CSR

Kia · NHTSA safety record

2015 Kia Sedona

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

137

Complaints

2

Crashes

9

Fires

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2015 Kia Sedona have filed 137 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2015 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 50 of them (36%). The typical failure was reported at 55,000 miles, the median across the 65 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints halved year on year: 7 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 20 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

21V725000 · September 17, 2021

The defect
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.
The risk
A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.
The 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 · up to 88,576 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

19V109000 · February 19, 2019

The defect
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.
The risk
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.
The 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 · up to 94,389 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

18V338000 · May 23, 2018

The defect
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.
The risk
If the door closes on an occupant, there is an increased risk of an injury.
The 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.

Kia Motors America · up to 106,428 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 137.

ENGINE 50 36%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 26%
STRUCTURE 19 14%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 17 12%
AIR BAGS 11 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10 7%
SEATS 6 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 4%
POWER TRAIN 4 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 2%
WHEELS 3 2%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 1%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 23.

2015 2024 2026
2015 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

SEATS

1 injured · 125,000 miles

We have had multiple seat latches fail on our vehicle. We have attempted to WD40 the mechanism and have ensured there is nothing in the tract but the second row passenger seat as well as the larger drivers side third row seat are not latching onto the tract. The mechanism moved freely but they are not latching into place. I had submitted a safety recall claim for our second row seat a while back as it created a significant safety issue with our child in the seat. Now the rear seat is having a similar problem. The biggest issue is that it will seem that it is latching and then during times of safety concerns (occupied while driving) it unlatches. My son was sitting in the rear and lurched

NHTSA complaint 11575069, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured

I was driving at approximately 20-25 mph when both side curtain airbags deployed. There was no collision or sudden stops. There were no warning lights or symptoms before or after the incident. My battery had been replaced at a local shop 4-5 hours prior to the incident. My child was in the car in her car seat and appears to have no apparent issues following the event. The hearing in my left ear is deteriorated and I have a ringing sound and it makes a distortion sound when the noise levels reach a certain level.

NHTSA complaint 11603531. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS

fire · 6,700 miles

HAD TURNED ON THE AIR IN THE SEAT AND SMELLED A PLASTIC BURNING SMELL WHEN I PARKED MY CAR AND WENT IN MY HOUSE TO GET MY SWIMSUIT AND TOWEL AND RETURNED OUTSIDE SMOKE WAS ROLLING OUT OF THE CAR. THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AT THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT.

NHTSA complaint 10731142. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

The car odometer was about 120,000 highway miles. After run with the cruise control for about a 386 miles I stop the car in Angola service station and been there for about 12 minutes with the car off the car got on fire. The electric system shut down immediately and the hood didn't open at all, rear doors didn't open electrical way just manually and the back door get completely sealed.

NHTSA complaint 11437981. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The check engine light illuminated with diagnostic code P0018 (crankshaft/camshaft position correlation, Bank 2), first recorded on a scan XXX. The vehicle was taken to a franchised Kia dealership in [XXX] on XXX at 88,719 miles. The dealer performed an engine teardown and provided a written diagnosis on XXX: metal debris on the exhaust camshaft position sensor, damaged camshaft phasers, a sheared camshaft pin, and metal contamination throughout the engine. The dealer states the engine requires either a major timing-system repair or complete engine replacement. This failure mode can cause sudden loss of motive power while driving. There was no crash, no injury, and no fire. The engine

NHTSA complaint 11755079, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

Was driving down the road with zero issues known, no check engine light, and only 114K miles. There was a sudden noise that was quiet so I turned down the radio, and then within 2 seconds or so a loud bang occurred, followed by a lot of smoke. I looked in the side mirrors and noted flames coming from underneath the van. Pulled over and got my family out.

NHTSA complaint 11749889. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
Right side sliding became stuck in closed position. Door was not openable by inside nor outside door handles. Not openable by automatic means such as push button. This situation slowed egress and could be a safety issue during emergency evacuation. During repair, KIA mechanics informed me that the forward latch (not the rear latch) of the sliding door was mechanically locked in closed position. The latch had to be destroyed from inside of vehicle to release latch to open door to be able to repair.

NHTSA complaint 11743899. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Our 2015 Kia Sedona VIN [XXX] developed CAN Bus fault codes U0001 U0100 U0101 rendering it completely undrivable following an incomplete warranty extension repair under WTY019 by Kia of Des Moines on [XXX] RO# [XXX]. The power sliding doors have been a persistent safety concern. The incomplete warranty extension repair left the sliding door not closing properly creating a safety hazard. The vehicle subsequently developed CAN Bus communication faults making it completely undrivable. After 28 days at Kia of Des Moines from May 4 to June 1 2026 under RO# [XXX] the CAN Bus fault was never diagnosed or addressed. The power sliding door still does not function after two warranty extension

NHTSA complaint 11741708, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
My Husband was driving my van with me and my 2 children inside the vehicle and the vehicle lost all power and stalled in the middle of the road and would not restart there was no warning light no noise from the motor or anything. The problem has been confirmed by a independent garage and a Kia dealer this happened on 12/20/25

NHTSA complaint 11712246. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Van was well cared for. Engine failure occurred while on interstate, causing immediate high-pitched squealing. Problem with 2015 models seems to be known to Kia, and they told us we'd have to replace the engine entirely. No warnings, messages, or symptoms prior to or following failure. Still turns on but afraid to hurt engine further while driving with the terrible noise. We are crushed that such a good vehicle, having been well taken care of and serviced, should have such a distinct, unavoidable, and irreversible loss. Grateful that we were able to pull over, despite the numerous cars surrounding us, and to be safely towed. Won't trust Kia the same way in the future.

NHTSA complaint 11696575. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Sedona

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2020 20 1
2019 36 2
2018 48 3
2017 132 4
2016 291 4 2
2014 38 1
2012 107 5
2011 65 6
2010 32 5

Other 2015 Kia models

Every Kia on this site — 176 vehicles, 208 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst