What breaks most · 2002 to 2004 model years
Kia Sedona EX problems by year
Owners have filed 121 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Sedona EX across model years 2002 to 2004. Three years stand out: 2002 for electrical system complaints, 2004 for steering complaints and 2003 for electrical system complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 2004, 2003
- Complaints on file
- 1212002 to 2004, all trims
- Worst year
- 200250 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 618 fires · 13 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 72kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 3Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 2 | 1 | Electrical system (12) | |
| 34 | 2 | 1 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 37 | 2 | 1 | Steering (11) |
What fails on the 2002 Kia Sedona EX
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 24% |
12 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 16% |
8 | 0 | — |
| Air bags | 14% |
7 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
5 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 10% |
5 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 8% |
4 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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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2002 kia sedona ex, purchased 03/2008. My sister in law was driving my van on the highway when the vehicle stalled. She pulled over off the highway and went to restart the vehicle, to which in began to smoke and the whole front end went up in flames.
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Power steering makes whining sound when turning the wheel, power steer fluid low in canister due to leaks. Hard to turn to the steering wheel when turning. Don't know if belts affected i hear a humming sound. Don't know if the power steering pump is working properly. Constantly adding fluid to the canister.
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On my 2003 kia sedona, i have replaced over 3 wheel bearings and have almost had an accident because the steering has locked up while i was driving on several occasions.
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 6, 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 EX years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2002, 2004, 2003 carry the most filings on the Kia Sedona EX. The 2002 alone has 50 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Kia Sedona EX problem?
On the 2002 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 12 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Sedona EX problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Sedona EX complaints that include mileage is about 72,000 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.