10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,833 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.

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problem #16

Aug 252023

Sedona

  • miles
Car immobilizer/Theft deterrent - The company is telling me that my KIA's VIN indicated that it does not have the immobilizer/Theft deterrent issue. We drove the car to the dealership with a backup key we made just for unlocking doors. This is a key with no chip or FOB and the car starts and ran fine. This seems to be a clear example of how the immobilizer is not working. However, they refuse to say anything other than the VIN is not on the list. How do I get any help with this? Thanks [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Bloomington, MN, USA

problem #15

Mar 052023

Sedona

  • miles
The power lock on the sliding door on the driver's side does not latch. In order to fully close the door, you must turn off the power lock for the door. Otherwise, it unlatches and dings the entire time you are driving. The door without the power turned on is very difficult to open and sometimes will not open. This is a safety concern. Other models have been recalled. Why has this one not been recalled?

- York, PA, USA

problem #14

Sep 012021

Sedona

  • miles
The passenger door will not open from the inside by pulling on the handle or pushing the door open button. Pulling on the outside door handle will not open the door as well. The remote wont open them as well. This is a safety issue as passengers can't get out of car in case of accident. I have brought it to a Kia dealer and they said it works fine for them and if the problem doesn't occur when they have it they can't fix it. I have an extended warranty letter from Kia that there is a problem with the rear sliding doors. I am mystified as to why I can't get this problem fixed.

- Little Falls, NJ, USA

problem #13

May 192017

Sedona

  • 69,107 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle, the sliding door would not close as needed and would independently open while driving without warning. The contact also stated that the electrical power mirrors would also operate independently without warning. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V101000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and took the vehicle to the dealer for repair. The contact was also provided an estimate for the repair of other vehicle failures. Two days after the repair while driving 50 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal as he approached a stoplight. The light turned green and the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stalled in the middle of the intersection. The contact was forced to make an illegal U-turn. The contact turned the key to the off position; however, the engine continued to run with several unknown warning lights on the instrument panel. The contact saw steam coming from the engine and upon inspection, the contact saw the radiator cap blow off as the vehicle lost motive power. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer where they informed him that the axle shaft, water pump, crankshaft pulley, alternator, oil pan gasket, drive belts, and battery all need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 69,107.

- Crystal River, FL, USA

problem #12

Jun 012020

Sedona

  • miles
electronic locks (not power door controls) lock and will not unlock via manual key or key fob - this is a crash and or fire hazard & could result in death to passengers if trapped. The rear and side doors are effected.

- Myakka City, FL, USA

problem #11

Apr 172021

Sedona

  • 72,218 miles
Reported as far back as and paid for repair of both sliding doors staring in 2015-2021 doors at first would not open on button press no matter which button used key fob or inside vehicle had to force pull the handles to open and eventually to close. Just a week ago April 2021 while taking my elderly mother to store while parked after leaving the store, the passenger side sliding door stuck in the open position and no amount of force nor button push would close it. In March of 2021 I received notification from Kia of limited warranty extension (wty018) which specifically lists power sliding door lactching for 2011 to 2014 Sedona's. I reported the door not closing at all which happened on a Saturday when parts was likely closing for the day and when I finally got through to them on Monday dropped the car off to my same Kia dealership that has done all of the repairs and place of purchase they looked at the vehicle and informed me they were not sure the roller was covered under the warranty and I would be charged $750 and only the the latch and motor of the door was covered (all parts of the same mechanism) I declined the repair being they wanted me to pay rented my own out of pocket rental for a week because I am an essential worker while I contacted Kia corporate directly by phone with my issues and how rude they were trying to explain how parts of the door would not be covered the car is undrivable being the door remains open going into week two out of my own pocket I finally got someone from Corp to acknowledge something is wrong and was told they would fix it in "good will" four days ago I am still without a car while they wait for part they needed and called back today to Corp who called the dealer and somehow part came in "last night" but they can't pick up till Monday to fix again I am without my car and work for the county tax admin office.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #10

Oct 142020

Sedona

  • 35,000 miles
Side doors will not open unless you use the front control button sometimes the remotes work but not all the time sometimes shows on dashboard side doors are open and they are closed this was happening when previous owner had it and I'm new owner still happens

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #9

Jan 072017

Sedona

  • 80,000 miles
My air-conditioning does not work. The fan and the heating is working as of now

- Normalville, PA, USA

problem #8

Mar 032019

Sedona

  • 140,000 miles
Rear passenger-side doors do not operate properly. Will not open with "key fob", but sometimes will manually. If open, may or may not close with fob, and extremely difficult to close manually. Also, will open themselves even when the vehicle is locked. In this particular experience, vehicle was parked at home. Doors had been locked and checked by visual inspection due to having this happen previously many times. Concern is that doors could open while driving, exposing passengers to possible danger.

- Pinellas Park, FL, USA

problem #7

Aug 112018

Sedona 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
I purchased my 2012 Kia Sedona on 8-11-2018 & found out that they sold me a vehicle on the recall list. I said there was a safety issue on a recall list & after battling cancer & an 8 month survivor, I don't want this vehicle that could cause my demise. When I attempted to return to the Kia dealership here in daytona beach, fl, they said when I drove it off the lot I would lose thousand dollars towards another (safe) vehicle. I feel this was wrong not only to sell me an unsafe vehicle, but for me to lose $ on another vehicle is wrong. Please call me on my cell#[xxx]. [xxx]. thank you for your help. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Daytona Beach, FL, USA

problem #6

Sep 062018

Sedona

  • 89,000 miles
Last September 6th, 2018, Sedona was almost caught fire while driver was with her children. Onwer saw a huge smoke after she looked at dashboard tempature guage that reached overheat, quickly parked, turned it off, and opened the hood. She smelled strong burned. Mechanic took a look at engine and found a lot of motor oil that was leaking through the head gasket and spilling over onto exhaust pipe under engine block. Oil spilling onto exhaust pipe could cause fire. Response of mechanic diagnosis, original alternator was at fault for stopping generate power supply to the radiator fan assembly. Then radiator fan assembly stopped operating, resulting in engine overheat to break the head gasket, leaking a lot of motor oil. Following overheat issue, transmission was also affected. Mechanic noticed that alarm was not built in for coolant fluid level low after half low in radiator found. Why was not a coolant fluid level low alarm built in before first time vehicle was sold? without a coolant fluid level low alarm could lead vehicle into fire.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #5

Feb 012018

Sedona

  • 120,000 miles
2012 Kia Sedona heater wire harness on drive side failed and melted all the wires under the dash. Mechanic stated it could have caught on fire. The heater control for the front stopped working which sent us to the dealership for repair. The vehicle was in motion when the heater control failed. It was very good this happened during the winter otherwise the vehicle may have caught fire while driving because we would not need heat.

- Olyphant, PA, USA

problem #4

Feb 022017

Sedona

  • 80,000 miles
Rear driver side sliding door will not always close completely and sometimes opens while driving. My three year old granddaughter sits in that seat and I'm worried that the door is actually going to come open while we're driving the car. I've read of previous years for this same vehicle having this problem. I've paid to have it repaired once, but I feel that Kia should take care of this known issue. Also, there is an issue with the front end of the vehicle. It sometimes makes a grinding sound when I'm slowing down - not necessarily with my foot on the brake. Sometimes it's difficult to stop the vehicle and I'm afraid I'm going to get into an accident.

- League City, TX, USA

problem #3

Jul 222017

Sedona

  • 60,000 miles
One three separate occasions within a one week period, the Kia Sedona stalled randomly while the vehicle was in motion. This occurred once on a gravel road, once in town, and once on while merging onto a highway. The vehicle was brought to the dealer where we were told the check engine light was on, but they could not duplicate the problem. When we expressed this safety concern to Kia customer service, we have be completely stonewalled and cannot even receive a returned phone call from the case manager. I wish I could supply more information but the dealership and Kia seem unwilling or unable to discuss this matter with us.

- Grand Forks, ND, USA

problem #2

Jul 252016

Sedona

  • miles
Kia Sedona recall on hood latch and front lower control arms related to vibration/steering. I expect the dealer to pick up, fix and return the vehicle. Dealer indicated they would not. My having to deliver and pick up the vehicle would be an expense to me through no fault of mine. Recalls should cover all expenses including pick up and delivery. My dealer is 2 hours away!

- Minot, ND, USA

problem #1

Apr 172013

Sedona

  • 12,000 miles
About 18mo after owning the van we started to have issues with shifting from park to other gears. It keeps getting worse as time goes on. Now I have had to remove the shift nob and depress the linkage to get it out of and into gear.

- Haltom City, TX, USA