Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
36
Complaints
2
Crashes
1
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths
Owners of the 2019 Kia Sedona have filed 36
safety complaints with NHTSA
between March 2019 and August 2026.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 10 of them
(28%). The typical failure was reported at 30,000 miles, the median
across the 13 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this
vehicle.
Recalls (2)
AIR BAGS
22V031000 · January 25, 2022
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
SEAT BELTS: REAR/OTHER:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
19V207000 · March 18, 2019
The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Sedona vehicles equipped with an 8-passenger seat arrangement. The seat belt
buckle for the second-row middle seat may have been improperly installed on the wrong side of the seat, preventing the proper use of the 3-point seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
A seat belt that cannot be properly used increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
The remedy
Kia has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the seat belt installation, and reinstall the seat belt buckle to the correct side if necessary, free of charge. The recall began April 8, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia 's number for this recall is SC177.
Kia Motors America · up to 197 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 36.
ENGINE 10 28%
STRUCTURE 8 22%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 11%
POWER TRAIN 4 11%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 3 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 3 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 8%
AIR BAGS 2 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 6%
STEERING 2 6%
TIRES 2 6%
SEAT BELTS 1 3%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2024 at 8.
2019 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.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
2 injured · 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving, he became aware of a strong and unpleasant fuel odor that made him and his granddaughter sick. The contact stated that the check engine warning light flashed on and off several times. The vehicle was taken on several occasions to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a fuel leak and several parts related to the fuel leak failure were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated the failure had been for a year and the dealer had not been able to repair the vehicle properly. The vehicle was also inspected by an independent mechanic who confirmed the failure and stated that the exhaust was very hot which …
NHTSA complaint 11590999, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
1 injured · fire · towed · 140,000 miles
The contact owned a 2019 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving 70 mph up a hill, he heard an abnormal noise, and then the vehicle was seized. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the size of the vehicle and when exiting the vehicle felt heat exiting under the vehicle. The contact stated he saw fire located on the engine. The contact extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher he had available. The fire department filed a fire report. The contact stated an ambulance was able to attempt him and transport him to the hospital for smoke and fire extinguisher chemical in his lungs. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to an …
NHTSA complaint 11452719, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed · 163,000 miles
Side impact airbag didn't deploy causing head injury to driver. Van was hit at high speed by impaired driver who ran a red light. Van has hit from the driver's side in the engine compartment just in front of the driver. The engine was basically laying in the street after the impact.
NHTSA complaint 11592169. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 injured
I was shutting the door and my hand was still in the door way. Sensor failed and closed my hand into the door and latched. I had to press the open door button to get it to release my finer. I had to go to ER and orthopedic doctor, resulting in a break in two parts of my finger. If it would have been one of my small children instead of me, it would have been much worse. The only issue we have had was a failed motor in the door but it was fixed and inspected months ago by the Kia dealer.
NHTSA complaint 11522286. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
towed · 146,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine overheated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the engine head bolts had failed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced. The contact stated that later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer who diagnosed that the ignition coil had failed. The ignition coil and spark plug seals were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 146,000.
NHTSA complaint 11755275. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that the heat and A/C control knobs had melted twice, and the contact had purchased and personally replaced the entire control panel. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an abnormal strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the low-pressure fuel pump and fuel injectors were replaced on separate occasions. However, the failure recurred while leaving the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the high-pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced; however, after the repair, the vehicle …
NHTSA complaint 11745095, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Both sliding doors will not open using door buttons. Both doors stopped latching on their own before this occurred. Needed to push doors manually for the door to latch.
NHTSA complaint 11734427. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Driver's side power sliding door stopped latching and alarms, but doesn't hinder the vehicle from moving. This is an obvious safety risk, especially when our kids sit in the back next to that door. Evidence indicates that this was a known issue for the previous years of this vehicle, but the recall didn't include 2019 models, even though the issue looks to be the same.
NHTSA complaint 11732039. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
crash · towed · 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle was suddenly rear-ended when the other vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the vehicle was pushed into the vehicle in front. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. After the impact, the contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed. The paramedics evaluated everyone at the scene of the accident. The contact and his family were not injured. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard. A lawyer was contacted, and the lawyer would inform the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was …
NHTSA complaint 11723849, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Sliding doors have an issue where the car alarms like the doors aren’t shut. Took it in and paid a diagnostic for them to tell me a sensor was bad, it still beeps. Seems to beep more when turning away from that door (driver sliding door beeps more when turning right or when stopping, passenger beeps more when turning left or stopping). This was a problem with previous generation to where the warranty was extended and seems a decent amount of complaints for this model are related to the same.
NHTSA complaint 11709206. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file
, published August 20, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API
, most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file
, published 2026-08-19.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst