2008 Kia Sedona problems
Owners have filed 246 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Kia Sedona. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. Next are cruise control (15%) and body & structure (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 246 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 18
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 196 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 27 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 50 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 28 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 22 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 29 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 16 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 10 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 196 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 72,000 miles (32 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 18 complaints mention a fire; 2 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 18 model years of the Kia Sedona with enough data (134 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact has a 2008 kia sedona. The contact stated that the sliding doors continue to close even if person is in the way or if their hand is in the way. The contact stated that the door continued to close and smashed the finger of one of the passengers. The vehicle was parked at the time. The dealer stated that there is no standard feature for a sensor on the sliding door of the kia vehicles. The failure mileage was38000 the current mileage was 38128. The VIN number was unavailable.
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 kia sedona. The contact stated that the driver was driving 30 MPH when the vehicle caught on fire. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an insurance lot. The fire department appeared on the scene and stated that the fire originated at the blower motor. The contact stated that the blower was not activated at the time of the failure. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was 70,050. The VIN was unavailable.
I replaced a blown 10 amp fuse on a dealer installed trailer wiring harness adapter. 15-20 minutes later I noticed a fire coming from driver's side rear light assembly. Removed fuse, removed lighting assembly, put out fire. In looking at damage, trailer harness adapter was melted along with several wires attached to it. Foam bumper padding caught fire and was melted. No visible body damage.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 kia sedona. The contact stated that the driver and passenger seats would move back and forth independently whether the vehicle was accelerating or at a stop. The contact stated that the seats would not lock into place and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for further inspection. The dealer replaced the locking mechanism on the driver side seat, which worked for one month but the passenger side seat was not repaired.
The first time this incident happened, I was driving my 2008 kia sedona van on a level street at approximately 30MPH. The van started accelerating at a fast speed and the brakes would not work. Fortunately, there were no cars coming the other way and no people out walking. I was not able to stop at the stop sign and I put on my emergency brake and turned off the van. The second incident occurred while I was driving up a hill. The van started accelerating and I was not able to use my brakes.