This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Car caught fire because of electrical connection in the diver side headlight wiring. This occurred while driving on a city street with the headlights off. Car was totaled. Insurance and manufacturer have been informed.
Brake light will not turn off, even the engine is off. It is dangerous to drive the car as the brake light is always on. Kia had a recall on this issue (https://www.automotive-fleet.com/143442/Hyundai-Kia-issue-recalls-for-brake-light-issue) for many cars. However, I contacted Kia and was told it is my own problem. I contacted local dealer and they were very kind at the beginning, however, after I described the problem, they did not reply my email. I do believe Kia is trying to cheat customers to avoid their responsibility.
For the first incident, while coming to a stop sign, my son was driving the vehicle stalled and the ignition powered off, power steering failed, brake and battery lights came on and quickly the power came back on though the power steering still failed. Van had to be shut off and restarted for power steering to resume. This was first happening very infrequently but is now happening more, usually when coming to a stop but has also happened at steady speeds - 35mph, 20 mph, 5 mph. It usually happens in very heavy rains/wet conditions but has also happened once or twice in dry conditions. In addition: *passenger blinker will stop working for a week or two then randomly start working again (this pattern continues). The bulb has been replaced but it continues to happen. *passenger side door locks do not respond to key faub or power locks and have to be locked/unlocked manually. *passenger door randomly will not open from the inside or out. Cigarette lighter no longer works. I believe this is all related to the electrical system with the biggest obvious concern of the vehicle's power out and loss of steering. Clearly, this can cause a major accident. Mechanic was unable to reproduce the engine stall issue.
I have a 2008 Kia Sedona van and have been having problems just recently with the head light bulbs burning out. I have had to replace the driver front head light bulb twice in the last 4 months. After just replacing the last bulb just a little over a month ago, my driver side brake tail light bulb is now out. Is there something wrong with a connection in the wiring with these bulbs? I have notice several Kia Sedona's on the road that have blown head light bulbs. Those bulbs are not cheap and they are also hard to find as well. This is a problem that Kia should be addressing.
- Sheffield Lake, OH, USA
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I have had to replace headlights & turn signal lights every 3 months. I have spent hundreds of dollars on the light bulbs replacements alone. Not to mention all the sensors I have had to replace. I have spent thousands of dollars on those alone.
Second failure of turn signals ( loose bulbs ) 1st was left, now right. I am an electrician so I fixed the problem. It will return with time as weather changes hot/cold effect the copper that holds the bulbs in place. All older cars used a spring in the bottom of the socket which made contact with tip in the center of the bulb. Kia has used a flat piece of copper bent in a U or V shape, the tension will not keep the bulb stable. A temporary fix is to bend the copper upwards to create tension. My fix today on my Kia will be to replace the socket with a new spring type. 100K maintenance is due, we can't wait until then because we are in a heavy traffic situation, it is just too dangerous !!!! [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Front signal light connectors fail to hold bulb in place causing for signal lights to not work. It has caused several close calls with motorists not being able to see I'm turning due to this fault. Takes about and hour to remove both headlights to push bulbs back to place and unfortunately, this will only last a day to a week and then redo all that work. Besides the work it is really unsafe.
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.
Bought a new 2008 Sedona. 2 years later noticed radio, right front turn signal and ac power outlet were not working. Took it into the dealership and they replaced a blown fuse. 18 months later right front turn signal is out again and took it to the dealership.they fixed it by bending a metal piece in the plug to make more contact with the bulb. 2 1/2 weeks later, I have my 3 kids in the car and my accelerator loses all power and the ESC light comes on as well as the check engine light. I was able to coast it over to the shoulder, turned the car off and waited a few minutes. Turned the car back on and pressed the accelerator and was able to drive it home. The check engine light is still on and I can't get an appointment with the dealership for 2 weeks!!!
It started with the fuses for the power plug in the front blew several times and had to be replaced. About 2 months after that the turn signal bulb kept going out on the passenger side, we thought at first that the bulb kept blowing out. This kept happening every couple of months until about 10 months ago now every couple of weeks the bulb blows again and we have to keep buying bulbs and paying to have them replaced. One of the people who inspected our car this month was going to replace another bulb but he told us that as soon as he touched the bulb it started working again. That there must be a short of some kind but he passed the inspection since the bulb worked now. After that we kept noticing that every time we went out and it started to get dark we didn't have our headlights on, we didn't think anything about it the first time because it was right after the inspection and assumed the inspector had turned them off. But it has kept happening it has now happened at least 5 different times and I know I didn't cut them off and I am the only one driving the car. I have also in the last 6 months had the motor to the fluid dispenser for the windshield wipers stop working it worked one day and the next I pushed the button to clean the windshield and nothing happened. I have seen dozens of complaints online about people having the same problems and worse with their Kia Sedonas Kia needs to fix all of these problems or replace the cars.
Went with my family to dinner and vehicle worked fine as usual. When we got back into the vehicle after dinner and I started it, I noticed the airbag light on, the A/C was on full blast and interior lights stopped working. Turned vehicle off, waited a minute and tried again with same results. Went home, disconnected the battery terminals, waited a couple of minutes and reconnected them and still the problem. Have looked on the internet and noticed other owners with same problem and no solution.
Purchased a 2008 Kia Sedona used with a 3yr 36K extended warranty. On the way home I tested to see if the cig lighter worked in the dash. The air bag light illuminated, and the interior lights no longer work. Also the A/C fan in the cabin is now stuck on high when in use. This is an annoyance however the major concern is the air bags will now not function. After extensive online research this is more than a common occurrence. Kia should be forced to recall every electrically faulty vehicle they put out. The electrical problems which are numerous always seem to disable the air bags and cause other issues. This is not safe and is a hazard to the public.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Catonsville, MD, USA