2016 Kia Sedona Exterior lighting Problems

The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while her nephew was driving, the nephew made a left-hand turn, and the vehicle was hit on the front right quarter panel. The contact stated that her nephew had turned on the left-hand signal and was halfway through making the left turn when the accident occurred. The other vehicle drove on the opposite side and stated that the left-hand turn signal was not on. The contact's nephew was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags were deployed. The contact's nephew had minor injuries and had a bruise on the right arm and chest that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard. The contact then had the vehicle towed to the residence and no longer driven. The insurance company was contacted, and the results are pending. Upon further investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle had an open recall pending: NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V725000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that there was a passenger in the vehicle. The passenger was sitting on the front passenger seat and was not injured. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

NHTSA ID

11709756

Incident

Jan 3, 2026

Mileage

96,000 mi

Rain water continually collects in both brakelight/taillight assemblies at the rear of the van. This causes the bulbs for the turn signal and brake light to burn out. This has been an issue since we purchased the vehicle in 2016. Initially, we could change the bulb(s) and they would last a while but now the passenger side bulb(s) can be replaced and burn out immediately! We have burned through dozens of bulbs since owning the van. On 6/17/25 I took the van to Valvoline in Circleville, Ohio for an oil change and replacement of the rear passenger turn signal bulb. On inspection he informed me that both brake lights were out as well as the right turn signal. He was able to replace the left brake light after dumping water out of the casing but the right side was so full of water he wouldn't even touch the bulbs because he said it would do no good. He recommended I get new casings/housing assemblies for both sides. In reading about this issue, it appears to be a problem not only for me but for many others. It was noted that several owners had holes drilled in the housing as "drain" holes and that the issue was corrected and/or improved in the later models. I believe this to be a huge safety issue due to the fact that it involves braking and turning and the increased risk of getting hit from behind.

NHTSA ID

11670277

Incident

Jun 17, 2025

The taillights leak, fill with water, and the bulbs short out. When this happens, the rear lights (taillights, brake lights reverse lights, turn signals) stop functioning. This occurs on a taillight for a vehicle that has never had an accident. I went to the dealer and asked them to fix this, suggesting it should be covered for free because it is a safety hazard. I mentioned that I have noticed other Kia Sedona's with the same problem of several inches of water in the taillight assembly. The service manager said, "Yeah, that happens all the time. But it isn't covered." The price to repair was several hundred dollars. I've since had to repair it three times. Here is a link to a YouTube video showing how to remove the water. The point of the video is to illustrate that this is a common problem. [XXX] Link [XXX] complaining about water in the rear light: [XXX] [XXX] This is for a Kia Forte, but showing the problem occurs across multiple Kia models. [XXX] This is for a Kia K5 [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11651208

Incident

Jan 5, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the turn signal was not operating as designed. The contact stated that the turn signal was activating on the opposite side of the turn signal desired. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11607544

Incident

Aug 9, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

Headlight don't turn on even with new bulbs. Break light fill with water and stop working.

NHTSA ID

11606649

Incident

Aug 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night going downhill, the headlights to the vehicle shut off inadvertently and the contact to almost struck a pedestrian. The contact stated that the vehicle struck a curb, and he became disoriented. The air bags had not deployed. A Police report was filed by the Sacramento Police Department. The contact later sought medical attention with their primary care physician. The contact also stated that the rear driver’s side sliding door failed to lock or unlock. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was not able to diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ID

11595593

Incident

Jun 6, 2024

Mileage

68,000 mi

The rear brake / turn signal light housing tends to fill with water. When this occurs the turn signal lights short out. This presents a risk when making turns or switching lanes if the driver is unaware the rear signal is out. There are numerous online articles and videos illustrating the issue. KIA is also aware of the issue, but do not cover it under their warranty or offer repair.

NHTSA ID

11593699

Incident

Jun 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while a State Inspection was being performed on the vehicle, it was discovered that water and condensation were present inside the driver's and passenger’s side rear brake light housing. The contact stated that the vehicle failed the safety inspection due to the failure. The water and condensation were removed from the housing and the light bulbs were replaced but the failure reoccurred during the next rainstorm. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 97,000.

NHTSA ID

11560860

Incident

Dec 19, 2023

Mileage

97,000 mi

Headlights will shut off while driving. This sometimes will occur on its own, other times, it appears to be caused when using the turn signal lever. The lights will come back on by touching/moving the lever. This is dangerous and could lead to an accident.

NHTSA ID

11511884

Incident

Mar 5, 2023

The taillight housings accumulate standing water due to cracking of the plastic on the back of the tail light housing. This water leads to corrosion of the brake light bulb socket, which then leads to an inoperative brake light.

NHTSA ID

11501711

Incident

Mar 27, 2021

Headlights will randomly turn off and flicker on and off. Has happened multiple times and on dark roads

NHTSA ID

11496530

Incident

Nov 27, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side low-beam headlight failed to operate. The contact stated that the front driver's side low-beam headlight intermittently illuminated and then failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that he was unsure what repair was performed; however, the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The contact then stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s and passenger side low-beam headlights failed to operate. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the headlight assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000

NHTSA ID

11490608

Incident

Sep 24, 2022

Mileage

100,000 mi

The tail lights continue to stay on even when the car is parked and no one is pressing the brakes. The driver needs to press multiple times the brake pedal to turn them off. I constantly have to buy light bulbs for the rear-end brake lights because of this issue. The Kia Dealership Service Center check the issue and couldn't find anything other than the light bulb was out. This safety issue confuses drivers behind because it doesn't know if the person driving is braking or what.

NHTSA ID

11480140

Incident

Apr 12, 2022

we received notice for safety recall that the tail lights and turn signal lights could fail and they needed to change something to do with computer.we took it in and left with lights working and 3days later they stopped working again.Kia is refusing to fix it on the recall but it is the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11452946

Incident

Feb 11, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the headlights would turn off without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and the headlights regained functionality however, shortly thereafter the vehicle lost headlight functionality again. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,758.

NHTSA ID

11443162

Incident

Nov 9, 2021

Mileage

136,758 mi

There are two issues I believe both are connected. Number 1. Sometimes when I put on the left blinker either nothing happens at all or the wrong blinker (right side) will go on instead of the left. Number 2. Sometimes when I put on my left blinker the headlights will turn off. It can be really scary when this happens on a dark highway at night.

NHTSA ID

11427538

Incident

Aug 2, 2021

The problem is the multi function switch. In the AUTO mode, the head lights go off randomly. This is a super dangerous at night. Also, when the left turn signal is activated, sometimes the flasher doesn't work and you have to jiggle it or turn it off and on again and sometimes the right flasher goes on. The dealer service could not confirm the problem and did nothing. These problems happen at random times and have been ongoing for about 18 months.

NHTSA ID

11425932

Incident

Jan 1, 2020

Malfunctioning indicator stalk/switch. Left blinker either won't function or will cause right blinker to indicate. Dangerous because creates confusion to other drivers and is a distraction.

NHTSA ID

11424914

Incident

May 1, 2019

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 mph and while making a left turn, the vehicle made slight contact with a second vehicle. While viewing the second vehicle's video dashcam it was discovered that the driver's side rear signal light did not illuminate. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that water had leaked into the rear light housing and the bulb was submerged in water causing the bulb to become inoperable. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. During the crash, no injuries were reported and a police report was taken at the scene. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 104,000.

NHTSA ID

11418760

Incident

May 12, 2021

Mileage

104,000 mi

DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE COMPLETELY. MUST PUSH ON BACK SIDE FOR IT TO CLOSE. BLINKERS DON'T WORK PROPERLY. PUT ON LEFT BLINKER AND RIGHT BLINKER TURNS ON. OCCASIONALLY IT WILL WORK CORRECTLY. I HAD THE DOOR RECALL FIXED AND THE SERVICE PERSON THOUGHT IT WOULD FIX ALL THE PROBLEMS BUT IT DID NOT. THEN A FEW MONTHS LATER THE BRAKE LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. ONLY THE TOP BRAKE LIGHT WORKS ON THE WINDOW.

NHTSA ID

11408604

Incident

Sep 1, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

AT TIMES WHEN DRIVING WITH HEADLIGHTS ON THE DRIVERSIDE TAILLIGHT WILL GO OUT AND WILL CAUSE THE MIDDLE AND PASSENGER BRAKE LIGHT TO STAY ON. IF I TURN THE HEADLIGHTS OFF THE MIDDLE AND PASSENGER TAILLIGHTS WORK ONLY WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDDLE.I HAVE REMOVED THE TAIL LIGHT AND CHECKED IT FOR BEING BURNED OUT, CORROSION OR BEING LOOSE AND IT IS FINE. I PUT THE BULB BACK IN AND THE DRIVERS SIDE TAILLIGHT WORKS FINE AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORK AS NORMAL. THIS HAPPENED A SECOND TIME AND I CHECKED THE BULB. AGAIN NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT. I CHANGED THE BULB WITH A NEW ONE. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SECOND NEW BULB IN THAT SOCKET. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING OR STANDING STILL WHILE HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS ARE ON. THIS STARTED HAPPENING IN DECEMBER 2020. IT IS WORRISOME AS YOU ARE DRIVING WITH NO BRAKE LIGHTS WORKING IF YOU HAVE YOUR HEADLIGHTS ON WHEN IT RAINS DURING THE DAY OR WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT AND THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL KNOW IT'S HAPPENING IS IF YOU HAPPEN TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAR WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON.

NHTSA ID

11403486

Incident

Feb 15, 2021

Mileage

57,000 mi

WHEN SIGNALING LEFT SOMETIMES THE RIGHT BLINKER COMES ON IF AT ALL. TO MAKE IT SIGNAL LEFT YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE LEVER HARD DOWN TO GO LEFT. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN THE SIGNAL WILL GO FAST THEN NORMAL. THIS ALL HAPPENS WHEN COMING TO A TURN OR STATIONARY. IN ALL WEATHER. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE OCTOBER 2020.

NHTSA ID

11403482

Incident

Mar 17, 2021

Mileage

58,000 mi

WHEN YOU USE YOUR BLINKERS TO CHANGE LANES AT NIGHT THE HEADLIGHTS GO OFF TILL I MOVE THE BLINKER NOB BACK TO THE MIDDLE THIS HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND IS DANGEROUS NEEDS TO RECALLED ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE GET HURT

NHTSA ID

11384972

Incident

Dec 25, 2020

Mileage

180,000 mi

ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING OCCASIONAL TIMES WHEN I WOULD TURN ON THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND THE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL WOULD COME ON. THE FIRST FEW TIMES IT HAPPENED, I THOUGHT I MUST'VE TURNED ON THE WRONG SIGNAL AS IT HAPPENED INFREQUENTLY. NOW IT OCCURS OFTEN, WHERE ENGAGING THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE, WITH IT SOMETIMES TURNING ON THE LEFT SIGNAL, SOMETIMES THE RIGHT SIGNAL, SWITCHING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE SIGNALS, OR NO SIGNAL ENGAGING. WHEN ENGAGING THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND COMPLETING A LEFT TURN, WHEN THE SIGNAL DISENGAGES, THE RIGHT SIGNAL WILL TURN ON AND FLASH SEVERAL TIMES WITHOUT TURNING ON THE RIGHT SIGNAL. THIS MAKES FOR DANGEROUS LANE CHANGING AND TURNING AS IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE SURE THE RIGHT SIGNAL TURNS ON. ADDITIONALLY, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY WHEN AN ADULT IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, AS IF THE VEHICLE THINKS A CHILD IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THE AIR BAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY IN A CRASH. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO KIA TO HAVE THEM FIX THIS, BUT THEY SAID THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH IT WAS 3 YEARS OLD, AND WANTED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO EVEN LOOK AT IT, NOT INCLUDING FIXING THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE TURN SIGNALS IN THIS MAKE/MODEL AND YEAR, PARTICULARLY WITH THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL. HERE IS A LINK TO A YOUTUBE VIDEO OF ANOTHER KIA WITH THE SAME PROBLEM: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/IDXLNMXMHQY HERE IS A LINK TO A PAGE WHERE OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED OF THE SAME PROBLEM: HTTPS://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/KIAMOTOR/SEDONA/TURN-SIGNAL-PROBLEMS.PHP THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

11384632

Incident

Apr 1, 2018

Mileage

50,000 mi

THE DAYTIME AND HEADLIGHTS LIGHTS WILL TURN OFF RANDOMLY. (STARTED AROUND THE 100K MILEAGE). WHEN STATIONARY, THE SLIDING DOORS DO NOT SHUT CORRECTLY. 1ST THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR BEGINS RATTLING LIKE CHANGE IS INSIDE THE DOOR. 2ND THEN THE DOOR BEGINS TAKING 2 TURNS TO CLOSE, AND THEN IT IS HIT OR MISS WHEN CLOSING. THE DOOR CLOSURE BUTTON WILL OCCASIONALLY NOT WORK, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE CAR IS OFF AND PARKED. (STARTED AROUND THE 45000 MILEAGE). THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT CONNECTOR OCCASIONALLY INDICATES A FAULT ERROR. ALSO THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT INDICATOR WILL TURN ON WHEN 5 POUNDS OR LESS IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. (STARTED AROUND THE 100K MILEAGE). MY BIGGEST CONCERN: SINCE I BELIEVE THE SIDE DOORS ARE FATAL ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN, I HAVE MY KIDS SIT IN THE 3RD ROW. ONLY ADULTS ARE ALLOWED TO SIT IN MY PASSENGER CAPTAIN CHAIRS. THE BLIND SPOT WARNING DOES NOT WORK CONSISTENTLY.

NHTSA ID

11377600

Incident

Dec 2, 2020

Mileage

45,000 mi