2017 Kia Sedona Complaints

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/01/2022

White paint is peeling off and flaking away, far more than I would expect from normal wear.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 08/21/2026

The transmission doesnt know what gear it it in. Code p0705

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 08/06/2026

on 8/6/26 my wife was driving home when the Sedona Van began emitting white smoke and started making a whining noise. Little did we know the head bolts had pulled out of the engine causing the head gasket to blow and coolant to leak and total engine failure. Safety risk was engine could have seized in the middle of my wife driving home which could have caused a sudden crash. Vehicle was taken to dealership which confirmed total engine failure due to the well-documented engine failures of the 3.3L V6 Lamda - II engines. Dealership stated my VIN # was NOT included in the extended warranty that the NHTSA mandated KIA provide due to this well-documented problem. I was told the extended warranty covered vehicles through 2016 model years, my Sedona is a 2017. Therefore, there was NOTHING they could do. However, this is the SAME issue that has been documented over and over with this engine. But because mine is a 2017 I am being told it is not covered for the total engine replacement by KIA. I was told to call the KIA customer care line which I did. They confirmed my vehicle is NOT covered, but agreed it is the same engine issue that has been seen in the 2013-2016. I was told that I could file a Goodwill case that will be escalated to KIA corporate to see if there is anything they can do to help me. I am now waiting for them to get back to me. I was quoted $13,206 for the engine replacement and likely may need radiator replaced too so probably closer to $15,000 when all done. I am told this is purely mechanical failure and a manufacturer defect. I am waiting for KIA's response but want to file this complaint to see what help is available if they come back and deny covering my engine replacement. simply because it is a 2017. This vehicle has been great so far, has 157,000 well cared for miles until this issue erupted without warning. Dealership said have not seen this on a 2017 Sedona, but it happened, my van is currently dead and will there be more 2017's w/ this issu

STRUCTURE — Filed 11/14/2025

White Pearl paint is flaking/peeling of for no apparent reason.

ENGINE — Filed 05/11/2026

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the contact the oil light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact mention he pulled over to the right side of the road, exited the vehicle and when he lifted the hood of the vehicle, he noticed flames coming from the engine. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention. There was no police report filed. The fire department did not show at the scene to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was not destroyed. The vehicle is currently still at the scene. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,658.

ENGINE — Filed 06/05/2025

Same defect on NHTSA (Investigation PE23-019) my vehicle is 1 month outside of the manufacturing date listed, having the same issues, but they will not cover it-even though the same engine is in it. KIA bulletin WTY039 Vehicle is overheating, coolant is bubbling

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 01/08/2024

The sliding door located on the driver's side / left side behind the driver's seat will not close completely which causes an alert/warning to be displayed that the door is still open. The door slides on the track but will not close completely. You must apply pressure as it closes to turn of the warning light.

ENGINE — Filed 04/04/2022

There was an unusual amount of oil "slug" created by the engine which caused the engine to be inoperable. Therefore, we had to replace the engine.

ENGINE — Filed 02/26/2026

My vehicle would not start, after jumping and idling for a few moments, all dash lights started flashing and vehicle wouldnt go into gear. I shut it off as it started making a hum and smelled like something wasnt right. A mobile mechanic who came to my rescue after breaking down did a diagnostic of my engine. I was told I had low to no oil. I asked how was this possible as I had only driven around 2,000 miles since my recent oil change at the KIA dealer ( Wesley Chapel, FL). He said the tech may not have put recommended oil amount or the engine is consuming the oil. I told him I would contact the dealer regarding this matter. Long story, short I broke down to needing a new battery and alternator. I don't know if this was the exact cause of the latter 2 needing to be repaired. However, since speaking to others this is common with some models. I even had 1 individual state there were recalls and engines were being replaced as the engine could potentially lock up or fail. I am not finding a recall. Is this an issue that has been reported and I am missing something. Also, there was a recall on the sliding doors at 1 point. I am still having issues with the drivers side yet tge dealerships want to charge me a diagnostic fee. How do I go about seeing if this is an ongoing issue.

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 03/29/2026

137,000 Miles, regular oil changes every 4,000 miles,even adding 2 quarts during the 4,000 miles it would still come up short by 1 quart. Started throwing p0018 timing code,high pressure fuel pump on front blew off the valve cover,Im assuming due to jumping out of timing,as the high pressure pump sits ontop of one of the Camshaft rollers. Engine started knocking and is now useless.

ENGINE — Filed 02/08/2026

Vehicle Information: 2017 Kia Sedona VIN: [XXX] Engine: 3.3L GDI Mileage at failure: 186,000 miles Complaint: I am filing this complaint regarding sudden engine failure in my 2017 Kia Sedona equipped with the 3.3L GDI engine. The vehicle had approximately 186,000 miles at the time of failure and had just undergone a routine oil change prior to the incident. While driving on the highway, a warning light illuminated on the dashboard. Shortly after the warning light appeared, the engine began making a loud knocking sound. The knocking rapidly worsened, indicating internal engine damage. The failure occurred while the vehicle was in motion at highway speed, creating a serious safety risk due to potential loss of power and reduced ability to accelerate or maneuver safely. The vehicle was diagnosed as requiring a full engine replacement. The estimated cost provided was $5,758.05 for the engine, plus an additional $1,800 core charge, not including labor costs. This represents a substantial financial burden. It is my understanding that Kia has prior knowledge of widespread issues involving GDI engines, including premature internal bearing failure and engine seizure in multiple models. Despite this knowledge, the 2017 Kia Sedona with the 3.3L GDI engine has not been adequately addressed. Sudden engine failure at highway speeds poses a significant safety hazard and increases the risk of collision. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate the 3.3L GDI engine used in the 2017 Kia Sedona for potential manufacturing defects related to premature engine failure and internal component damage. Thanks, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE — Filed 01/22/2026

My husband and I originally bought our White 2017 Kia Sedona LX on 9/12/18 from Hertz automotive sales. Since that time we had had no engine issues. We maintained our brakes, and standard upkeeps on the car. Eight years in and still our car had given us no issues. Our most recent oil change was on 9/13/25 and it was inspected during that oil change and no issues were noted. The car had since that time been driven as expected to school for kids and work for myself and activities on the weekend for family time. There was no weird smells, discolored smoke from the tail piper or anything. The car was running fine. At no time were any warning signals on, flashing or intermittently coming on and off. Then on Thursday, 1/22/26 evening I stopped by the gas station to get gas before turning into my neighborhood for home. Upon leaving the gas station, I noticed and felt the engine seemed off and vibrating with soft tremor like shaking and as I pressed on the gas for power it was soft power, and at that moment only did I see the check engine light on solid (not flashing). I called my husband and a few mins later we made it home, he came out to check the car, and saw now that the engine light was flashing over and over. We read up on what this meant and new we had a problem. We dropped the car off on Saturday to the mechanic and on Monday, 1/26/26 a diagnostic was made and was given the bad news that the engine had complete failure. $18,000 bill to fix all the issues. But here is a short synopsis: Multiple codes found in ECM Metal found in oil, oil is also 1 or more quarts low P0300 (Random misfire), P0302 (CYL #2 misfire), p0304, (CYL#4 misfire) p0306. (CYL#6 misfire) p0175, (bank 2 rich) p0018 (crank - cam correlation) Engine has internal failure, failing piston rings allowing oil in combustion chamber, causing misfire, rich condition and engine shaking This was a shock and we had to sell it for nothing to a salvage company.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 01/08/2026

My 2017 Kia Sedona has has regular oil changes about every 3000 miles. I was not due for an oil change quite yet and a ticking noise coming from the engine started to occur. I made an appointment at the Kia dealership right away. Just a few days before my appointment there was no warning light for the oil or engine until the engine failed, went limp and I lost power steering control, the brakes went stiff and all of the lights came on at once. It was very scary for me and my two children to lose that control of the vehicle. It can be inspected at Berlin City Kia where it currently sits and is in need of a replacement engine. After much research I have seen that this is a known issue for Kia engines and for some reason the 2017 Sedona is not included in any extended warranty's. Please investigate this. I did ask Kia for help in covering the replacement engine but was denied by the woman who I spoke to on the phone. I still put in a claim online anyway. It has been inspected by Berlin City Kia and they said there was "significant rod knocking". They are quoting me $9880 to replace the engine. After regular oil changes for the time that I have owned this vehicle and especially after I has the oil pressure sensor leak addressed as well over the last few years, it should not have died prematurely as it did. I am worried that the oil leaking so badly at that time may have pooled in the back of the engine which could have led to the rods wearing which in turn led to them knocking in the future. What else could cause this to happen? And so many other customers have complained about this exact issue. Please investigate this.

ENGINE — Filed 09/10/2025

Engine with around 107K miles has had regular maintenance done to it. Went out one morning to start my van and there was a knocking noise coming from under the hood. We then had it towed to an engine/transmission repair shop to have it looked at and was told that we needed a new/used engine and the price was thru the roof. this is a very trusted shop so took there advice. To have the engine replaced is going to cost more than what the vehicle is worth. This is a known issue with some kia engines as they with no signs of failure prior to the noise. We had not one warning light on the dash, it just went poof.

ENGINE — Filed 07/30/2025

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that after parking in his driveway, there was white smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact is handicapped and was assisted by his wife to exit the vehicle safely. The vehicle later caught on fire, and flames were visible in the front passenger side that spread to the rear of the vehicle. No warning lights illuminated before or after the failure. The contact stated that the front of the house was damaged, as well as the garage siding, along with an older truck parked in the driveway. The fire was extinguished by the fire department with water, and a police officer was on scene and tried to extinguish the rear with an extinguisher, but was unsuccessful. There was a fire report filed. The vehicle was towed a week after the fire to the insurance tow lot. The vehicle was deemed destroyed by the insurance company. No injuries were sustained. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

ENGINE — Filed 11/20/2025

Excessive oil consumption

ENGINE — Filed 10/21/2023

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 department came immediately to help. We had the vehicle towed and examined. The car had an internal engine break down. The connecting rod and the engine block were torn off and the oil pan was heavily damaged. It is deformed to the outside. The vehicle needs a new engine.

STRUCTURE — Filed 01/19/2023

Power Door (passenger side) closed on me when other door was opened. As I was putting a child into the passenger side middle row seat the passenger side sliding door closed on its own. (The door on the other side of van was opened at the same time the one began to close.) It did not stop when it it my body and kept closing. I tried pushing on the door to stop it from continuing to close but it didn’t stop. My husband reached to push the button to open it back up. I had bruise on my arm and cut on my thigh from the door attempting to close on me.

EQUIPMENT — Filed 10/24/2021

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while using the original jack that came with the vehicle when one side of the jack bent and caused the vehicle to collapse. The contact stated he pulled his back and did seek medical attention at a walk-in clinic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 06/03/2021

This event occurred on June 3, 2021. The passenger sliding door sunshade (in use) began to rip from the top edge due to a 3.4 year old child pulling on it from their front facing carseat on a long drive. Unknown to the driver, the sunshade fabric had ripped about 5 inches away, leaving a portion of the rod exposed. When the damage was noticed, the driver disconnected the shade and recessed it for the next duration of travel in an attempt to keep the child safe and to ensure no further damage to the shade. While continuing the drive child, the child reached over and had begun mouthing the end of the rod while recessed. The van later stopped. Driver opened automatic sliding door from outside unknowingly while rod was in toddler's mouth. As the door retracted to the rear, the exposed rod end was thrust down the toddler's throat. The child shrieked in pain and fear. Driver reached around and attempted to pull the rod forward from the toddler's throat unsuccessfully (because the door was still in backwards movement. The toddler's head was pinned. The child finally turned their head towards the door and the road sprung out from pressure. Child had bruising and slight bleeding from the back of throat and a scrape along the inside of the cheek where the rod drug on its way out of the mouth. Child was removed from carseat and checked for severe injuries. There was no significant bleeding, the airway was unaffected, and photographs could not be taken due to the location of the injury and the age of the child. The child was held and consoled. The child and parents were extremely traumatized and it took nearly an hour to continue the drive to the destination. Child had instantly become fearful of the carseat. The sunshade was manually removed entirely from the rod and the fabric recessed itself into the opening. The rod is intact and in possession. We will not be repairing it due to fear of a repeated injury. This event could easily occur again.

STEERING,AIR BAGS — Filed 01/17/2019

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 ENGINE DID NOT SHUT OFF. I SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES, RESULTING IN 4 MONTHS OF MISSED WORK AND A DOUBLE DISCECTOMY TO REPAIR TWO SEVERELY HERNIATED DISCS. UNTIL MY SURGERY I WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR FROM THESE INJURIES, AS MY SPINAL CORD WAS COMPRESSED BY THE DISCS IN MY NECK. THE KIA SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS HOTLINE WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME REGARDING THE SAFETY FEATURES OTHER THAN TO SAY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE AIRBAGS SHOULD DEPLOY FROM A FULL FRONT IMPACT GOING A SPEED OF AT LEAST 25MPH (AS THERE WAS DOWNWARD MOMENTUM AT THAT POINT) HOWEVER THE AUTO BODY REPAIR SHOP THAT OUR INSURANCE COMPANY ASSIGNED US TO SAYS THE AIRBAGS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO DEPLOY IN SUCH AN ACCIDENT. AS I CANNOT GET AN ANSWER FROM KIA AS TO WHETHER THIS HAS MERIT, I AM LEFT DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT I AM UNSURE IS SAFE.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/10/2018

KEYLESS PUSH BUTTON ON/OFF BUTTON FAILED TO TURN OFF ON OUR 2017 KIA SEDONA AND THE VEHICLE HAD NO ALARM TO WARN US. OUR HOME FILLED TO TOXIC LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE AND I AM UNDERGOING CONTINUATION OF MEDICAL TREATMENT. OUR HOME FILLED TO A LEVEL OF 190 AND DEATH OCCURS AT 200 PER THE HAZMET TEAM WHO RESCUED US.THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN OUR GARAGE.

STRUCTURE — Filed 07/26/2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 KIA SEDONA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HATCH AND SLIDING DOORS FAILED TO CLOSE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. ADDITIONALLY, THE HATCH INADVERTENTLY CLOSED ON THE CONTACT'S BODY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED HEAD INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (ELK GROVE KIA, 8480 LAGUNA GROVE DR., ELK GROVE, CA 95757, (916) 753-1000), BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: [XXX]. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,679. *BF INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TT

STRUCTURE — Filed 09/24/2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 KIA SEDONA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR WAS SLIDING CLOSED, THE LEFT HAND OF THE CONTACT'S CHILD WAS SMASHED IN THE DOOR. THE LOCAL DEALER (MATT BLATT KIA OF TOMS RIVER, 1070 RTE 37 W, TOMS RIVER, NJ, 08755) WAS CONTACTED AND AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE CONTACT'S CHILD SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE LEFT HAND THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND FILED A REPORT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2,000.

AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 10/31/2016

TL* THE CONTACT RENTED A 2017 KIA SEDONA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT REAR ENEDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE SEAT BELT DID NOT RESTRAIN THE DRIVER. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE IMPOUND LOT AND WAS NOT DRIVABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,609. UPDATED 02/15/2017*CT