshaft sensor or something easy to fix. The vehicle has 103K miles, relatively low miles for a 14 year old car. This car was so easy to work on. Everything was working, literally nothing was wrong with it, the AC worked, the original CD player worked. Has been reliable for 13 years until now.
This is the kicker. Finally it stalled out and would start, left me stranded. Called a tow truck and had it towed to mechanic shop. They were very busy so it was 3 days before they could look at the car.
They called me and said the Engine Control Module had gone out and Kia is no longer making the part. You can't buy a new ECM for 2009 Rio. I first thought, what? Sure that part is available.
Well checked on-line and check with the KIA dealership, and yes they were right, the ECM is no longer available. I suppose the chip shortage has affected this part being manufactured. So now the car is a total lose.
They suggested getting one from another rio, but the VIN # wouldn't match and since I'm in Texas it's not going to pass inspection.
The dealership said Kia obsoleted this vehicle out, I thought wow what a way to treat your consumers. Then I got to thinking, maybe this is a trend that manufacturers will eventually stop producing electronic components with computer chips and others will find themselve in my situation.
Wanted to share my experience. And BTW I'm originally from Houston, and there are some many folks I talk to who know you in Houston. Watch your YouTube Channel daily.
Thanks,
Eric
You could try a module rebuilder like Module Master to see if that's an ECM they can handle. (I haven't used that outfit myself but have seen others recommend them.)
Kia is no longer making the part.
that means there may be an aftermarket for refurbished parts. But it's already a 14yo car. They can't make parts forever.
maybe this is a trend
All makers eventually stop supporting old vehicles. This is nothing new. But they can't do it too aggressively because it's bad for business.
It may be a trend for Kia. Solution: Don't buy Korean cars. Scotty says is over and over and he's right.
