Kia Sedona

Where it stands out against its peers

• Engine: more complaints than 93% of 2016 cars — 50% of its 292 complaints, where an ordinary 2016 car has 21%.
• Exterior lighting: more complaints than 92% of 2016 cars — 13% of its 292 complaints, where an ordinary 2016 car has 4%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• ENGINE — 118 owners reported this, 5 involving a fire
• EXTERIOR LIGHTING — 24 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 20 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• STRUCTURE — 15 owners reported this
• AIR BAGS — 8 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING — 7 owners reported this, 1 involving a crash

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

74% of 2020 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 13V550000

  A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Kia will notify owners and dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on December 20, 2013. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC100.

• 16V387000

  A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the front lower control arms on 2006-2007 models. 2008-2012 models will either have their front lower control arms replaced or additional anti-corrosion coating will be applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC133.

• 16V389000

  If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

  Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the secondary hood latch or clean and lubricate the latch, depending on the vehicle's location and the condition of the latch. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC134.

• 18V338000

  If the door closes on an occupant, there is an increased risk of an injury.

  Kia will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PSD module software, free of charge. The recall began on June 18, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC164.

• 18V363000

  If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

  Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.

• 19V109000

  If a child is in a child seat in the front seat, a broken ODS wiring harness will not prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the child.

  Kia will notify owners, and dealers will remove the wire harness clip to prevent the wiring harness from breaking. If the harness is found damaged, the front passenger seat cushion will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC175.

• 19V207000

  A seat belt that cannot be properly used increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

  Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt installation, and reinstall the seat belt buckle to the correct side if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 8, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia 's number for this recall is SC177.

• 20V101000

  A fuel leak increases the risk of fire.

  Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began June 16, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC188.

4 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• 3.3L Engine Loss of Motive Power (LOMP)

  Defect petition, opened February 2024, closed March 2024.

• Electrical overstress

  Engineering analysis, opened April 2019, closed September 2024.

• Air bags may be disabled during crash

  Preliminary evaluation, opened March 2018, closed August 2019.

• Steering intermediate shaft binding

  Engineering analysis, opened August 2008, closed July 2009.

• Steering binding

  Preliminary evaluation, opened April 2008, closed August 2008.

• Electrical fire

  Preliminary evaluation, opened June 2005, closed October 2005.

• Throttle cable binding

  Preliminary evaluation, opened September 2004, closed January 2005.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Kia filed 47 bulletins about the 2021 Sedona.

• Electrical system: 23
• Fuel/propulsion system: 7
• Structure: 5
• Engine and engine cooling: 4
• Power train: 3
• Back over prevention: 1
• Engine: 1
• Exterior lighting: 1
• Forward collision avoidance: 1
• Service brakes, hydraulic: 1

• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information.… · June 2026
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable… · June 2026
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information.… · February 2026
• CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses… · January 2026
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent… · December 2025
• PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The… · December 2025
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar… · April 2025
• TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT (WTY034) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this… · March 2025

39 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.