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 engine overheated without any warning indicating that it was overheating. It just started smoking. Car is available for inspection upon request. Our safety was put at risk because in 95-degree weather, warm air was coming from AC when car sat idle. The root of the problem has not been confirmed by the dealer. Vehicle pictures were sent to insurance. No warning appeared before failure.
Engine light came on while in route for an oil change. Walmart automotive changed the oil and checked the light. Read p0014. Engine light went away after oil change. Drove fine for 4 days then went haywire on the interstate. Oil light started flashing then engine light. Lost all power. Had it towed home. It started with a loud knocking noise. Towed to Kia and there are metal fragments in my oil. Engine blown.
July 2021 family of 6 driving on vacation. 3 hours from home car started losing power. Dash lights were coming on and no lights were on at anytime before this. Vehicle had 68,000 miles at the time. Lost power would not accelerate for several minutes and car started smoking under the hood. Coolant was spraying everywhere. Family stuck on side of highway in middle of Pennsylvania and no exit for 15 miles. Had to walk to an unknown home to ask them to fill several bottles of water. Put water in the car. It would run about 5 minutes and overheat again. Finally got to a rest stop. Took to O'Reilly auto parts where we had new thermostat, coolant and fluid and other minor parts installed spending about $700. Drove 15 minutes car broke down again overheating. Trucker mechanic stopped to help but no luck. This was on a Sunday where everything was closed. We could not get a ride or a rental. Continued driving about 3 minutes at a time and constantly adding fluids made it to a hotel. Had to store the van for the week at the hotel. They agreed to keep it while we rented a van and went to Virginia beach. Van had to be towed home. Took to a garage near home where the mechanic said the heads needed replaced. Replaced head gaskets, head bolts. New thermostat, spark plugs, heli coil, coolant, oil and labor. They gave us a discounted rate of $2087. Drove home worked for few days and needed towed. Broke down again overheating on a main 3 lane busy road near home. This time repair shop said it would need a while new engine. While we paid $700 in parts on way to vacation. Had $1200 in car rental fees. $2100 in head gaskets shop repair fees. $600 in towing fees. And they were wanting $6000 for a new engine. I sat the van in my driveway for months paying the payments and eventually had to voluntarily repo at 70K miles. Car had 1 owner before us and car was regularly serviced. We had free service and oil for the first year we owned. Now being sued for the balance. Help!!!
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact added oil to the vehicle and the vehicle was able to be restarted, but the contact immediately observed a loud knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
- Connellsville, PA, USA
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After driving 3 miles on 2/1, the engine fan ran after the engine was turned off- which never happens. We called Kia for service but nothing was available for 2 weeks; all Kia dealers were similar. No check engine light was illuminated. My husband popped the hood, saw the coolant cap was open and the coolant fluid level in the normal range (slightly above the minimum line). Closing the cap, he test drove the car. Although driving fine, he took the Sedona to a shop where the hood was again popped- the coolant level was showing now above the max fill line, no coolant had been added; as no fluid was seen by the mechanic and since no check engine light was lit, an appointment was made to bring the car back for a full diagnostic. On 2/2/24, after driving 3 miles and making a turn, I thought I saw smoke. But, it was a rainy day so I thought it was condensation from the concrete. After 1 mile, again while slowing to turn, I thought I saw smoke again; I pulled down the window and smelled burning. At this point I was near my home and the check engine light now turned on. Since there was nowhere to safely stop, I proceeded to the front of my home and summoned my husband. He opened the hood and noticed smoke and extreme heat from the engine, but fortunately no fire. After a couple of days, we decided to tow the car to a shop for diagnostics instead of waiting 2 weeks for Kia- we were told the engine had failed. Stunned by the rapidity of these events, we contacted Kia Customer Support and towed the car to our Kia dealer. I have been told the head bolt stripped causing coolant to mix with oil and the engine to fail; the engine itself will cost $8,148 and, and, with ancillary repairs, the total repair will be over $12000. The car has 125k miles and has been fully serviced at Kia over 9 years, lastly 4 months ago which included coolant service. No check engine light was triggered until smoke and extreme heat were emanating from a blown engine, despite progressing degradation.
Vehicle is regularly maintenenced. Driving down a road it had random loss of power and lost power steering. Was able to restart and it drove fine no check engine lights nothing. Got closer to my destination and my engine light popped at the same time a horrible metal on metal sound came from my rather quiet engine. Immediately lost power and power steering again. Able to coast off the road to safety, upon expecting the vehicle we found a hole and oil leaking out. A rod randomly blew thru the side of the block and there was no indication there was any engine problem beforehand. Cause unknown. I was advised after that these 3.3 motors are becoming know for random disintegration.
I had regular oil changes performed by Jiffy Lube when I owned the van and have most receipts. In 2022 after the vehicle kept making a whining sound, we realized that it was completely out of oil. I park in our garage and there was never an oil leak of any kind and no dash lights ever came on to indicate a problem. In May 2022 as we were on a 3 hr interstate drive, the engine began knocking. The oil was full but it wouldn't start and had to be towed home. It had 120,000 miles on it. Sims Auto took the engine apart and said it looked like the oil had never been changed because it was caramelized on the inside. I have photos of it. They said that my vehicle at 120k miles with regular maintenance and in really good condition should not have needed a new engine. Our son had this same exact issue with his Kia Optima but it was under a "warranty/recall" and he received a new engine for free. Our local Kia dealership said they were aware of the problem but my Sedona wasn't under the "warranty/recall" so I would have to pay for it. It cost me $9640 to rebuild the engine. I filed a complaint with the BBB against Kia. Kia would not respond and the case was closed. Most of the complaints on the BBB against Kia are due to faulty engine issues.
01/30/2024 while driving our 2015 Kia Sedona SXL idol went high and then it turned off suddenly with no warning at all. We have AUL warranty and had the vehicle towed to the nearest Kia dealership. After they inspected it we were informed that we need a new engine estimated cost of $8300 and that AUL would only cover $2900 and we would be responsible for the remaining $5400 and they need $4000 to start the job. Our van has around145000 miles on it. We will NEVER purchase another KIA or an AUL warranty. We paid good money for the Reserve Coverage from AUL and nowhere in the contract does it state a cap on claim payouts. That should be stated and clearly. Our warranty is good for 40,000 miles and expires at 158000 miles. So, we are within the active range of the warranty. Please don't buy a Kia or a AUL warranty. I have read many complaints on this site about the 2015 engines. They should be recalled. We still owe payments on this van, so we have no choice but to fix it. Lesson learned for sure. Wish Kia would do right and recall these engines. Read through the rest of the engine complaints, you will be shocked. Hope these reviews helps to protect others.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a loud pop and the tachometer redlined, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where he observed that the engine block had separated from the engine with oil covering the entire engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but since the failure had not caused a fire or an injury, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 112,000.
Engine failed at 93k miles. Engine burnt off all oil, even though it had engine oil changed 1,000 miles ago. Sensors did not activate to display error engine codes on the dash. Verified by independent mechanic. Kia Dealership said it was owners failure for not keeping oil in engine. Refused to replace engine. Powertrain is not under warranty as second owner.
My 2015 Kia Sedona with only 115K miles started making a loud clunking noise with no notice. It drove fine with no lights indicating issues or noises. I went to start the van again in the afternoon and immediately shut it off because I knew something was wrong. The van was towed to the mechanic and I was told I needed an engine replacement. They said something was wrong with either the valve train or rod and there was metallic and bearing debris in the oil. We've always maintained excellent care and routine oil changes.
I was driving down the freeway at 65mph when the engine died. Had to pull over in side of freeway. No previous problems or check engine lights. Regular maintenance has been done on the van. The 3.3L engine died without warning.
While driving my 2015 Kia Sedona LX under normal operating conditions, The vehicle started to drive abnormal with a slight fluctuation of RPMs without any warning lights or other symptoms. I was close to my house and turned off vehicle for 2 hours after getting home. The vehicle was turned on and began making a banging noise from the engine. The vehicle was driven a few miles to a local mechanic who listened to the engine and told me the motor was going to need replaced and the mechanic did not recommend driving this vehicle due to a risk of fire. The mechanic stated that many Kia engines have been experiencing this catastrophic failure and I should have it towed to a Kia dealership to have it looked at. The vehicle was towed to a Kia dealership and after listening to the engine for a few seconds the Kia representative told me the engine would need to be replaced. I asked him why there was no warning lamps on the dashboard and he did not know why but stated it had experienced catastrophic engine failure. He told me the engine would need to be removed to properly assess the point of failure. He informed me that this specific engine/model is not under a recall and I would be responsible for repairs. He told me that these engines were discontinued and my only option would be to replace with a used engine. The representative quoted me the parts/labor would cost 13623. He stated the price was so high due to the used car market and high demand for these engines. This vehicle has had proper maintenance performed and is available for inspection. This vehicle could have put my children, family, other drivers, and myself at risk of severe injury or even death if this catastrophic engine failure happened on a highway at a high rate of speed without any warning. I have contacted Kia Customer affairs and the representative I spoke with confirmed that this vehicle is not under any extended warranty/recall and they would need to see a proper diagnosis from a Kia dealership.
2015 Kia Sedona ex with 36,600+ miles had critical engine failure. The Kia Sedona was purchased with 32,470 on 1/042021. The engine seized on April 15 2023 while driving to a religious meeting. Fortunately when the engine failed I was able to maneuver to a parking spot that was open as the vehicle came to a stop. Initially I thought it was the battery and I took the next day to change the battery but the engine would not crank over or start. The Sedona was towed to an independent repair shop that was affiliated with the warranty company on April 17 after I called for roadside assistance through the warranty company. The engine is inspected and taken apart to see the cause of the engine failure. The mechanic/repair shop notifies the warranty company that engine had seized and the warranty company orders an inspection. I was authorized to attain a rental car on the April 24 until the inspection was completed. I waited for the the warranty company to send an inspector throughout that week. On April 28 I communicated with the mechanic/repair shop as to the status of the my vehicle and the results of the inspection. I was told that the engine failed because of the crank shaft and piston rods and bearings seizing/breaking. I was then told that this problem was an issue that many other Kia and Hyundai were having with their engines, and that engine parts were not available and that engines were also not available due to the number of failures that the manufacturer is currently working with. As I did research on this issue with the engine, I find out that there is a class action lawsuit with regards to other Kia and Hyundai engine failure with the same type of damage. I am requesting help or assistance from your Agency to help me become a plaintiff in this same lawsuit, so that I can be part of this lawsuit and have my engine repaired/replaced. Please call or email me with any information regarding this lawsuit or how to proceed in getting my engine R I
Took our 2015 Kia Sedona for an oil change and checkup due to the engine overheating multiple times. They did the oil change at about 96k miles and said nothing was wrong with the engine. That if anything were to happen then just bring it back in. We went on a trip to Georgia from Miami, we got stranded there because the engine again started overheating. We got the car back and took it to Kia in Doral. Service department stated that the head was damaged. Sales manager says it needed a new engine that would cost us 7500 to replace. We owe 7200 on the vehicle. That would put us at 14k dollars when it was not our fault that the engine failed at 96k miles. The sales manager at Doral Kia promised that they would take care of the 7200 loan if we bought a New Kia Carnival once they arrive in the lot. We took our Kia Sedona and left it there while we waited a week for the Kia Carnival to arrive. We finally get a call and we walk in to see it. Car states on window sticker MSRP $36k. We wait for them to bring the financing paper work and they put the cars MSRP AT $51k. Very upsetting what we encountered. Turns out that the scammers will only pay our loan off if we pay their markup of $51k for the new van. After expressing how upset we were for having waited our time, they try to say that the only way they could sell the New Kia Carnival to us at MSRP of $36k is if we pay the 7200 that we owe and we leave our Kia Sedona to them as trade in for ZERO dollars. Need this issue resolved asap!
My car a kia sedona, 2015, 85000 miles, was inspected by Matthews Kia on 10/7. It was RECOMMENDED that I have spark plugs and coils replaced. I was NOT told of the consequences or the urgency of this repair if I declined this repair. The check engine light was not on and it was running fine! THEY LET ME DRIVE IT HOME WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS. I went to bring it to a mechanic on 11/8 to have a second opinion and have the work done if they agreed with the diagnosis. That is when I was told it was a blown head gasket and the mechanic said there was nothing I did to cause this, I was able to drive it home, but i drove it directly to the dealership. They are supposed to last the lifetime of the car. It is only when I drove it 1 MILE from that mechanic to kia when it started to overheat, and The check engine light came on. When Kia inspected it and confirmed it was a blown head gasket and quoted me for a new engine. My safety was at risk because I have 2 children and when the engine went that is when the engine light came on and we almost got into an accident because I lost power.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA