2012 Kia Sedona: owner complaints and recalls

Owners have filed 107 complaints about the 2012 Kia Sedona and NHTSA has issued 5 recall campaigns. The most-reported system is electrical system, named in 33 of them.

107
Complaints
5
Recalls
5
Crash reports
5
Fire reports
2
Injuries
61.7
Severity index

Severity index 61.7 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 61.7p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2012 Kia Sedona sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 129 2012 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2012 Kia Sedona ranks 69 of 129 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 47% of its model-year peers. See the full 2012 ranking.

What actually fails

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 33 complaints (30.8%)33 31%EngineEngine: 18 complaints (16.8%)18 17%StructureStructure: 18 complaints (16.8%)18 17%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 16 complaints (15.0%)16 15%Air BagsAir Bags: 9 complaints (8.4%)9 8%Service BrakesService Brakes: 8 complaints (7.5%)8 7%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 7 complaints (6.5%)7 7%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 7 complaints (6.5%)7 7%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3330.8%
ENGINE1816.8%
STRUCTURE1816.8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1615.0%
AIR BAGS98.4%
SERVICE BRAKES87.5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM76.5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL76.5%

Complaints filed per year

08172011: 32012: 52013: 52014: 92015: 122016: 82017: 72018: 112019: 112020: 172021: 52022: 42023: 32024: 22025: 32026: 2 (partial year)1112131415161718192017212223242526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20113
20125
20135
20149
201512
20168
20177
201811
201911
202017
20215
20224
20233
20242
20253
2026 (year to date)2
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V36300001/06/2018AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULEKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt prete
20V10100021/02/2020FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAILKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Sedona vehicles. The fuel rail may crack from exposure to heat generated within the engine compartment, resulting in a fuel leak.
16V38700001/06/2016SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARMKia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through August 14, 2012 and originally sold in, or currently registered in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine,
16V38900001/06/2016LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCHKia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through April 04, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.
13V55000005/11/2013SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARMKia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through August 14, 2012 originally sold in, or currently registered in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wi
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.