What breaks most · 2002 to 2019 model years
Kia Sedona problems by year
Owners have filed 1,583 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sedona across model years 2002 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2006 for air bags complaints, 2002 for electrical system complaints and 2005 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2014, 2017 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2002, 2005
- Fewest complaints: 2014, 2017, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 15832002 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006336 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 10364 fires · 127 injuries · 8 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 57kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 67Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 198 | 17 | 3 | Electrical system (50) | |
| 159 | 13 | 4 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 173 | 10 | 2 | Wheels (31) | |
| 178 | 20 | 2 | Brakes (hydraulic) (72) | |
| 336 | 13 | 7 | Air bags (77) | |
| 132 | 7 | 6 | Electrical system (27) | |
| 134 | 2 | 5 | Speed control and throttle (38) | |
| 41 | 3 | 5 | Electrical system (8) | |
| 20 | 3 | 5 | Brakes (5) | |
| 39 | 2 | 6 | Engine (7) | |
| 63 | 3 | 5 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 16 | 1 | 1 | Unknown or other (6) | |
| 37 | 2 | 3 | Electrical system (14) | |
| 36 | 5 | 4 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 16 | 2 | 4 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | Wipers and visibility (1) | |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | Steering (1) |
What fails on the 2006 Kia Sedona
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 23% |
77 | 5 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 22% |
75 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2006 Kia Sedona |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
57 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Kia Sedona |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 12% |
40 | 2 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2006 Kia Sedona |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 10% |
32 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2006 Kia Sedona |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 9% |
30 | 0 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 2006 Kia Sedona |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 6% |
21 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
19 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Kia Sedona |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Bulbs constantly going out. Lots of front end issues with noises, clunking mostly. Difficulty seeing due to blind spot where front window and doors meet and where front doors and back sliding door meets.
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I was driving no less then than block from my house - when i notice smoke from the driver side fuse panel and next thing you know the whole panel became engulf in flames. I called the fire department and able to put fire out- but unfortunately, the car become total in the damage.
-
2005 kia sedona brake system is not safe. I have replaced the front pads, calipers, wheel bearing, and disks multiple times. Wheel bearing and calipers were frozen and needed to be replaced.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Kia Sedona years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2002, 2005 carry the most filings on the Kia Sedona. The 2006 alone has 336 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Kia Sedona problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 77 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Sedona problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Sedona complaints that include mileage is about 57,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.