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2016 Kia Sedona

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Sedona years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Kia Sedona are substantially higher than the model-year median of 120.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

100 reports with mileage · 195 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 146 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports14 fire reports9 injury reports

Power Train complaints

13 reports
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20,000 miles · Apr 24, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that on various occasions, the gear shift lever seized. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shift lever assembly needed to be replaced. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V…

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The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that on various occasions, the gear shift lever seized. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shift lever assembly needed to be replaced. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V612000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the gear shifter failed to shift into drive(D). The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ODI #11518651

Mileage unknown · Oct 14, 2021
Power TrainCrash

On September 28, 2021 we found out the hard way that our minivan's gear shift could be moved from the parked position to reverse, neutral and forward without having the car turned on and without needing to have a foot pressed on the break. While the car was parked (off) on our home's driveway, my three year old and his brother w…

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On September 28, 2021 we found out the hard way that our minivan's gear shift could be moved from the parked position to reverse, neutral and forward without having the car turned on and without needing to have a foot pressed on the break. While the car was parked (off) on our home's driveway, my three year old and his brother were in the car getting ready to drive to school and my wife was at the door of our house waiting for our other son to come out. In the interim our three year old son got his hands on the shifter and without much effort was able to move the shifter out if the parked position. As a result the van rolled down the driveway with two of my children in it. The vehicle ended up on the street where there was incoming traffic. If it weren't because the car hit the fence, other cars would probably not have stopped and it could have been a worse incident. I've reported incident to Kia on 9/29/21 and was referred to the corporate department. To date 10/14/21 we have yet to get a resolution from Kia and address the incident. They assigned a representative who has yet to provide any concrete guidance and support. My car is not road safe to drive and now I'm left without a family car and traumatized children from this event. I've tested moving the shift gear myself and indeed it moves without having the car on or pressing the break. There were no warning lamps in the car to alert of an issue. The car is at an autoshop pending Kia's inspection but Kia has yet to inspect the vehicle or provide any guidance other than we may need to take the car to a dealership to check something. Autoshop will not touch the car until Kia's tech inspects it. My auto insurance company's adjuster has documented shift gear issue when conducting visual inspection of damages to the car.

NHTSA ODI #11436724

25,000 miles · Nov 12, 2016
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

DRIVING AT 70 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, EXPERIENCED LOUD "BUMP" ON SMOOTH HIGHWAY SURFACE WITH SUDDEN AND TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE SPEED. PUT VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART ENGINE. CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING AT THAT TIME. CRUISE CONTROL WAS OPERATIVE LATER IN THE DAY AFTER ENGINE STOP AND RESTART. TOOK VEHICLE NEXT…

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DRIVING AT 70 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON, EXPERIENCED LOUD "BUMP" ON SMOOTH HIGHWAY SURFACE WITH SUDDEN AND TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE SPEED. PUT VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART ENGINE. CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT WORKING AT THAT TIME. CRUISE CONTROL WAS OPERATIVE LATER IN THE DAY AFTER ENGINE STOP AND RESTART. TOOK VEHICLE NEXT DAY TO DEALER. DEALER SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #10925601

Official recalls

4

22V612000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Aug 10, 2022

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from locking, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash and injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC246.

21V725000 · Electrical System:software; Exterior Lighting:turn Signal

Sep 17, 2021

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sedona vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 12, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC217.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:software

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sedona vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

Consequence: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 12, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC217.

Exterior Lighting:turn Signal

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sedona vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

Consequence: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 12, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC217.

19V109000 · Electrical System:wiring

Feb 19, 2019

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Sedona vehicles equipped with manually-adjusted front passenger seats. Over time, the Occupant Detection System (ODS) wiring harness located underneath the front passenger seat may break from the seat being occupied.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

18V338000 · Electrical System:software; Structure:body:door

May 23, 2018

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Kia Sedona vehicles equipped with a power sliding door (PSD). The PSD may not auto-reverse when its closing is obstructed.

Consequence & remedy

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

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:software

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Kia Sedona vehicles equipped with a power sliding door (PSD). The PSD may not auto-reverse when its closing is obstructed.

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

Remedy: 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.

Structure:body:door

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Kia Sedona vehicles equipped with a power sliding door (PSD). The PSD may not auto-reverse when its closing is obstructed.

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

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

DP24002 · 3.3L Engine Loss Of Motive Power (lomp)

Opened Feb 27, 2024 · Closed Mar 5, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition on February 20, 2024, requesting the opening of an investigation into an alleged defect of the "engine" on the following vehicle model stated by the petitioner: 2016 Kia Sedona vehicles equipped with the 3.3L V-Shaped GDI Lambda-II engine. The petitioner raised the issue of a Loss of Motive Power. On November 13, 2023, ODI opened PE23-019 to address allegations of loss of motive power, on the 3.3L V6 Lambda-II engine for 2016-2017 Kia Sorento and included the 2016 Kia Sedona as a peer vehicle. This investigation is ongoing and addresses the potential safety-related defect raised by the petitioner.  In view of the open Investigation, PE23-019, ODI considers the petition moot and is closing this action.  The closing of the petition does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.  The Agency reserves the right to make that determination at the close of PE23-019.