10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,617 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Kia Sedona:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #14

Jun 272020

Sedona

  • 198,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Kia Sedona. The contact stated several months ago, smoke was seen coming from the front of the vehicle while stopped at a stop sign. The contact stated that recently she parked, the vehicle and it failed to reverse, she checked the oil level however, there was no oil in the engine. The contact stated that the failure recurred as while she was driving smoke was seen in the vehicle and the brake pedal failed to engage while depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated on the final failure a few weeks later the vehicle stalled, while driving 55 mph and came. The contact was not able to move the vehicle, which caused the vehicle on fire on engine. The contact stated the fire was extinguished by the fire department and a fire department report was filed. The fire department inspected the vehicle and stated the cause of the fire was undetermined. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 20V088000 (electrical system, service brakes, hydraulic) however the contact had not received a notification on the recall. The contact stated a local dealer was contacted however, no assistance was offered and provided manufacturer number. The manufacturer had been informed of failure and a case was opened. The contact stated she was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.

- Winchester, Ky, KY, USA

problem #13

Nov 132019

Sedona

  • 0 miles
Today looking my car value, found that my wagon have 4 recalls. I'm worry for this situation.

- Ponce, PR, USA

problem #12

Sep 242017

Sedona

  • 48,000 miles
Without warning goes into limp mode very little acceleration esp light on and check engine on. Will restart and drive normally until next episode! car moving at highway speed when this happens or on city street but always moving.

- Fairport, NY, USA

problem #11

Nov 122016

Sedona

  • 55,000 miles
Traveling at 85 mph, cruise control on, "ESC off" light and check engine light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle decelerated rapidly. Lost ability to accelerate past 20 mph. Vehicle was stopped and restarted. Accelerator resumed working for however the check engine light illuminated and checked the code it was throttle position sensor. This morning the check engine light remained on and the vehicle.

- West Jordan, UT, USA

problem #10

May 032016

Sedona

  • 146,683 miles
This van has the exact same issue with the brake switch that all the others had in recall. Shifter is stuck in park. ESC light is on and brake lights are not working. There are no open recalls for this issue on the VIN number. Further, the Kia dealership refuses to fix it free of charge.

- Hillsborough, NJ, USA

problem #9

Nov 042015

Sedona

  • 112,200 miles
ESC light wouyld go on and off sporadically along with cruise control becoming unresponsive. Condition was sporadic. Brought vehicle to naples Kia on 11-10-2015 for repair. Replaced stop lamp switch at cost to me. Research today shows was recall on the part? I took it in for recall in the past and now believe this same part was possibly already replaced. This would mean this part is defective again.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #8

Oct 222014

Sedona 6-cyl

  • 72,271 miles
While driving in construction (55mph) going to work in morning rush, the ESC off light came on and there was loss of acceleration. I turned the emergency flashers on and coasted to a stop, but there was nowhere to get off the road. Cars started swerving around me and one car almost hit a divider wall. I shut the engine off and restarted 3 times before I could get going again. It happened twice again within a 2 mile distance all in the construction area. Research showed the tps is defective and needs replaced and reprogrammed. This is a dangerous problem. Somebody could be killed.

- Groveport, OH, USA

problem #7

Aug 132013

Sedona

  • 74,000 miles
ESC light on. Lost all power and check engine light came on. Drove to dealership at 8 mph with hazards on.

- Zeeland, MI, USA

problem #6

May 252012

Sedona

  • 25,000 miles
Traveling at 70 mph, cruise control on, "ESC off" light and check engine light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle decelerated rapidly. Lost ability to accelerate past 20 mph. Vehicle was stopped and restarted. Accelerator resumed working for about 50 miles and the same things happened again: ESC off light and check engine light illuminated and vehicle rapidly decelerated and lost all acceleration ability this time. Stopped vehicle again and restarted and accelerator resumed working. This happened at around 2am. In the morning the check engine light remained on and the vehicle was taken to a Kia dealer. On the way to the dealer the "ESC" light began blinking (note: This is not the same as the ESC off light), the acceleration sputtered, but remained working. The dealer stated that they retrieved the throttle position sensor codes, but they cleared the computer history and could no longer duplicate the problem and therefore it could not be fixed. They retrieved the codes, cleared the memory and want to send me on my way. This is the second time a Kia dealer has cleared the computer memory and the vehicle was not fixed. I was told, by my local dealer to make sure the dealer does not clear the codes/history or it can not be fixed. I have called Kia Consumer Affairs and am awaiting a response.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #5

Dec 212009

Sedona

  • 40,000 miles
We had to replace some sensors around 40,000 miles and now again at 60,000 miles the same problem, ...the ESC light comes on stays on and the engine loses power..... the next time you start it up it may be fine for that whole trip...the next day the problem is back....

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #4

Apr 092011

Sedona

  • 38,382 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Kia Sedona. The contact was driving approximately 5-10 mph and exiting a parking lot when the vehicle failed to respond to acceleration attempts. The electronic stability control warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was shut off. Once restarted, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure recurred five times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 38,382 and the current mileage was 38,482.

- Woodside, NY, USA

problem #3

Apr 122011

Sedona 6-cyl

  • 34,400 miles
Going uphill toward traffic light, accelerating to maintain speed for crossing intersection, check engine light on, ESC light on, engine suddenly idling causing total loss of power near the intersection. Had enough momentum to pull on the grass shoulder. Diagnostic from garage: Throttle sensor stuck. Extremely dangerous situation.

- Frederick, PA, USA

problem #2

Apr 102011

Sedona

  • 70,000 miles
2 months while decelerating at red light, acceleration occurred while pressing brake pedal, stopped within a fraction of an inch from car in front of me. Last night while driving 70mph on hwy ESC and check engine lights came on and lost all acceleration function. Car stayed idling but could not regain acceleration. Had to cross over 4 lanes of traffic to get to an offramp exit. Was able to pull over to small shoulder and had myself and 6 children standing on highway while waiting for roadside assistance. The exit was for another hwy so we had no safe place to stand but along the guardrail of 2 hwys. Was told to call a taxi and would be reimbursed. Now Kia motors is telling me that since I purchased a fleet vehicle I am not covered under a warranty because it is at 70000. Purchased as certified reowned and was told it would be covered for 10 years 10,000 miles. Same problem was recalled on the 06 and 07 models but has not been corrected for 08 model. We all could have been killed!!! dealer was not even able to look at it yet and said they won't until tomorrow so here I am on the second day without transportation and do not know what it is going to take to be fixed. Internet searches and complaint search on this site reveal complaints of the same nature to numerous to count.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #1

Oct 272009

Sedona

  • 32,700 miles
We rented a 2008 Kia Sedona van with the 3.8L engine and it lost power in the middle of the highway at speeds of 65-70mph. The engine did not die, but the check engine and ESC warning lights came on and there was no power being transferred to the transaxle. On the first van the incident occurred after driving only 50 miles, the replacement van was driven 1,286 before it too did the same thing. We informed advantage car rental that it appears to be a systematic problem with that make and model.

- Austin, TX, USA