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2016 Kia Sedona

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Sedona years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Kia Sedona are substantially higher than the model-year median of 120.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

100 reports with mileage · 195 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 146 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports14 fire reports9 injury reports

Engine complaints

146 reports
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73,000 miles · May 5, 2022
EngineFireInjury

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH there was raddling noise and then flames. The check engine light came on. The engine immediately caught on fire. The contact was able to pull over safely and exit the vehicle quickly with her son the passenger. The police arrived on the sc…

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The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH there was raddling noise and then flames. The check engine light came on. The engine immediately caught on fire. The contact was able to pull over safely and exit the vehicle quickly with her son the passenger. The police arrived on the scene first and informed the fire department that the flames had deteriorated automatically; therefore the fire department did not arrive. Unknown if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to several dealers; however, the last dealer diagnosed the failure to be hole blown engine. There were no major injuries or medical reports. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure was 73,000.

NHTSA ODI #11463531

Mileage unknown · Mar 4, 2022
Engine

I was driving down the road and my van made a horrible noise and stopped moving. I was able to coast to a right turn lane to get out of traffic where I realized all of the oil was on the ground under my van. After towing it to the dealer they confirmed that a rod went through the oil pan for no apparent reason. They confirmed th…

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I was driving down the road and my van made a horrible noise and stopped moving. I was able to coast to a right turn lane to get out of traffic where I realized all of the oil was on the ground under my van. After towing it to the dealer they confirmed that a rod went through the oil pan for no apparent reason. They confirmed that there was oil in the van as it was all over the engine. The check engine light never came on and the van was running perfectly fine until this happened.

NHTSA ODI #11455171

60,000 miles · Mar 1, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was then towed the following day to the dealer. The contact was informed by the mechanic that gasol…

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The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was then towed the following day to the dealer. The contact was informed by the mechanic that gasoline was leaking into the and mixing with the engine oil. Additionally, the plastic piece around the timing belt was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #11454730

Mileage unknown · Feb 24, 2022
Engine

While driving I smelled a burning odor. Then my heat started blowing cold air. I immediately went to a car shop and when they opened the hood, there was white smoke. After getting 3 separate opinions, all agreed that the engine was fried and needs to be replaced. There were no warning signs, lights, etc... and this could hav…

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While driving I smelled a burning odor. Then my heat started blowing cold air. I immediately went to a car shop and when they opened the hood, there was white smoke. After getting 3 separate opinions, all agreed that the engine was fried and needs to be replaced. There were no warning signs, lights, etc... and this could have been a very dangerous situation if I had driven it much further because the engine could have seized up (with my 4 young kids in the car), or even possibly caught fire.

NHTSA ODI #11453788

Mileage unknown · Jan 27, 2022
Engine

Oil sending unit failed after 100k miles. Had it not been a quick trip, I could have easily ran it dry and stalled the motor. No warning was given. There are many reports of this happening with other models and years of Kia V6's.

NHTSA ODI #11449171

Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2021
Engine

My husband took the car for an oil change and the mechanic said he heard a noise in the engine. They did the oil change and advised to have it checked out. On the way home, while driving, the car stalled, thankfully in the neighborhood and not on the highway. An issue with the battery or oil change were suspected. We had the…

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My husband took the car for an oil change and the mechanic said he heard a noise in the engine. They did the oil change and advised to have it checked out. On the way home, while driving, the car stalled, thankfully in the neighborhood and not on the highway. An issue with the battery or oil change were suspected. We had the car towed to Kia who confirmed that there was no issue with the oil change, the location used for the oil change had done everything correctly. Also, the battery was good. They said the engine seized but could not say why, that we would have to pay them $900 to take the engine apart to find the issue. After research, the very same issues are found with several other Kia and Hyundai models, for example, Kia Sorento. I would like to report this, as it is extremely dangerous to stall in traffic. Also, we still owe $8,000 on the car, we bough it used in February 2020. The car has 118k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11432304

32,000 miles · Jun 21, 2021
EngineFirerelatedFire

The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he felt the vehicle was bumping and thought there was a flat tire. The ESP fault and low tire pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle to check the rear passenger tire. While the…

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The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he felt the vehicle was bumping and thought there was a flat tire. The ESP fault and low tire pressure warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle to check the rear passenger tire. While the contact was on the phone with roadside assistance, he noticed there was smoke coming from under the hood then there were flames coming from under the hood. A police report was filed. No medical attention was received. The contact was unaware if the fire department extinguished the fire since he got transported by a bystander to her residence nearby. The vehicle was towed to a towing lot. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ODI #11421653

88,000 miles · Oct 22, 2020
Engine

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SEDONA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITH AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE MOUNTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE W…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SEDONA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITH AN ABNORMAL SOUND COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE MOUNTS FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. RIVERCHASE KIA (2200 US-31, PELHAM, AL 35124, (205)987-6518) WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER, INDICATED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT HONOR WARRANTY REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 88,000.

NHTSA ODI #11365719

83,000 miles · Jul 12, 2020
EngineUnknown Or Other

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON, HAD PLUGS REPLACED AND INJECTOR 6 REPLACED THE CODES READ P0278 AND P0306. P0278 STILL COMES ON. THE SLIDING DOORS DO NOT LATCH, HAVE TO GET OUT OF THE VAN AND CLOSE THEM. IT ONLY HAS 83,500 MILES, ALSO LEFT TURN SIGNAL DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY.

NHTSA ODI #11338848

20,000 miles · May 7, 2020
Engine

WHILE DRIVING WASN'T GETTING MUCH POWER THEN CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET I HAD THIS ISSUE PREVIOUSLY AND KIA SAID IT WAS MY FAULT AND I DIDN'T PUT OIL WOULD NOT REPAIR SO I FIXED MYSELF NOW THE SAME EXACT THING IS HAPPENING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11323642

Official recalls

4

22V612000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Aug 10, 2022

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from locking, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash and injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC246.

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

1

DP24002 · 3.3L Engine Loss Of Motive Power (lomp)

Opened Feb 27, 2024 · Closed Mar 5, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a petition on February 20, 2024, requesting the opening of an investigation into an alleged defect of the "engine" on the following vehicle model stated by the petitioner: 2016 Kia Sedona vehicles equipped with the 3.3L V-Shaped GDI Lambda-II engine. The petitioner raised the issue of a Loss of Motive Power. On November 13, 2023, ODI opened PE23-019 to address allegations of loss of motive power, on the 3.3L V6 Lambda-II engine for 2016-2017 Kia Sorento and included the 2016 Kia Sedona as a peer vehicle. This investigation is ongoing and addresses the potential safety-related defect raised by the petitioner.  In view of the open Investigation, PE23-019, ODI considers the petition moot and is closing this action.  The closing of the petition does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.  The Agency reserves the right to make that determination at the close of PE23-019.