Kia · Sedona · 2016
4
Recalls
282
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2016 Kia Sedona has 4 recalls and 282 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: engine (114 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
13.0% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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.
Engine has multiple engine miss fires. Loss of coolant into exhaust. Engine knocking.
Engine Failure due to rod and bearing failure
I am the original owner of a 2016 Kia Sedona, purchased new from the DeMontrond Kia dealership in Houston, Texas, in August 2016. The vehicle currently has 63,400 miles and has been maintained according to standard schedules. Two weeks ago, I noticed a slight knocking sound and took the car to the dealership for an inspection. I was informed that there is sludge buildup in the engine and was told the repair would not be covered under warranty due to alleged owner neglect. The dealership quoted $10,000 for an engine replacement. Prior to this, there were no warning lights or indicators of any issues, and there have been no oil leaks. I have retained most of the records and receipts for the oil changes performed on the vehicle.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 107,000. It was later discovered upon checking a Carfax Report that the mileage was 187,000.
Oil leak caused engine to fail.
The front passenger seat, occupant detection system wiring harness was never repaired by the dealer I had taken the vehicle to the dealer several years ago and he gave me a $8000 estimate to replace the electrical system!
Since the day a bought the car I have had to constantly deal with oil leaks and burning up oil. We had to check the vehicle every Sunday for oil replacement. The vehicle on one day just stopped in the middle of the street. It had a complete engine failure. I had to pay thousands of dollars. I contacted Kia with out help. They claim my vehicle was not part of their class action settlement of engine failure. And I can’t sell the car because all mechanics know the engine is trash and the vehicle is worth nothing. And Kia won’t help at all.
My family and I were all driving in the car. We were at a stoplight, and fully stopped as it was a red light. All of a sudden, we heard a weird noise, and all of the dash lights on our car appeared, and then the car fully turned off. We could not get the car back on, and it would not start. Prior to this, it was driving totally fine, and we had no lights on our dashboard indicating something was wrong. Just stopped out of nowhere. If we were on the freeway, and our car just immediately turned off, we could have been in a major, life-threatening accident. After 2-3 times of trying to restart the car, we were able to turn it on, and at least get it into neutral so we could move it off the side of the road. We were able to get it towed to a Kia dealership in which they diagnosed it as engine failure and said we would need to replace the whole engine. This car is around 10 years old and has less than 130,000 miles. It has been meticulously maintained according to Kia standards, and there should be no reason that a well maintained car should need a new engine at this point. We had frequent oil changes, and even had an oil leak that we had to repair just a couple months ago.
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while her nephew was driving, the nephew made a left-hand turn, and the vehicle was hit on the front right quarter panel. The contact stated that her nephew had turned on the left-hand signal and was halfway through making the left turn when the accident occurred. The other vehicle drove on the opposite side and stated that the left-hand turn signal was not on. The contact's nephew was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags were deployed. The contact's nephew had minor injuries and had a bruise on the right arm and chest that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard. The contact then had the vehicle towed to the residence and no longer driven. The insurance company was contacted, and the results are pending. Upon further investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle had an open recall pending: NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V725000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that there was a passenger in the vehicle. The passenger was sitting on the front passenger seat and was not injured. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
2016 Kia Sedona SX-L (VIN: [XXX]) equipped with 3.3L Lambda II GDI engine. This is the second engine failure — first engine failed due to head bolt studs separating from the block, second (mechanic sourced) engine began heavy smoking and nearly caught fire due to possible oil starvation/rod bearing failure. Vehicle is parked and unsafe to operate. Temperature gauge at time of incident was going towards above average operating temperature. This is the exact defect covered under multiple NHTSA investigations into Lambda 3.3L engine seizing/fire hazard (including PE23-019 for similar Kia Sorento models with the same engine, and defect petition DP24-002 specifically for 2016 Kia Sedona). Kia has extended the warranty on these engines to 15 years/150,000 miles for bearing damage in some cases, but no full recall exists yet. Requesting immediate investigation and inclusion in an engine fire recall similar to those for Theta engines. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2016 Kia Sedona is affected by Safety Recall SC175 (Front Passenger Seat Occupant Detection System Wiring Harness), documented here: [XXX] . Kia and the servicing dealer, Rick Case Kia, report to NHTSA that this recall was completed in 2019. However, the defect described in SC175 is still present and easily reproducible. The dealer continues to insist the repair was completed, but the symptoms match the recall description exactly and the issue now poses a clear safety risk to the front passenger. I have repeatedly informed Rick Case Kia that the recall was not performed correctly or was never performed at all. Despite this, the dealer refuses to inspect or correct the issue and Kia Corporate refuses further action based solely on the dealer’s claim. This has made it impossible for me to obtain the required recall remedy. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer multiple times between 2019 and before the vehicle reached 10 years of age for other safety recalls. If SC175 had truly been completed, the issue should not be present. If it had NOT been completed, the dealer should have been notified in their system during those visits. This suggests that misrepresentation or incorrect reporting may have occurred. Because Kia Corporate relies entirely on the dealer’s incorrect reporting, I cannot obtain the required repair from any Kia dealer, and the safety defect remains unresolved. I am requesting NHTSA review this case as a potential recall-completion misrepresentation that is preventing me from receiving the mandated safety repair. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine started knocking loosing power just like our 4cylinder GDI engine. These engines are also not safe to be operating
With a 140000 miles and the timing chain and component already failing my mechanic told it could die anytime soon local or on the highway
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, and the gear shift lever was moved to Park(P) but failed to lock in place. The contact stated that the vehicle started to roll backwards. The contact used force to lock the gear shift lever in Park(P), and the vehicle came to a complete stop after several attempts. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty automatic transmission shift lever. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V612000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The Sedona just stopped in traffic with out warning with my kids in the van. No type or warning lights came on. I had recently got an oil change and tune up. I almost caused an accident. It was extremely scary. I am thankful no one was hurt. I had to pay for a tow and come to find out the engine is locked . The machine started it had very low oil. Which makes no sense since it hadn’t even been 7 days since my oil was changed .
I was driving down the highway and the engine light came on. The car suddenly wouldn't accelerate or go above 1500 rpm. There was also a rattle noise. I limped home and checked the oil. It was bone dry. I get regular oil changes every 3,000 to 5,000 miles. The car burned oil way too fast and gave no warnings that the oil was low and there was no leaking. I'm unsure of the extent of the damage. I'm adding oil and taking it to a mechanic for inspection. I fear I may need a new engine.
Engine randomly began burning oil at an incredible rate (I checked it approximately 500 miles ago and it within appropriate levels) and resulted in damaging the engine. No “low oil pressure” light was activated, and upon starting the vehicle one day it developed a terrible cylinder knock. I checked the oil dipstick, and was completely dry, there was absolutely no oil on the check stick. I also checked and confirmed that there was no leak that caused the oil to drain.
Van completely locked up on me. Oil dipstick no oil, seems this is an issue and a Kia problem. Seems I need a new engine. Regular oil changes with no issues prior to this happening to me.
Complete engine failure while driving with 4 passengers along freeway. Engine began to have a knocking noise, with no warning lights. Engine failed a few miles down the road, and started a small fire in the engine bay. Vehicle is currently under inspection at the dealership. Mileage at the time of incident was about 98,200.
I am filing a formal complaint against Kia regarding Recall SC175 affecting this vehicle Kia has refused to perform this recall on my vehicle, claiming that the work was already completed. However, after reviewing the official campaign documentation (NHTSA Campaign Documentation – SC175), it is evident that the corrective work specified by the recall was not performed on my vehicle. My vehicle continues to exhibit the issue addressed by Recall SC175, confirming that either the recall was not carried out or was performed incorrectly. Despite this, Kia maintains that no further action is necessary because their records indicate completion. At this time, Kia is refusing to address a known safety recall. I am documenting this with NHTSA so that it is formally recorded that Kia is declining to remedy a required recall on one of their vehicles. Please advise on what steps I may take next to ensure compliance and resolution.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2016 Kia Sedona has 4 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 282 owner-reported complaints for the 2016 Kia Sedona.
The 2016 Kia Sedona received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2016 Kia Sedona are engine (114 reports), exterior lighting (24 reports), electrical system (20 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 4 recalls on record for the 2016 Kia Sedona. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.