Kia Sedona: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Kia Sedona: 10 model years scored from 641 NHTSA owner complaints and 19 recall campaigns. Worst year 2016, best year 2014.
Kia Sedona: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Kia Sedona ranges from 42/100 in 2016 to 95/100 in 2014 — a 53-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Sedona at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (145 of them).
Avoid: 2016 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2014 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the Sedona changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2012
Mean score 80/100, about 6 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Electrical System more than anything else (45 complaints). 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2014–2015
Mean score 81/100, about 8 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (59 complaints). 1 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2014 (score 95). Worst: 2016 (score 42, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,040 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,180 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,320 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,610 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,750 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 42 | AVOID | $5,444 | 292 | 4 |
| 2015 | 67 | CAUTION | $5,268 | 138 | 3 |
| 2014 | 95 | BUY | $5,482 | 39 | 1 |
| 2012 | 78 | BUY | $5,594 | 107 | 5 |
| 2011 | 83 | BUY | $5,672 | 65 | 6 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Sedona, through the years →
Sedona sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Sedona on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Kia Sedona
Across every Sedona model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine233 complaints across all Sedona years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System139 complaints across all Sedona years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Structure75 complaints across all Sedona years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
- Unknown Or Other73 complaints across all Sedona years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Exterior Lighting54 complaints across all Sedona years · typical job: Headlamp assembly or lighting-module replacement$360–$1,380
- Air Bags41 complaints across all Sedona years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Kia Sedona years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2016 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2016 is the weakest at 42/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Kia Sedona years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2014 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2014 at 95/100, on 39 complaints and 1 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Kia Sedona problem?
233 of the complaints filed against the Sedona across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04