MODELYEARINDEX

Which Kia Sedona years to avoid

Across 11 scored model years, the 2016, 2017 and 2015 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Kia Sedona Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2016 vs model median 5.2×
Model median3× median
Electrical 23
Body & Interior 16
Lights & Visibility 13
Avoid

2016 · 2017

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.44× 11 B
2011
1.30× 24 D
2012
2.30× 54 F
2014
0.84× 22 B
2015
2.75× 61 F
2016
5.16× 98 F
2017
2.86× 55 F
2018
1.00× 23 C
2019
0.88× 23 B
2020
0.58× 14 B
2021
0.66× 12 B

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2016 F 98 reports · median 40,500 mi

  1. Electrical 23

    My mother and her friend were driving approx. 35 miles per hour when the right rear wheel went off the road causing them to go into the frying pan river in basalt, co. There was approx. 42.1 degree slope. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 16

    On iihs website it mentions that kia reprogrammed the auto lock feature so that the doors would stay closed in a crash and reduce intrusion. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Lights & Visibility 13

    The low beam headlights are manufactured to a specification that gives very limited length of visibility making fast highway driving at night very dangerous. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

14 crash · 5 fire · 5 injuries

2017 F 55 reports · median 30,000 mi

  1. Electrical 10

    Engine light came on and stayed on for two days. Mirrors and horn does not fold or beep when pressing the key pad to lock the doors. Engine is beginning to sound loud. Its tough drive up small slopes. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Lights & Visibility 9

    My headlights have blown 3 times within the last 3 months. It was happen on both drivers and passengers side 3 tines each. So I replaced a total of 6 light bulbs. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 8

    The contact owns a 2017 kia sedona. While the vehicle was parked and the rear passenger door was sliding closed, the left hand of the contact's child was smashed in the door. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

4 crash · 6 injuries

The best year for the Sedona

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Sedona model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2010 at 0.44× this model’s median, against 0.66× for 2021.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 0.66× 12 B
2020 0.58× 14 B
2010 0.44× 11 B

Recalls

14 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
13V114000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH 2010, 2011 980,377
18V363000 AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE 2011, 2012 507,587
22V031000 AIR BAGS 2017–2019 410,619
20V088000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2010 228,829
16V389000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH 2010–2014 219,800
18V338000 STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR 2015–2018 106,428
16V387000 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM 2010–2012 97,884
19V109000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING 2015–2018 94,389
21V725000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL 2015–2017 88,576
13V550000 SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM 2010–2012 79,867
20V101000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL 2011, 2012 51,465
22V612000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT 2016 28,065

+ 2 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2016 were reported at a median of 40,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Kia Sedona years should you avoid?
2016, 2017, 2015 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Kia Sedona model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Kia Sedona?
2021 is the best-scoring Kia Sedona model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Kia Sedona have?
14 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Kia Sedona model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 Sedona
Complaints in window
98
Severity-weighted
165
Model median (weighted)
32
vs model median
5.16×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
4
Open investigations
0
Score 15 F