Kia Sedona Complaints
2,536 consumer complaints on file.
- #11579471March 26, 2024SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that she had become aware that the 2nd row middle seat belt clip did not fit in the designated buckle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that it was a factory defect. The dealer determined that the 2nd row middle seat belt buckle assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11578425March 20, 2024SERVICE BRAKES
My ABS / Traction control light has been on for about 4 years and the diagnostic system gives a warning about it. see picture. I have not fixed it because it just reverts back to regular brakes. However, I know that KIA has had recalls on the ABS / Traction control computer board. but my model year was not included in the recall. My mechanic says the issue is my ABS / Traction control computer board and not a sensor on wheel. I would like my model year to be investigated to see if it can be included in the recall as I plan on keeping this vehicle for many years. Yes, I can make it available for inspection. Safety is loss of anti-lock brakes.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11578537March 20, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I just purchased this 2016 kia sedona and both of the power sliding doors will make a grinding/popping noise when they close and occasionally will not latch completely making it possible for them to come open when the van is moving. Kia is aware of the problem but did not issue a recall instead made it a service bulletin. I was informed that the warranty only went to 60000 miles and my van is at 83000 so I would have to pay for the repair. This is extremely unsafe and should have been recalled immediately not left to a service bulletin.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11576951March 12, 2024POWER TRAIN
2016 Kia Sedona 3.3L V6 Engine overheating due to head gasket failure and coolant leakage, which subsequently caused noxious fumes to enter the cabin of the car which is a health risk especially for people who suffer from asthma, chronic diseases, or other high-risk populations such as pregnant women or children. While travelling with my family of five (including three children), we noticed an intermittent smell inside the cabin of the car while the air-conditioning was turned on, which days later we realized were engine coolant fumes. There was no warning light or indication of head gasket failure with coolant leakage. We were all exposed to these engine fumes inside the cabin, which contain ethylene glycol, that likely caused two children to feel nauseous and an adult with diagnosed asthma felt headaches and shortness of breath. According to the CDC, breathing ethylene glycol vapors may irritate eyes and lungs (source: [XXX] ). Kia acknowledges that a coolant smell may be experienced in the 2016-2017 Kia Sorento’s vehicles equipped with the 3.3L V6 engine [XXX], which is the same engine that is equipped in the 2016 Kia Sedona. We confirmed the 2016 Kia Sedona experienced a head gasket failure from an authorized Kia dealership and repair shop. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11577005March 12, 2024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Van caught fire in the engine compartment burned the firewall
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11576751March 11, 2024ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, POWER TRAIN
We noticed coolant leaking. We took it to a dealer and they replaced coolant control assembly/ temperature control piece. Also the O-ring that connecting to the engine was leaking. However, this is the 2nd time we are replacing the piece in 3months (not the o-ring). We did that. And spent $900 on it. As soon as we drove it 11miles home, there was oil and coolant leaking again. Took it right back. And there was fluid in the engine. Guy believes it's the head gasket. Out car isn't running. We don't know if we should replace, or junk it and have a loss of money. We are so frustrated. We have 125,000 miles. There were no warnings, no lights, just us noticing the coolant leaking, and the reservoir being full. We have pictures and have taken it to multiple mechanics and dealers.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11576578March 11, 2024ENGINE
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the contact's daughter was provided an estimate for the repair. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11576715March 11, 2024ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
No lights on the dash, no maintenance or check engine lights. The van began making noises under the hood and then blowing white smoke from the exhaust. The electrical connectors to the fan were melted and hot. To the cooling fan, radiator, etc. The fan connector caused the car to over heat.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575211March 4, 2024ENGINE
After driving 3 miles on 2/1, the engine fan ran after the engine was turned off- which never happens. We called Kia for service but nothing was available for 2 weeks; all Kia dealers were similar. No check engine light was illuminated. My husband popped the hood, saw the coolant cap was open and the coolant fluid level in the normal range (slightly above the minimum line). Closing the cap, he test drove the car. Although driving fine, he took the Sedona to a shop where the hood was again popped- the coolant level was showing now above the max fill line, no coolant had been added; as no fluid was seen by the mechanic and since no check engine light was lit, an appointment was made to bring the car back for a full diagnostic. On 2/2/24, after driving 3 miles and making a turn, I thought I saw smoke. But, it was a rainy day so I thought it was condensation from the concrete. After 1 mile, again while slowing to turn, I thought I saw smoke again; I pulled down the window and smelled burning. At this point I was near my home and the check engine light now turned on. Since there was nowhere to safely stop, I proceeded to the front of my home and summoned my husband. He opened the hood and noticed smoke and extreme heat from the engine, but fortunately no fire. After a couple of days, we decided to tow the car to a shop for diagnostics instead of waiting 2 weeks for Kia- we were told the engine had failed. Stunned by the rapidity of these events, we contacted Kia Customer Support and towed the car to our Kia dealer. I have been told the head bolt stripped causing coolant to mix with oil and the engine to fail; the engine itself will cost $8,148 and, and, with ancillary repairs, the total repair will be over $12000. The car has 125k miles and has been fully serviced at Kia over 9 years, lastly 4 months ago which included coolant service. No check engine light was triggered until smoke and extreme heat were emanating from a blown engine, despite progressing degradation.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575278March 4, 2024ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, he heard an abnormal clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence and checked the oil and the coolant level. The contact stated that there was coolant leaking and that the oil level was low. The contact stated he filled the coolant reservoir and topped off the oil level and continued to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that he heard a loud clicking sound however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the head gasket was blown, and that coolant had leaked into the long block. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: DP24002 (Engine). The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575366March 4, 2024ENGINE
The engine light came on sunday 25 Feb, I took it to autozone the next am and had the code read, it was for the crankshaft alignment sensor. My mechanic told me it may be several issues when that code came up and I should have it serviced soon but that it wasn't an emergency. The following day it had a new code show up on the entertainment system on the way home from my wifes job. The engine began to shake a bit and the engine light began to blink, it would not accelerate smoothly but as there were no safe places to stop my wife drove it the 3 miles home. It went in that night and was looked at Wednesday. It threw codes p0300, p0019, p0024, p0302, p0304, p0306 it was missing 5 quarts of oil (no warning light) 3 cylinders misfiring, timing codes, fuel samples were taken and were normal. The mechanic said there were no contributing factors to the engine failure other than poor design. As I have a 7 person house and need a second vehicle I have no choice but to trade it in tomorrow and get a new vehicle and roll the negative equity into the new car. My kids need to get to school and both the wife and I to work.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575011March 2, 2024ENGINE
Vehicle is regularly maintenenced. Driving down a road it had random loss of power and lost power steering. Was able to restart and it drove fine no check engine lights nothing. Got closer to my destination and my engine light popped at the same time a horrible metal on metal sound came from my rather quiet engine. Immediately lost power and power steering again. Able to coast off the road to safety, upon expecting the vehicle we found a hole and oil leaking out. A rod randomly blew thru the side of the block and there was no indication there was any engine problem beforehand. Cause unknown. I was advised after that these 3.3 motors are becoming know for random disintegration.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575033March 2, 2024ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While driving, van went to half power with no warning light. Would not go above 15 MPH. It had recently had an oil change at a KIA dealership, but when we took to the shop, the oil was barely existent and foamy. It is undriveable and 3 different mechanics have said it cannot be fixed without a new engine.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11575069March 2, 2024SEATS
We have had multiple seat latches fail on our vehicle. We have attempted to WD40 the mechanism and have ensured there is nothing in the tract but the second row passenger seat as well as the larger drivers side third row seat are not latching onto the tract. The mechanism moved freely but they are not latching into place. I had submitted a safety recall claim for our second row seat a while back as it created a significant safety issue with our child in the seat. Now the rear seat is having a similar problem. The biggest issue is that it will seem that it is latching and then during times of safety concerns (occupied while driving) it unlatches. My son was sitting in the rear and lurched with the latch causing him to bite his tongue. The second row seat has yet to be fixed, and moved around while driving further causing a safety concern.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11573933February 26, 2024ENGINE
I had regular oil changes performed by Jiffy Lube when I owned the van and have most receipts. In 2022 after the vehicle kept making a whining sound, we realized that it was completely out of oil. I park in our garage and there was never an oil leak of any kind and no dash lights ever came on to indicate a problem. In May 2022 as we were on a 3 hr interstate drive, the engine began knocking. The oil was full but it wouldn't start and had to be towed home. It had 120,000 miles on it. Sims Auto took the engine apart and said it looked like the oil had never been changed because it was caramelized on the inside. I have photos of it. They said that my vehicle at 120k miles with regular maintenance and in really good condition should not have needed a new engine. Our son had this same exact issue with his Kia Optima but it was under a "warranty/recall" and he received a new engine for free. Our local Kia dealership said they were aware of the problem but my Sedona wasn't under the "warranty/recall" so I would have to pay for it. It cost me $9640 to rebuild the engine. I filed a complaint with the BBB against Kia. Kia would not respond and the case was closed. Most of the complaints on the BBB against Kia are due to faulty engine issues.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11573883February 25, 2024VISIBILITY/WIPER
Since the same year I bought my 2017 kia Sedona L which was [XXX], from Orlando Kia North, Longwood florida; I have been having an electrical safety issue. The wipers turn on by themselves front and rear and I can't turn them off. In addition to this problem I've been having for almost 5 years now, the highbeam will also at different times do the same thing, turn on by itself. My headlights have also turned off on one or two occasions as well. In around August of 2019 I first took my vehicle in with the complaint and several times afterwards. The first 2 times they couldn't duplicate the issue so nothing was done. After that they said they found a short and replaced the clock spring then after that it was a short in the multifunction switch. Neither of these replacements have resolved the issue. I believe the owner before me had the same problem and this is the reason why they traded the vehicle and Kia never fixed the problem and just resold it as is, without notifying me of the issue. Also in this time period I started noticing water getting into the rear gate. On [XXX] the grommet was replaced, I took it back again and the washer line was replaced. Til today I still have the same problem. I gave up hope with Kia after speaking to supervisors and managers, I called their headquarters spoke with Melissa Hyatt I was given a case # which I still have on file, but all she did was redirect me back to the dealership. I also filed a complaint with you (NHTSA) and still have my complaint # 11337324 within my files, but didn't receive any response. I am still paying for this vehicle and would love some assistance with my safety problems that many others seem to be dealing with as I have noticed the same complaint for this same vehicle have been submitted. Look forward to hearing from someone soon. Thank you and sorry for such the long explanation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11573908February 25, 2024ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
Wiring shorts on the rear brake lights.Had to pay for wiring repair
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11573778February 24, 2024ENGINE, STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle shut off while driving for no apparent reason. Vehicle had plenty of fuel and battery measures 12.8 volts with engine off, 13.8 volts when vehicle is on. No error code. Steering and braking stopped working correctly. We were traveling through a parking lot at the time so luckily not at high speed or this could have ended deadly. The vehicle would not immediately start back up, we put it in park, turned the key and the engine would turn over but not start. After 4 or 5 tries it did start, and the only fault to appear was the ABS light which came on and stayed on solid. After parking and shutting the vehicle off and restarting it the ABS light went away. No other fault codes are or were present.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11572366February 16, 2024ENGINE
we kept regular maintenance of vehicle and adhering oil change specs. one morning we start the van to let it warm up to go to bus stop, and it is making a TERRIBLE tingling ting a ling ting a ling noise from what seems to be the top end of the engine. We immediately turn it off. We check the oil.... it is BONE DRY. there was no light indicators or warning lamps that came on. it did not run any differently then it has ran in the past. If my son who just gotten his license was driving along our busy highway... it would have been a totallly different outcome. I am fearful for any individuals using this vehicle with their families. the only issue we had that is close to this was in late 2023. we checked our oil and the fluid was burning oil very QUICKLY, like needed oil daily. so we took it to a KIA certified garage, and we paid to have the oil seal replaced. i am still paying the 1800$$ job off! it has ran fine since, but now i am wondering if it really was the seal.... cuz where did the oil go this time????? Again, there are no oil trails, no puddles.... no nothing. Our family is educated on mechanics and general mechanical systems.... and this Kia has been a mechanical monster. We've only had it since Dec 2021. I would like to know if this Kia is WORTH fixing or if these engines are just not worth the effort or MONEY! thank you
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11571978February 14, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Power Doors on both sides of the vehicle do not latch securely. One out of every 25 attempts the door MAY latch properly. On some occasions you can see from outside of the car that the doors are not completely shut. The warning alarm goes off indicating that the doors are not securely latched. I have brought the vehicle to a local KIA dealership which informed me that there was a recall on the latching system. The part #'s outlined in the recall match the defective parts on my vehicle, however the dealership is claiming that its something else and refused to cover the defective latch repairs. The dealer has also not returned any of my phone calls since. This has been going on for nearly a year with no resolution and I am concerned for my passengers safety.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0