There are 6 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2009 Kia Sedonain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE ALTERNATOR IS BEING REPLACED SINCE 09/19/17. ENGINE OIL LEAKS FROM THE FRONT CYLINDER BANK'S VALVE COVER GASKET. OIL DRIPS ONTO THE ALTERNATOR, THE ALTERNATOR IS THEN OIL SOAKED & DAMAGED RESULTING IN THE CHARGING SYSTEM BECOMING INOPERATIVE. THE CHARGING SYSTEM WARNING LAMP IN THE CLUSTER WILL THEN ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WILL RUN ON BATTERY POWER UNTIL THE BATTERY VOLTAGE DROPS BELOW THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE'S MINIMUM OPERATIONAL VOLTAGE. THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND NOT RESTART, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. THIS ENGINE IS MANUFACTURED BY HYUNDAI & IS THE SAME ENGINE DESIGN AS THE 2007-2012 HYUNDAI VERACRUZ, WHICH HAS A RECALL CAMPAIGN #121 FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE. KIA NEEDS TO IMPLEMENT A RECALL FOR THIS!
RECENTLY THE DRIVER SIDE MASTER SWITCH THAT OPENS/LOCKS ALL THE VAN DOORS OR MOVE ALL THE WINDOWS UP AND DOWN STOPPED WORKING. THE VAN ALSO CANNOT BE LOCKED FROM OUTSIDE WITH THE REMOTE. THE CAR HAS TO BE LOCKED AND OPENED MANUALLY BY THE KEY. THIS ISSUE WITH THE DRIVER SIDE MASTER SWITCH IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. TODAY WHEN WE WENT TO FILL GAS, WE FOUND THAT THE GAS TANK RELEASE BUTTON IS ALSO NOT WORKING. FORTUNATELY THE MECHANIC AT THE PUMP SHOWED US A WAY OF MANUALLY RELEASING THE CAP FROM THE TRUNK OF THE VAN WHICH ENABLED US TO FILL GAS TODAY. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE: NOT BEING ABLE TO OPEN THE GAS TANK COVER THE REGULAR WAY. NEITHER THE MECHANIC TODAY NOR ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO I HAVE USED FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT IS WRONG ELECTRICALLY. THEY CHECKED THE FUSES AND RAN DIAGNOSTICS BUT NOTHING STOOD OUT.
GET INTO IT TO GO IT WILL NOT CRANK HAS 105,000 MILES LEFT ME STRANDED TWICE MY SON THINKS IT COULD BE STARTER SOLENOID OR THE MAIN CIRCUIT BOARD UNDER DASH IT MAKES A CLICKING NOISE UNDER HOOD VERY FAINT WHEN RUNNING THE STARTER WORKS GOOD NOT RUNNING NOW PULLED INTO YARD NEXT MORNING NOTHING GOOD BATTERY NO CORROSION WILL NOT CRANK.
VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED IN 2013 BUT BY 2014 WAS ACTING UP AGAIN. SAME PROBLEM AS INITIAL REPAIR. A RECALL REPAIR THAT GOES BAD IN WITHIN 20,000 MILES IS NOT A GOOD REPAIR. WHEN ASKED TO REPAIR IT AGAIN KIA PUT IN THE WRONG PART I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK A 3RD TIME TO GET IT FIXED. THE TOTAL COST TO MY REPAIR WAS $679.45. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM PARK INTO DRIVE AND THE ESC LIGHT WOULD GO ON,IT TOOK MULTIPLE TRIES TO GET THE CAR OUT OF PARK IN ORDER TO DRIVE IT.
MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED TO REACT TO THE GAS PEDAL, MOTOR RPM FELL DOWN TO ~1000 RPM - USUALLY ITS IDLE VALUE. THE PROBLEM HAPPENED AS I WAS TRYING TO SPEED UP WHILE ENTERING THE TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY, AND IT CREATED A DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT LOOKS LIKE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH KIA SEDONA VEHICLES, I WAS ABLE TO FIND QUITE A FEW REFERENCES ON THE INTERNET, FOR EXAMPLE SEE THIS: HTTP://WWW.KIA-FORUMS.COM/KIA-CARNIVAL-SEDONA-2006/61112-SUDDEN-LOSS-ACCELERATOR-RESPONSE.HTML. *TR
THE LIGHTS HAVE TO BE SHUT OFF MANUALLY EVERY TIME WE USE THE LIGHTS AND IF WE FORGET, THE LIGHTS COME BACK ON A FEW HOURS LATER BY THEMSELVES AND SOMEONE WILL CALL TO INFORM US THE LIGHTS ARE ON. WE WENT ON A WET GRAVEL ROAD AND GRAVEL STUCK IN THE BRAKE DRUM AND MAKING A GRINDING NOISE. I BACKED UP FAST, HIT THE BRAKES HARD A COUPLE OF TIMES TO CLEAR THE GRAVEL FROM THE BRAKE DRUMS. ANOTHER PROBLEM IS THE KEY WILL NOT TURN AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED AND HAVE TO PLAY WITH THE STEERING WHEEL AND TRY TO WIGGLE IT UNTIL THE KEY CAN BE TURNED TO START THE VAN. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026