2008 Kia Sedona problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (37) · Electrical System (14) · Suspension (12)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Sedona model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
136 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Electrical System 2020-02-14 · campaign 20V088000 · 228,829 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Sedona and 2007-2009 Sorento vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the main junction box to prevent power from being directed to the HECU when the vehicle's ignition switch is turned off, free of charge. The recall began June 5, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC186.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2016-06-01 · campaign 16V387000 · 97,884 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through August 14, 2012 and originally sold in, or currently registered in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the Distric
Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the front lower control arms on 2006-2007 models. 2008-2012 models will either have their front lower control arms replaced or additional anti-corrosion coating will be applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC133.
Latches/Locks/Linkages:hood:latch 2016-06-01 · campaign 16V389000 · 219,800 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through April 04, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the secondary hood latch or clean and lubricate the latch, depending on the vehicle's location and the condition of the latch. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC134.
Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm 2013-11-05 · campaign 13V550000 · 79,867 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through August 14, 2012 originally sold in, or currently registered in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia or the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may
Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners and dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on December 20, 2013. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC100.
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2013-04-01 · campaign 13V114000 · 980,377 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 20
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Service bulletins (34)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure 2021-09-13 · TSB_BOD055_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: information for headlamp condensation and moisture - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information relating to some kia models tha
Electrical System 2021-05-07 · TSB_BOD051_CLSD · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
tsb_bod051_closed: technical service bulletin closed
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:catalytic Convertor 2020-06-03 · DOR-M9J4S-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
these skus are exhaust manifolds with catalytic converters. the customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of carb certification. these skus can no longer be sold as they do not meet carb standards, but parts on vehicles are not effected.
Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:catalytic Convertor 2020-06-03 · DOR-M3J3F-07 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
these skus are exhaust manifolds with catalytic converters. the customer communication requested return of unsold inventory due to a loss of carb certification. these skus can no longer be sold as they do not meet carb standards, but parts on vehicles are not effected.
Power Train 2020-04-24 · TSB_TRA046_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: - transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. this bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each kia model. a flush is required only when a
Engine And Engine Cooling 2018-03-02 · PS539 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pitstop - engine component re-use guidelines - in general, parts and components removed during engine repairs should be considered serviceable, and should be thoroughly cleaned and transferred to the new engine.
Showing the 6 most recent of 34 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-02-20 · Engine · 315,465 mi · 🔥 fire“the contact owned a 2008 kia sedona. the contact stated while the vehicle was parked at a friend’s residence, the contact exited the vehicle and took the baby she was caring for inside the residence of the friend. upon returning outside, the contact became aware that the vehicle was on fire and the vehicle was engulfed in flames. the fire departmen…”
2025-11-14 · Structure:frame And Members · 96,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 kia sedona. the contact stated that upon having a state safety inspection performed on the vehicle, the contact was informed by a mechanic that there was severe corrosion on the subframe of the vehicle. the inspector informed the contact that the vehicle might be under recall for the issue. the manufacturer was notified of t…”
2025-11-12 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 80,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 kia sedona. the contact stated that the abs warning light was illuminated. the message "esc off" was displayed. the contact stated that the headlights were inoperable. additionally, the engine had overheated, causing an electrical short and battery failure. the battery was replaced several times; however, the failure persis…”
2024-10-01 · Suspension:front:control Arm · 160,000 mi“the contact owns a 2008 kia sedona. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph and attempting to stop the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the control arm was damaged and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure …”
2024-03-12 · Power Train · 🔥 fire“van caught fire in the engine compartment burned the firewall …”
2023-07-03 · Suspension“right lower control arm broke while i was driving …”
2023-02-03 · Service Brakes · 90,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2008 kia sedona. the contact stated that the key fob failed to open and unlock the doors as well as to deactivate the alarm system. the contact stated that the rear driver’s and passenger’s side windows failed to open fully, and the passenger’s side front door failed to close correctly as the chime and dome light remained on whil…”
2022-11-22 · Seats“driver seat just broke from the slide frame seat just falls back and is not safe to drive the seat is very badly designed should not have broken.also sliding door driver's side got lock were it doesn't open at all.…”
2022-10-07 · Electrical System“i brought this car (owned by by son and his wife, used by me) in march 2022 re recall sc186 to the kia dealership in berwyn, il and they said the new part was needed, and they'd call me when it was in for me to return to have it replaced, but they never did call to say the part was in. -- i called various times through august 2022 to check, and…”
2022-01-08 · Unknown Or Other“driver side sliding door will not close. not powered. multiple mechanic can not fix. do not know why. …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.