RoadVitals

2021 Kia Sedona

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
+1 complaint in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 10 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Kia Sedona, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, driver assistance and electrical categories. 54 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels216.7%
  • Driver assistance216.7%
  • Electrical216.7%
  • Engine216.7%
  • Airbags18.3%
  • Body & structure18.3%
  • Exterior lighting18.3%
  • Seat belts18.3%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Oct 14, 2026

This vehicle is burning oil at an alarming rate. Between oil changes it has lost 4 quarts before. I constantly have to check and add oil and have experienced stuck pistons and rough idle due to the oil not being at a safe level. Kia service advisors have admitted there have been reports of this happening with this engine, but no recall or inspection has been initiated to my knowledge. They did just issue an optional emission campaign that I completed, but it is unrelated to the oil burn issue.

NHTSA ID
11771182
Incident
Aug 8, 2026
Body & structure
Filed Aug 6, 2026

the drivers side passenger sliding door will not latch or close properly. The door started opening while driving and would not close. Luckily i had no children in the car at the time. The safety of my CHILD or any passenger could have been at risk. Driving while a van door is OPENING. I am taking it to the dealer this morning. Have to figure out how to get it there since the door wont close. Has not been inspected yet. The door ajar started to go off and the door started opening.

NHTSA ID
11755181
Incident
Aug 5, 2026
ElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Oct 7, 2025

For starters, my lights go out every six months on queue. Cannot find a reason why. My car sputters or shutters when accelerating. I heard other Kia models have recalls due to the same thing. I have had my car in the shop multiple times and no one can figure out why it is doing it. It feels like the belts are slipping or the transmission is slipping or something, but no one can find a legit reason as to why. This has been happening since I bought the car and it has never stopped with anything I have tried to do or I’ve had inspected.

NHTSA ID
11691853
Incident
Jun 30, 2024
ElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 28, 2025

The engine started knocking while I was on [XXX] between mile marker [XXX] and [XXX]. This area is under construction with no shoulders to access and pull over. A shutdown in this situation would surely cause a multi-car accident. There were no warning lamps. Car was towed to Ancira Kia in San Antonio. Here is the RO# [XXX] for reference. Also case number from Kia [XXX]. As there is no current Recall Kia refused to take responsibility. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11683663
Incident
Aug 15, 2025
Driver assistance
Filed Jun 17, 2025

We purchased a brand-new 2021 Kia Sedona in 2021. Since January, we’ve been experiencing an intermittent but serious issue where the vehicle refuses to accelerate or shift beyond a certain point. This issue has put us in dangerous situations multiple times. One incident occurred while crossing a fast-moving, single-lane road—our vehicle would not accelerate to the appropriate speed, placing us at serious risk. On another occasion, while merging onto a highway, the car failed to accelerate, and we feared being rear-ended due to our inability to keep up with traffic. There are no warning lights or error messages to indicate a problem when this occurs. The only temporary solution has been to pull over, turn the car off, and restart it. After doing this, the vehicle functions normally for a few days, weeks, or even months before the issue reoccurs. We have taken the vehicle to our local Kia dealership, but they were unable to replicate the problem or identify any issues. We also brought it to a second Kia dealership with the same result—no diagnosis and no resolution. We are extremely concerned for our safety and would appreciate guidance on how to escalate this issue or pursue a resolution. I also have a video of an incident.

NHTSA ID
11667589
Incident
Jun 6, 2025
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed May 22, 2025
Crash reported1 injury reported

I was in a car wreck and my air bags did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock. The other vehicle involved in the car accident immediately deployed its airbags. I did not ask for an ambulance because I do not know if my insurance covers it so I went personally to the emergency room after the accident.

NHTSA ID
11662588
Incident
May 21, 2025
Tires & wheels
Filed Jun 1, 2024

The first of four tire failures (all the same DOT Number) of the OEM tires that were on the 2021 Kia Sedona when purchased in April, 2021. The first tire belt broke when on an approximate 1000 mile drive and was replaced on an emergency basis on January 24, 2024 with 16,760 miles on the vehicle. The second tire belt broke on the trip home and was replaced on an emergency basis on March 8, 2024 with 18,927. After arriving home, the tires were inspected, found to have defective belts and were replaced with a warranty adjustment by Discount Tire in Oswego with 19,191 miles. Kumho has still not honored the warranty by sending checks for the first two defective tires. (Can't find receipt from warranty replacement by Discount Tires but will continue looking. Have many photos of defective tire if desired.)

NHTSA ID
11591931
Incident
Jan 23, 2024
Tires & wheels
Filed Aug 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Sedona equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line: Crugen, Tire Size :235/65/R17, DOT Number: (N/A). The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, there was an abnormal vibration coming from the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed of tread separation to the driver’s and passenger’s side rear tires. The tires were replaced. The tires were the original tires. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID
11537443
Incident
Aug 6, 2023

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SC365_OWNR_YP

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC365) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to ensure compliance with emissions regulations on the 2019-2020 MY Sorento vehicles manufactured from January 24, 2018 through October 26, 2020 and 2019-2021 MY Sedona vehicles manufactured from February 13, 2018 through July 8, 2020 equipped with 3.3L GDI engines.

SC365_DPSM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (SC365) - This document is the announcement to dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to ensure compliance with emissions regulations on the 2019-2020 MY Sorento vehicles manufactured from January 24, 2018 through October 26, 2020 and 2019-2021 MY Sedona vehicles manufactured from February 13, 2018 through July 8, 2020 equipped with 3.3L GDI engines.

SC365_POC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

SC365_POC: PROOF OF CORRECTION CARD

SC365_QA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (SC365) – This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign SC365.

SC365_DP

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC365) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to ensure compliance with emissions regulations on the 2019-2020 MY Sorento vehicles manufactured from January 24, 2018 through October 26, 2020 and 2019-2021 MY Sedona vehicles manufactured from February 13, 2018 through July 8, 2020 equipped with 3.3L GDI engines.

SC365_STKR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE

SC365_STKR: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL/STICKER

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Kia Sedona by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2021Viewing100047.9
2020201040.6
2019402060.4
2018493059.2
20171344058.9
20162974165.3
20151403054.7
2014401154.5
2013010—
20121085159.1
2011656161.0
2010325059.4
2009485055.2
20081705052.5
20071576052.1
20063857050.7
20051852051.4
20041762358.8
20031634464.8
20021983361.3

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.