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2015 Kia Sedona

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2015 Kia Sedona do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 120.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

65 reports with mileage · 73 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

2 crash reports9 fire reports2 injury reports

Engine complaints

50 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 14, 2023
Engine

My 2015 Kia Sedona with only 115K miles started making a loud clunking noise with no notice. It drove fine with no lights indicating issues or noises. I went to start the van again in the afternoon and immediately shut it off because I knew something was wrong. The van was towed to the mechanic and I was told I needed an engine …

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My 2015 Kia Sedona with only 115K miles started making a loud clunking noise with no notice. It drove fine with no lights indicating issues or noises. I went to start the van again in the afternoon and immediately shut it off because I knew something was wrong. The van was towed to the mechanic and I was told I needed an engine replacement. They said something was wrong with either the valve train or rod and there was metallic and bearing debris in the oil. We've always maintained excellent care and routine oil changes.

NHTSA ODI #11544455

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2023
Engine

I was driving down the freeway at 65mph when the engine died. Had to pull over in side of freeway. No previous problems or check engine lights. Regular maintenance has been done on the van. The 3.3L engine died without warning.

NHTSA ODI #11536552

Mileage unknown · Jul 17, 2023
Engine

While driving my 2015 Kia Sedona LX under normal operating conditions, The vehicle started to drive abnormal with a slight fluctuation of RPMs without any warning lights or other symptoms. I was close to my house and turned off vehicle for 2 hours after getting home. The vehicle was turned on and began making a banging noise fro…

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While driving my 2015 Kia Sedona LX under normal operating conditions, The vehicle started to drive abnormal with a slight fluctuation of RPMs without any warning lights or other symptoms. I was close to my house and turned off vehicle for 2 hours after getting home. The vehicle was turned on and began making a banging noise from the engine. The vehicle was driven a few miles to a local mechanic who listened to the engine and told me the motor was going to need replaced and the mechanic did not recommend driving this vehicle due to a risk of fire. The mechanic stated that many Kia engines have been experiencing this catastrophic failure and I should have it towed to a Kia dealership to have it looked at. The vehicle was towed to a Kia dealership and after listening to the engine for a few seconds the Kia representative told me the engine would need to be replaced. I asked him why there was no warning lamps on the dashboard and he did not know why but stated it had experienced catastrophic engine failure. He told me the engine would need to be removed to properly assess the point of failure. He informed me that this specific engine/model is not under a recall and I would be responsible for repairs. He told me that these engines were discontinued and my only option would be to replace with a used engine. The representative quoted me the parts/labor would cost 13623. He stated the price was so high due to the used car market and high demand for these engines. This vehicle has had proper maintenance performed and is available for inspection. This vehicle could have put my children, family, other drivers, and myself at risk of severe injury or even death if this catastrophic engine failure happened on a highway at a high rate of speed without any warning. I have contacted Kia Customer affairs and the representative I spoke with confirmed that this vehicle is not under any extended warranty/recall and they would need to see a proper diagnosis from a Kia dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11532888

Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2023
Engine

2015 KIA SEDONA EX WITH 36,600+ MILES HAD CRITICAL ENGINE FAILURE. THE KIA SEDONA WAS PURCHASED WITH 32,470 ON 1/042021. THE ENGINE SEIZED ON APRIL 15 2023 WHILE DRIVING TO A RELIGIOUS MEETING. FORTUNATELY WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO A PARKING SPOT THAT WAS OPEN AS THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. INITIALLY I T…

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2015 KIA SEDONA EX WITH 36,600+ MILES HAD CRITICAL ENGINE FAILURE. THE KIA SEDONA WAS PURCHASED WITH 32,470 ON 1/042021. THE ENGINE SEIZED ON APRIL 15 2023 WHILE DRIVING TO A RELIGIOUS MEETING. FORTUNATELY WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO A PARKING SPOT THAT WAS OPEN AS THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. INITIALLY I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BATTERY AND I TOOK THE NEXT DAY TO CHANGE THE BATTERY BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT CRANK OVER OR START. THE SEDONA WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP THAT WAS AFFILIATED WITH THE WARRANTY COMPANY ON APRIL 17 AFTER I CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE WARRANTY COMPANY. THE ENGINE IS INSPECTED AND TAKEN APART TO SEE THE CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE. THE MECHANIC/REPAIR SHOP NOTIFIES THE WARRANTY COMPANY THAT ENGINE HAD SEIZED AND THE WARRANTY COMPANY ORDERS AN INSPECTION. I WAS AUTHORIZED TO ATTAIN A RENTAL CAR ON THE APRIL 24 UNTIL THE INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED. I WAITED FOR THE THE WARRANTY COMPANY TO SEND AN INSPECTOR THROUGHOUT THAT WEEK. ON APRIL 28 I COMMUNICATED WITH THE MECHANIC/REPAIR SHOP AS TO THE STATUS OF THE MY VEHICLE AND THE RESULTS OF THE INSPECTION. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE FAILED BECAUSE OF THE CRANK SHAFT AND PISTON RODS AND BEARINGS SEIZING/BREAKING. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS AN ISSUE THAT MANY OTHER KIAS AND HYUNDAIS WERE HAVING WITH THEIR ENGINES, AND THAT ENGINE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT ENGINES WERE ALSO NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO THE NUMBER OF FAILURES THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH. AS I DID RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE, I FIND OUT THAT THERE IS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WITH REGARDS TO OTHER KIA AND HYUNDAI ENGINE FAILURE WITH THE SAME TYPE OF DAMAGE. I AM REQUESTING HELP OR ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR AGENCY TO HELP ME BECOME A PLAINTIFF IN THIS SAME LAWSUIT, SO THAT I CAN BE PART OF THIS LAWSUIT AND HAVE MY ENGINE REPAIRED/REPLACED. PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL ME WITH ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THIS LAWSUIT OR HOW TO PROCEED IN GETTING MY ENGINE R I

NHTSA ODI #11519605

Mileage unknown · Jan 23, 2023
EngineStructure

Took our 2015 Kia Sedona for an oil change and checkup due to the engine overheating multiple times. They did the oil change at about 96k miles and said nothing was wrong with the engine. That if anything were to happen then just bring it back in. We went on a trip to Georgia from Miami, we got stranded there because the engine …

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Took our 2015 Kia Sedona for an oil change and checkup due to the engine overheating multiple times. They did the oil change at about 96k miles and said nothing was wrong with the engine. That if anything were to happen then just bring it back in. We went on a trip to Georgia from Miami, we got stranded there because the engine again started overheating. We got the car back and took it to Kia in Doral. Service department stated that the head was damaged. Sales manager says it needed a new engine that would cost us 7500 to replace. We owe 7200 on the vehicle. That would put us at 14k dollars when it was not our fault that the engine failed at 96k miles. The sales manager at Doral Kia promised that they would take care of the 7200 loan if we bought a New Kia Carnival once they arrive in the lot. We took our Kia Sedona and left it there while we waited a week for the Kia Carnival to arrive. We finally get a call and we walk in to see it. Car states on window sticker MSRP $36k. We wait for them to bring the financing paper work and they put the cars MSRP AT $51k. Very upsetting what we encountered. Turns out that the scammers will only pay our loan off if we pay their markup of $51k for the new van. After expressing how upset we were for having waited our time, they try to say that the only way they could sell the New Kia Carnival to us at MSRP of $36k is if we pay the 7200 that we owe and we leave our Kia Sedona to them as trade in for ZERO dollars. Need this issue resolved asap!

NHTSA ODI #11503085

Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2023
Engine

Car overheats. Dealership confirms Blown head gasket . Kia won’t cover repairs. Van is under 100k miles

NHTSA ODI #11500386

Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 2022
Engine

My car a kia sedona, 2015, 85000 miles, was inspected by Matthews Kia on 10/7. It was RECOMMENDED that I have spark plugs and coils replaced. I was NOT told of the consequences or the urgency of this repair if I declined this repair. The check engine light was not on and it was running fine! THEY LET ME DRIVE IT HOME WITHOUT ANY…

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My car a kia sedona, 2015, 85000 miles, was inspected by Matthews Kia on 10/7. It was RECOMMENDED that I have spark plugs and coils replaced. I was NOT told of the consequences or the urgency of this repair if I declined this repair. The check engine light was not on and it was running fine! THEY LET ME DRIVE IT HOME WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS. I went to bring it to a mechanic on 11/8 to have a second opinion and have the work done if they agreed with the diagnosis. That is when I was told it was a blown head gasket and the mechanic said there was nothing I did to cause this, I was able to drive it home, but i drove it directly to the dealership. They are supposed to last the lifetime of the car. It is only when I drove it 1 MILE from that mechanic to kia when it started to overheat, and The check engine light came on. When Kia inspected it and confirmed it was a blown head gasket and quoted me for a new engine. My safety was at risk because I have 2 children and when the engine went that is when the engine light came on and we almost got into an accident because I lost power.

NHTSA ODI #11494911

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2022
EngineFire

We were driving and pulled over to a grocery store and noticed that the dash lights were going crazy and then the cabin started to fill with a little smoke and then the car shut off. The doors would not open and the car had no power at all. We were finally to get us and our kids out. I popped the hood and noticed a small fire ne…

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We were driving and pulled over to a grocery store and noticed that the dash lights were going crazy and then the cabin started to fill with a little smoke and then the car shut off. The doors would not open and the car had no power at all. We were finally to get us and our kids out. I popped the hood and noticed a small fire next to the ground wire. The engine had caught fire. I put out the fire. There is another set of recalls on Kia's about the engines and the car catching on fire. The Kia dealer said that there is not a recall on this car.

NHTSA ODI #11463442

Mileage unknown · May 4, 2022
EngineStructure

In 2017 my Sedona was leaking water In the rear well. South Austin Kia accused my 135 lb dog of peeing in the rear well. He will not fit back there. After many attempts to get them to fix it and contacting corporate I was told "if I can prove it is leaking they will try to fix it". I went through a carwash climbed into the …

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In 2017 my Sedona was leaking water In the rear well. South Austin Kia accused my 135 lb dog of peeing in the rear well. He will not fit back there. After many attempts to get them to fix it and contacting corporate I was told "if I can prove it is leaking they will try to fix it". I went through a carwash climbed into the back and videotaped it. Took it back to Kia of South Austin and the recrimped the well. When I got my van back they had failed to reinstall the carpet and bolts. Two months ago I took my van to Firestone for its oil change. 1000 miles into it my check engine light came on. We read the code and it came up no oil. We added oil, took it to Firestone and there is no evidence of an oil leak. The check engine light stayed off until last night. It threw 138 codes. Never ever seen so many codes. I'm replacing this van in a couple of weeks. We are limping it. I get sever panic attacks thinking about going back to Kia of South Austin for the treatment that has occured.

NHTSA ODI #11463427

Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2022
Engine

Around January of last year, with no warning at all, no lights on the dash. Suddenly while driving on my way home (luckily I had just gotten off the highway) my van started making a knocking noise and I decided I was going to try and pull over safely once I heard the noise, when all of a sudden the engine just stops. There was n…

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Around January of last year, with no warning at all, no lights on the dash. Suddenly while driving on my way home (luckily I had just gotten off the highway) my van started making a knocking noise and I decided I was going to try and pull over safely once I heard the noise, when all of a sudden the engine just stops. There was no power at all, I barely got out of the way of other traffic as there was no shoulder on this street. This was very scary and I had my child in the car. I took my car to the Kia dealer and even though my car only had about 90k miles on it and was taken care of very well, they refused to replace the engine. I paid 8k to have an engine placed because I still owe the bank money on this car. So many people are having issue with Kia and its not right that they wont help.

NHTSA ODI #11457293

Official recalls

3

21V725000 · Electrical System:software; Exterior Lighting:turn Signal

Sep 17, 2021

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:software

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.

Consequence: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

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.

Exterior Lighting:turn Signal

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.

Consequence: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

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.

19V109000 · Electrical System:wiring

Feb 19, 2019

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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.

18V338000 · Electrical System:software; Structure:body:door

May 23, 2018

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the door closes on an occupant, there is an increased risk of an injury.

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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:software

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.

Consequence: If the door closes on an occupant, there is an increased risk of an injury.

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.

Structure:body:door

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.

Consequence: If the door closes on an occupant, there is an increased risk of an injury.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.