Owners have filed 2,186 complaints on the Kia Sedona, covering 2002–2021. The system named most often is Electrical System (368 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2016, 2002; cleanest: 2021, 2020, 2010. 102 reports describe a crash, 135 a fire, 8 a death. On average the car was 5.7 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Kia Sedona
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,186 Sedona complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 368 Read
The contact owned a 2005 kia sedona. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly shut off and the brakes and power steering no longer functioned. The contact ran off the road into a ditch. The vehicle caught fire and exploded. A fire report was filed and the fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries…
Our 2018 Kia Sedona SXL caught on fire in the engine compartment while driving. IT almost killed my wife (driver) and my 4 year old son. Car had been driven only 2 blocks after picking up my son from daycare. The car started to produce black smoke incessantly from the engine compartment that made visibility almost…
My Daughter was driving my Kia Sedona Van - distracted and on wet roads ran into a firehydrant and pole. During the accident, the Air Bags did not employ. The Passenger fell forward and broke the windshield with her head, leading to a Concucussion. We are thankful for two Children who are alive after this accident. We…
Engine 277 Read
Vehicle was idling when smoke and fire started presumably from the engine causing a car fire. We are the insurance company that paid for the car and Clearcover Insurance is now the owner
10 mile drive to town. On return home, smoke began pouring from the engine compartment. Within 3-4 minutes flames came from grill area, and within 15 minutes entire car was engulfed in flames
While driving on the highway, the engine stopped working; smoke, metal fragments and oil came out of the front of the car leading to zero visibility. We were extremely lucky that we were able to quickly navigate out of traffic, stop the car on the side of the highway and get all kids out safely. The police and fire…
Air Bags 168 Read
I was in a car wreck and my air bags did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock. The other vehicle involved in the car accident immediately deployed its airbags. I did not ask for an ambulance because I do not know if my insurance covers it so I went personally to the emergency room after the accident
Side impact airbag didn't deploy causing head injury to driver. Van was hit at high speed by impaired driver who ran a red light. Van has hit from the driver's side in the engine compartment just in front of the driver. The engine was basically laying in the street after the impact
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle was suddenly rear-ended when the other vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the vehicle was pushed into the vehicle in front. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. After the impact, the contact was…
Service Brakes 168 Read
I was driving and the car in front of me slammed on their brakes, there was more than a car length between us, but when I stepped on brakes the car accelerated rather than stopped. I noticed other times the car wouldn't stop when stepped on the brakes hard. Since then I'm very cautious about driving in bad weather, or…
On 05-10-16 my 2008 kia sedona was parked in the drive way. It was not on. It had not been driven for more than 24 hours.the key was not in the ignition. We were removing one of the back passenger seats on the driver's side. The side door had remained open. In the past we had problems with the driver's side sliding…
The contact owns a 2007 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she was informed that smoke was emanating from the vehicle, after which she observed flames emanating from the engine compartment on the driver's side. Bystanders were able to extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher. Local…
Suspension 160 Read
There was a fire under my minivan as my husband was driving it, creating smoke and flames. He lost power to the van and had to coast to the right side of the highway where he came to a stop with the flames occurring. This is the family vehicle and I have small children. We had no warning lights or any indication that…
The contact owns a 2008 kia sedona. The contact stated that while her boyfriend was driving around a curve, the vehicle veered off the highway at 55 mph down into an incline. The vehicle crashed into a tree in a yard. It was discovered that the control arm on the driver's side was rusted and fractured in three places.…
Front driver side control arm covered under recall but not replaced broke while driving, causing the axle and other front suspension parts to break, causing the front wheel to point outwards in opposite directions, and the vehicle to come to a screeching stop, from 30 mph. Vehicle was taken to kia dealer in 2013 after…
Structure 151 Read
The vehicle caught on fire while parked in the driveway and burned to the ground. We contacted kia motors regarding this. It took them weeks before they sent out a representative to inspect the vehicle. Upon inception of the vehicle they simply denied that the engine fire was caused by faulty parts and declined…
Driving my kia in freeway about 55 mph and unexpectedly hood open and crash my windshield, I try to drive to freeway side with the little visible space between dashboard and hood, a guy driving besides me help with the traffic so I reduce speed and hit guardrail, I damage my bumper and all right front side of my kia,…
I have multiple spots of the pearl white paint peeling/flaking/bubbling off the vehicle in multiple places. 1st spot noticed was on the roof just behind the sunroof and the 2nd spot is the edge of the liftgate
Vehicle Speed Control 118 Read
The contact stated the vehicle had recently been serviced at a service dealer, for recall # 05V013000, vehicle speed control: cables. The service report did not state the clip was added to keep the cables in place. Items were noticed hanging under the vehicle. The contact stated while driving 35 mph on dry road…
My daughter was driving when this incident occurred. While in heavy traffic, she had come to a stop. After stopping then resuming a very slow speed (5 mph or less), while her foot was on the brake pedal, the vehicle lunged forward in to the vehicle in front of her, causing significant front-end damage and air bag…
While pulling into my driveway going between 5-10 mph I applied the brake and the vehicle lunged forward into my garage door which was closed and damaged another car parked in the garage. If the other car was not there to stop it I may have been killed. I reported this to kia and the investigation only showed a blown…
Steering 98 Read
While driving around a corner doing 25 mph, on a back road that was dry, I corrected the steering to the left out of the curve and the steering continued to pull to the right and would not correct. Vehicle went down a 20 foot embankment and struck a tree head on. The airbags did not deploy in the collision and the…
While parking, the power steering hose melted and power steering liquid leaked, causing the engine room and the bottom of the engine room to catch fire. There was danger to the driver and cars parked nearby. The problem was confirmed and repaired at a auto repair shop. Firefighters responded and the insurance company…
Had turned on the air in the seat and smelled a plastic burning smell when I parked my car and went in my house to get my swimsuit and towel and returned outside smoke was rolling out of the car. The car was on fire at the drivers side seat
Sedona years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 2 | — | |
| 2020 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 1 | 4 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 2 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 8 | 13 | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | — | 8 | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 2 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 4 | 5 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 4 | 3 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 3 | 2 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 4 | 8 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 7 | 8 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 12 | 8 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 17 | 9 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 8 | 15 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 10 | 26 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 14 | 20 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 389 |
| Average complaints per series | 5.6 |
| Worst single series | 38 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.7 years |
A model average of 5.6 hides a worst series at 38. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Sedona?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2016, 2002 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Sedona years are the cleanest?
2021, 2020, 2010 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Kia Sedona have?
2,186 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2002–2021. Of those, 102 describe a crash and 135 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.