2012 KIA SEDONA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 106 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (20 complaints · 18.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 5
  • Injuries 2
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2011 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 20 of 106 owner complaints (18.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 20 complaints, 18.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 · 18.9% · 1 fire reports ENGINE: 16 complaints, 15.1% of reports ENGINE 16 · 15.1% · 2 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 9 complaints, 8.5% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 9 · 8.5% STRUCTURE: 9 complaints, 8.5% of reports STRUCTURE 9 · 8.5% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 7 complaints, 6.6% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 · 6.6% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 6 complaints, 5.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 6 · 5.7% AIR BAGS: 5 complaints, 4.7% of reports AIR BAGS 5 · 4.7% · 2 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 5 complaints, 4.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 4.7% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 3 complaints, 2.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 2.8% · 1 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 34 complaints, 32.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34 · 32.1% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 20 18.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
ENGINE 16 15.1% 0 crashes · 2 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 9 8.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 9 8.5% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 7 6.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 6 5.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 5 4.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 5 4.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 2.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 34 32.1% 1 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Nov 2013. 2011-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 13V550000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V550000 Recall campaign 16V387000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V387000 Recall campaign 16V389000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V389000 Recall campaign 18V363000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V363000 Recall campaign 20V101000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V101000 Investigation PE18003 ● Investigation PE18003
  • Campaign 16V389000 was reported 1,663 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V363000 was reported 2,240 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V101000 was reported 179 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q4 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 3
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 4
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 4
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 5
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 5
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 2
2017-Q3 Owner reports 4
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q3 Owner reports 5
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 3
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 6
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 6
2020-Q2 Owner reports 4
2020-Q3 Owner reports 4
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 13V550000
Recall campaign 1 16V387000
Recall campaign 1 16V389000
Recall campaign 1 18V363000
Recall campaign 1 20V101000
Defect investigation 1 PE18003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V550000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners and dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on December 20, 2013. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC100.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V387000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the front lower control arms on 2006-2007 models. 2008-2012 models will either have their front lower control arms replaced or additional anti-corrosion coating will be applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC133.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V389000

    Report date
    Component:
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
    Consequence:
    If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the secondary hood latch or clean and lubricate the latch, depending on the vehicle's location and the condition of the latch. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC134.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V363000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V101000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    A fuel leak increases the risk of fire.
    Remedy:
    Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began June 16, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC188.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 106 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources