2012 Kia Sedona problems
Owners have filed 148 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Kia Sedona. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 22% of complaints. Next are engine (13%) and body & structure (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 148 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 114 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 | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 12 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Of the 114 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 72,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 72,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 18 model years of the Kia Sedona with enough data (71 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 owned a 2012 kia sedona. While driving 30 MPH in rainy weather conditions, the vehicle veered to the right, crashed into a curb, and rolled over. The air bags failed to deploy. The rear passenger sustained a chin injury that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 2,000. The VIN was not available.
My son was driving the car with my grandson in the front passenger seat. Smoke came out of the air conditioning vents and a fire started in the wiring below the dash on the passengers side. My grandson put out the fire with his shoe and after turning off the AC the smoke stopped. Dealership said blower motor was drawing too much current. Subsequently they found a 40 amp fuse had blown and a bad motor resistor.
I was hit when pulling out by another car at approximately 55 MPH. Other car airbags deployed. My kia did not deploy any air bags. It is supposedly equipped with front and side airbags. My vehicle was totaled as the frame was bent. Why didn't any bags deploy??????????? I could have been killed!....updated 05/11/15 .
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia sedona. When the key was inserted into the ignition and turned to start, the vehicle failed to respond without warning. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on multiple occasions, but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.