2018 Kia Sedona

The defect

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.

The risk

Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

The remedy

Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.

Kia Motors America · up to 410,619 vehicles across all model years covered

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

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

2018 Kia Sedona lx stalled while my wife was driving on the highway. No warning lights were on until the vehicle lost all power. Luckily my wife was able to pull the car safely to the side. The vehicle only has 36960 miles. Brought vehicle to the dealer and they said engine was seized. That Kia would not attempt a repair unless I gave copies of oil/oil filters from oil changes that I performed. I did not have these so Kia is not honoring the warranty. I changed the oil every year regardless of the miles. Did not miss. The oil is clean as I just changed the oil a couple months ago. Someone could have been killed. We got that van for our disabled adult son. Thankfully he wasn’t in the …

NHTSA complaint 11754333, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

towed · 90,000 miles

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 …

NHTSA complaint 11747931, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

63,000 miles

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.

NHTSA complaint 11731469. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 …

NHTSA complaint 11727513, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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)

NHTSA complaint 11702065. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 …

NHTSA complaint 11695448, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.