There are 2 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2011 Kia Sedonain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHILE VEHICLE IS IN DRIVE, ONCE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, IT RANDOMLY REFUSES TO MOVE INTO PARK. MUST KEEP FOOT ON BRAKE WHILE FIGHTING WITH VEHICLE TO TRY TO GET IT INTO PARK. THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY BUT RANDOMLY. IT WOULD BE EASY TO RUN OVER A PERSON OR OBJECT IN FRONT OF THE CAR WHILE FIGHTING THE CAR TO MOVE IT INTO PARK. THIS FAILURE ALSO HAPPENS WHILE IN PARK -- IT WILL RANDOMLY REFUSE TO MOVE INTO REVERSE. WITHOUT WARNING, FROM ONE TIME TO THE NEXT IT WORKS PROPERLY THEN LATER IN THE SAME DAY IT WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY -- SOMETIMES JUST MINUTES APART. IT HAS OCCURRED OVER THE LAST TWO DAYS AND IS ON-GOING TODAY. I NEARLY HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME TODAY AT A GAS PUMP WHILE TRYING TO GET THE TRANSMISSION TO MOVE INTO PARK.
ON TWO OCCASIONS WE WERE UNABLE TO SHIFT THE VAN OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. IT APPEARED TO BE STUCK. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, MY HUSBAND SHUT THE VAN OFF, AND TURNED IT BACK ON AND IT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED, I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT IT OUT OF PARK, BUT THE "ESC" LIGHT LIT UP ON THE DASH BOARD. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON LINE, I REALIZED THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM ON PAST KIA SEDONA MODELS AND I AM CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN IN THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND AM AWAITING A RESPONSE. *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