Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
180–25K
1825–50K
2250–75K
1475–100K
17100–150K
11150K+
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
What owners actually said
295 reports
136,758 miles · Dec 8, 2021
Exterior Lighting
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the headlights would turn off without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the headlights regained functionality however, shortly thereafter the vehicle lost headlight functionality again. The contact stated no warning lig…
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The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the headlights would turn off without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the headlights regained functionality however, shortly thereafter the vehicle lost headlight functionality again. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,758.
NHTSA ODI #11443162
Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2021
Air BagsSeat Belts
The airbag light would come on and go off randomly while driving. We took it to the dealer several times. I believe repairs were made twice and within days it happened again. The other times it was taken into the dealer, the problem could not be replicated as the light would randomly come on/blink. The airbag light stays on all …
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The airbag light would come on and go off randomly while driving. We took it to the dealer several times. I believe repairs were made twice and within days it happened again. The other times it was taken into the dealer, the problem could not be replicated as the light would randomly come on/blink. The airbag light stays on all the time now. I've been told it is dangerous to drive the vehicle while the light is on because the airbags will not deploy should the vehicle get in an accident. The passenger side seatbelt like blinks constantly now whether there is a passenger in the front seat or not. I've been told by Kia that the warranty has expired and any cost associated with the repair of the airbag and seatbelt sensor will be our responsibility. This was an ongoing problem well before the warranty expired.
NHTSA ODI #11442938
Mileage unknown · Nov 24, 2021
Unknown Or Other
The rear passenger sliding door will open and close on it's own while moving and the only way to close completely is to close from the outside while pushing it closed. When using the button in the back it will close then open right up again and make a loud noise. The button above the windshield in from will cause it to close t…
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The rear passenger sliding door will open and close on it's own while moving and the only way to close completely is to close from the outside while pushing it closed. When using the button in the back it will close then open right up again and make a loud noise. The button above the windshield in from will cause it to close then open back up too while making a loud noise. It has to be closed from the outside by pushing on the door. There is nothing obstructing the door either. This VIN number was not part of the recall according to the nhtsa website. This has been ongoing for years, so there is no specific dates
NHTSA ODI #11441559
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
Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2021
Engine
My husband took the car for an oil change and the mechanic said he heard a noise in the engine. They did the oil change and advised to have it checked out. On the way home, while driving, the car stalled, thankfully in the neighborhood and not on the highway. An issue with the battery or oil change were suspected. We had the…
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My husband took the car for an oil change and the mechanic said he heard a noise in the engine. They did the oil change and advised to have it checked out. On the way home, while driving, the car stalled, thankfully in the neighborhood and not on the highway. An issue with the battery or oil change were suspected. We had the car towed to Kia who confirmed that there was no issue with the oil change, the location used for the oil change had done everything correctly. Also, the battery was good. They said the engine seized but could not say why, that we would have to pay them $900 to take the engine apart to find the issue. After research, the very same issues are found with several other Kia and Hyundai models, for example, Kia Sorento. I would like to report this, as it is extremely dangerous to stall in traffic. Also, we still owe $8,000 on the car, we bough it used in February 2020. The car has 118k miles.
NHTSA ODI #11432304
Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2021
Exterior Lighting
There are two issues I believe both are connected. Number 1. Sometimes when I put on the left blinker either nothing happens at all or the wrong blinker (right side) will go on instead of the left. Number 2. Sometimes when I put on my left blinker the headlights will turn off. It can be really scary when this happens on a da…
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There are two issues I believe both are connected. Number 1. Sometimes when I put on the left blinker either nothing happens at all or the wrong blinker (right side) will go on instead of the left. Number 2. Sometimes when I put on my left blinker the headlights will turn off. It can be really scary when this happens on a dark highway at night.
NHTSA ODI #11427538
Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2021
StructureUnknown Or Other
The mud flaps on both front wheels they are starting to pop out and they rub against the tire i hear it really loud when I turn.
NHTSA ODI #11427537
Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2021
Exterior Lighting
The problem is the multi function switch. In the AUTO mode, the head lights go off randomly. This is a super dangerous at night. Also, when the left turn signal is activated, sometimes the flasher doesn't work and you have to jiggle it or turn it off and on again and sometimes the right flasher goes on. The dealer service could …
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The problem is the multi function switch. In the AUTO mode, the head lights go off randomly. This is a super dangerous at night. Also, when the left turn signal is activated, sometimes the flasher doesn't work and you have to jiggle it or turn it off and on again and sometimes the right flasher goes on. The dealer service could not confirm the problem and did nothing. These problems happen at random times and have been ongoing for about 18 months.
NHTSA ODI #11425932
Mileage unknown · Jul 15, 2021
Exterior Lighting
Malfunctioning indicator stalk/switch. Left blinker either won't function or will cause right blinker to indicate. Dangerous because creates confusion to other drivers and is a distraction.
NHTSA ODI #11424914
Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2021
Electrical System
The passenger-side door from day one of purchasing the kia sedon LX doesn't shut properly. When using the button to close the door, the door will shut and then slightly ajar. The car dash will then tell me that not all doors are secure. I have contacted KIA several times. They have replaced the motor first and this didn't fix th…
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The passenger-side door from day one of purchasing the kia sedon LX doesn't shut properly. When using the button to close the door, the door will shut and then slightly ajar. The car dash will then tell me that not all doors are secure. I have contacted KIA several times. They have replaced the motor first and this didn't fix the issue so they replaced the latches. This also didn't fix the issue. Unless I turn off the power doors and manually shut the doors myself the problem still persists.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2016 Kia Sedona Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year