2018 Kia Sedona Complaints

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 01/02/2026

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that the air bag and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with alternator failure; however, the battery was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that after his wife had pulled into the driveway, the instrument panel turned blank, and the driver noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The driver turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle cooled down. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle later in the evening, the vehicle failed to start. The contact opened the hood and noticed that unknown parts had melted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the battery terminals and an unknown control module had melted due to an electrical failure; however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC — Filed 04/06/2026

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Check Auto Emergency System" was displayed and the brake warning light illuminated. Additionally, an unknown fluid was leaking near the front passenger’s side wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and an oil change was performed but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was about 63,000.

ENGINE — Filed 02/08/2026

The vehicle is a 2018 Kia Sedona with approximately 122,000 miles that experienced a catastrophic engine failure resulting in complete engine seizure. The failure has been identified by an independent mechanic as a rod bearing issue. The engine remains intact and is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle is currently not operational and the battery has been disconnected. This vehicle is a family vehicle that regularly transports our four children. At the time of the incident, our [XXX] child was in the vehicle with us. The failure created a serious safety risk. While traveling on the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power without warning, creating a hazardous situation in active traffic and increasing the risk of a collision. The presence of a young child in the vehicle further heightened the severity of the safety risk. The issue was preceded by a light tapping noise that began approximately 10 miles prior to the failure. Within about one minute before total failure, a loud squealing noise occurred, followed immediately by complete engine shutdown and loss of power. There were no meaningful warnings that would indicate imminent catastrophic failure in time to safely prevent the incident. The problem has been confirmed by an independent repair facility, which diagnosed the engine as seized due to internal failure consistent with rod bearing damage. A Kia dealership and Kia America have both been contacted and declined responsibility for repair. The vehicle has been regularly maintained, with routine oil changes performed as expected. The most recent oil change was completed approximately 2,000 miles prior to the failure. Insurance has confirmed this incident is not covered, as it is a mechanical failure and not the result of an accident or external damage. The vehicle has not been physically inspected by the manufacturer. Police were not involved. This type of failure is consistent with widely reported engine defects across Kia vehicles i INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEAT BELTS — Filed 10/19/2025

My [XXX] son pulled the seatbelt so tight it got wrapped around his neck. When I pulled over to unbuckle it, it was stuck. I turned the car off and on again to try and loosen it, but it didn't work. In the emergency, I had to cut the seatbelt with scissors. It's the passenger seatbelt in the second row, next to the window. I reported the incident to Kia in Puerto Rico by phone. They never called me back. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

AIR BAGS — Filed 05/10/2022

In 2022, our airbag light came on. On 5/10/2022 am Airbag recall was issued and it was fixed. The airbag computer/module was fixed. We got into an accident in August of 2022, and our airbags never went off. And the airbag light has never shut off since it was “fixed” May 2022. It’s now October 2025. They said nothing was wrong with it, after bringing the vehicle in multiple times. And now after bringing it in, again in August 2025, they said the entire passenger airbag unit needs to be replace and isn’t related to the airbag recall. It’s $800+ and Kia won’t do it since the warranty has expired and it’s “not related”. Still fighting with them over it. As the airbags recall in 2022 included a defect where the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) cover can contact a memory chip, potentially deactivating the airbags. This issue affects a range of models manufactured between July 2016 and January 2019 and can result in the airbags failing to deploy in an accident. Worst customer service and vehicle I’ve ever owned.

ENGINE — Filed 10/10/2025

While driving under normal conditions and normal operation, the engine lost power, began using excessive fuel, the inside of the vehicle smelled like fuel and white smoke began pouring out of the exhaust.

STRUCTURE — Filed 07/01/2025

Driver Side door stuck in the closed position. Electric Motor does not work.

SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 07/09/2025

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 there would be a fire in my vehicle as the van had been running smoothly, and I had kept up with all recommended maintenance (see Carfax report). On July 31st, I was told by Kia America that there was a fire in the engine compartment and that it was inconclusive and they could not determine what started the fire. On August 15th, my father and husband went to Castrucci Kia (where the car was) and were shown that there were holes in the engine block, and the service representative Brandon stated that the engine failure had probably thrown some of the rods causing the holes in the lower engine block sparking a fire when the leaking oil hit the catalytic converter. My insurance was involved, but I was not able to obtain a settlement from them, but I kept up on all maintenance and adherence to Kia guidelines and my engine unexpectedly failed and caught on fire. I was told I would need a new engine at an approximate cost ranging from 12,000 to 15,000 dollars. I believe that my 2018 Kia Sedona's 3.3 L gasoline direct injection engine was manufactured defectively resulting in catastrophic engine failure, APPARENTLY puncturing the engine block, causing engine oil to leak and ignite a fire. Our attempts to address this critical issue with Kia have been met with significant resistance and delays. It appears that Kia refuses to take responsibility. There has been an escalating number of safety complaints and instances directly linked to the 3.3 L Kia V6 Lambda II engine. I appreciate your assistance in resolving this issue with KIA AMERICA and the local KIA service center where my vehicle is located

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 08/11/2025

Engine failed…driving down the road with five small children and without warning all the lights came on and started smoking, leaking fuel, power doors failed, steering, acceleration and more. We had to have the car towed to a shop. A when looking into what’s happening apparently many others are having to spend thousands to fix this issue and I’m afraid that’s where we are. An investigation needs to be opened as this is clearly an ongoing issue for many families

ENGINE — Filed 07/18/2025

While driving on the interstate, about an hour into the trip, there was a banging/tinging sound coming from the front of the van. Immediately the van was pulled off the road to assess the situation as there were NO WARNING MESSAGES OR LIGHTS that came on to alert of any problem. Immediately before hearing the noise, the van had a major loss of power going up a slight incline on the interstate. The van threw a rod and had I not noticed the sound and pulled over, this could have been potentially a deadly situation had I kept driving and the engine completely seized up in the middle of the interstate.