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.
The vehicle suddenly and without warning lost all power on an interstate. Could not accelerate past 20mph, with my wife and kids in the car. We were stuck on the side of the road, going only 20mph in a 65mph area. The check engine light came on. Upon further investigation, the vehicle suddenly burned up all oil inside the engine. We put 5.5 quarts in, and it took every bit of it. There was barely any in the engine. We were about due for an oil change, but not grossly overdue. This is an extreme safety risk as there is no warning and no explanation for why the engine suddenly is without oil. We could have EASILY killed the engine if we had driven it any further.
According to the my local Kia dealer, the head gasket is blown. There was no warning indicators. It was driving perfect until suddenly the engine temperature spiked and I immediately had it towed to the dealer in which they want $13,000 to fix it.
Engine seized without warning. Oil was empty, no warning light or any indication at all, just died. Lost all power in middle of traffic, couldn-??t steer or control the car. Luckily managed to direct into someone-??s driveway, but was left half blocking the road until tow truck came
Engine failure at 155,540 miles. Presented a knocking sound. When evaluated by the dealership, metal fragments were present at the oil pan, indicating internal breakage. The driver was traveling on a highway when noticed the knocking, the engine could have ceased and locked during the trip, putting occupants at severe risk.
While driving down the highway we noticed the rpm-??s were getting high while accelerating. There were no warning indicators on the dash and the car recently passed state emissions. By the time we could safely pull over there was a knocking sound from the engine. We checked the oil and could not get a reading. We added oil but it was too late, the engine has severe damage. The entire time there were no warning lights or other indications that anything was wrong.
- Mchenry, IL, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
On 25 March 2024, my wife was driving our 2016 Kia Sedona with my two children. Without warning, the engine stopped, the vehicle jolted to a halt, and my wife was left stranded in the middle of the road with no ability to pull the vehicle onto the shoulder. She was only traveling about 15 miles per hour at the time and no one was no crash or injuries, but at higher speeds this could have been disastrous. We had the vehicle towed to a Kia dealership, and after performing diagnostics and inspecting the vehicle, we were told that the engine "seized" and that they were unable to provide a more detailed explanation. They also said that it could take months to replace the engine (a $10,000 plus repair) and that our only immediate recourse was to buy a new vehicle. For additional context, the vehicle has about 150,000 miles on it, we have kept up with all recommended maintenance and oil changes, and there were no warning lights, check engine lights, or low oil lights present. We had also had the vehicle inspected as part of a recent oil change, and a mechanic ran diagnostics and changed some of the necessary fluids. In summary, the vehicle was in good shape, well maintained, and there was no warning for the sudden engine failure that could have been catastrophic at high speeds.
No lights on the dash, no maintenance or check engine lights. The van began making noises under the hood and then blowing white smoke from the exhaust. The electrical connectors to the fan were melted and hot. To the cooling fan, radiator, etc. The fan connector caused the car to over heat.
The contact's daughter owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the contact's daughter was provided an estimate for the repair. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
The engine light came on sunday 25 Feb, I took it to autozone the next am and had the code read, it was for the crankshaft alignment sensor. My mechanic told me it may be several issues when that code came up and I should have it serviced soon but that it wasn't an emergency. The following day it had a new code show up on the entertainment system on the way home from my wifes job. The engine began to shake a bit and the engine light began to blink, it would not accelerate smoothly but as there were no safe places to stop my wife drove it the 3 miles home. It went in that night and was looked at Wednesday. It threw codes p0300, p0019, p0024, p0302, p0304, p0306 it was missing 5 quarts of oil (no warning light) 3 cylinders misfiring, timing codes, fuel samples were taken and were normal. The mechanic said there were no contributing factors to the engine failure other than poor design. As I have a 7 person house and need a second vehicle I have no choice but to trade it in tomorrow and get a new vehicle and roll the negative equity into the new car. My kids need to get to school and both the wife and I to work.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, he heard an abnormal clicking noise coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence and checked the oil and the coolant level. The contact stated that there was coolant leaking and that the oil level was low. The contact stated he filled the coolant reservoir and topped off the oil level and continued to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that he heard a loud clicking sound however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and informed the contact that the head gasket was blown, and that coolant had leaked into the long block. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: DP24002 (Engine). The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
While driving, van went to half power with no warning light. Would not go above 15 MPH. It had recently had an oil change at a KIA dealership, but when we took to the shop, the oil was barely existent and foamy. It is undriveable and 3 different mechanics have said it cannot be fixed without a new engine.
Vehicle shut off while driving for no apparent reason. Vehicle had plenty of fuel and battery measures 12.8 volts with engine off, 13.8 volts when vehicle is on. No error code. Steering and braking stopped working correctly. We were traveling through a parking lot at the time so luckily not at high speed or this could have ended deadly. The vehicle would not immediately start back up, we put it in park, turned the key and the engine would turn over but not start. After 4 or 5 tries it did start, and the only fault to appear was the ABS light which came on and stayed on solid. After parking and shutting the vehicle off and restarting it the ABS light went away. No other fault codes are or were present.
we kept regular maintenance of vehicle and adhering oil change specs. one morning we start the van to let it warm up to go to bus stop, and it is making a TERRIBLE tingling ting a ling ting a ling noise from what seems to be the top end of the engine. We immediately turn it off. We check the oil.... it is BONE DRY. there was no light indicators or warning lamps that came on. it did not run any differently then it has ran in the past. If my son who just gotten his license was driving along our busy highway... it would have been a totallly different outcome. I am fearful for any individuals using this vehicle with their families. the only issue we had that is close to this was in late 2023. we checked our oil and the fluid was burning oil very QUICKLY, like needed oil daily. so we took it to a KIA certified garage, and we paid to have the oil seal replaced. i am still paying the 1800$$ job off! it has ran fine since, but now i am wondering if it really was the seal.... cuz where did the oil go this time"???" Again, there are no oil trails, no puddles.... no nothing. Our family is educated on mechanics and general mechanical systems.... and this Kia has been a mechanical monster. We've only had it since Dec 2021. I would like to know if this Kia is WORTH fixing or if these engines are just not worth the effort or MONEY! thank you
Our 2016 Kia Sedona SX with the 3.3L engine was consuming engine oil very quickly and experienced overheating. It is available for inspection. One time when the engine overheated, my wife was driving on the highway during a very cold day and had to pull over to stop the car. She had both of our children with her. The engine failed a block test that was performed by an independent mechanic shop. It was also taken to a nearby Kia dealership, and found to have a cracked head gasket, which is the cause of the steel bolts pulling and destroying the threads in the aluminum engine block. Since the dealership said they had to pull the engine apart to inspect it, the engine CANNOT be put back together since the threads are destroyed. There was no indication light that the engine was consuming oil so fast and low. We did get warning light and message when the car was overheating. There was NO indication on the warning lights that oil volume was low.
Engine failed at less than 90k miles. Kia wants to put a new engine in for $15,000. I bought it used so no 100k mile warranty. I have always had my car serviced at the dealership and never missed a service. This is a common problem and Kia has already been sued by multiple parties including a large class-action suit that resulted in them recalling 3 million cars. There is no warning when this happens. If you are driving on the freeway, as I was with my three kids, this type of failure can lead to loss of control of the car. They need to own up to this problem. People will get hurt/killed as a result of Kia's negligence.
Experienced overheating issues at only 105,000 miles due to leaking cylinder head gasket diagnosed at multiple mechanics, including the local Kia dealership. I was informed that this engine has a common defect where the head gasket bolts strip out of the engine block.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the heater was no longer blowing hot air. Additionally, the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who replaced the thermostat and the water pump, but the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear cylinder head bolts had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 123,000.
There were absolutely no warning lights on my dashboard for the engine, engine oil or anything. I was on a busy 2 lane road with my 7 year old on December 21, 2023 and suddenly the Charging System Warning light and the Immobilizer Indicator came on and the car stopped accelerating. I had to coast off of the road where there was no where to pull over. There are only 61,355 miles on my car and I had just had the safety inspection completed by Kia on September 7, 2023. I had the car towed to the Kia dealership in Leesburg as I always trusted them with servicing my car. They now want me to pay $9,899.72 to replace the long block, starter motor, and intake manifold OR they said they will pay me $500 for my car. The car is in the Kia dealerships lot right now because we would have to tow it somewhere else. The only symptom started 2 days before the incident. When starting the car it made a clicking sound. There were absolutely no other symptoms.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact became aware that the radiator was overheating while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact replaced the thermostat, the radiator cap, and flushed the coolant and radiator system. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the temperature gauge was indicating that the vehicle had started overheating. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the mechanic discovered that the head bolts on the cylinder heads had been stretched, causing coolant to leak into the engine cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Brownsburg, IN, USA