2008 KIA SEDONA Complaints

I OWN A 2008 KIA SEDONA LX AND JUST RECENTLY WE ARE EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH OPENING THE MANUAL SLIDING DOORS ON BOTH SIDES, ALSO THE LOCKS FAIL TO OPEN MANUALLY AND WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL. THE CONCERN IS THAT IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY WE MIGHT BE UNABLE TO REMOVE MY 3 DAUGHTERS FROM THE VEHICLE SINCE AGAIN IN MANY OCCASIONS THE DOORS DON'T WORK PROPERLY. *JS

THIS MINI-VAN HAS MANUAL SLIDING DOORS. SINCE NEWLY BOUGHT, THE SLIDING DOORS HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT TO OPEN AND CLOSE. ONE PROBLEM CORRECTED UNDER WARRANTY ELIMINATED THE WARNING DING WHEN UNDER SPEED INDICATING A SLIDING DOOR WAS AJAR. ANOTHER CORRECTED PROBLEM WAS THE LOOSE DOOR HANDLES CAUSED IN PART B THE AMOUNT OF FORCE PASSENGERS HAD TO USE TO OPEN THE SLIDING DOOR WHEN NOT LOCKED, LIKE IT WAS STUCK SHUT. THE CURRENT PROBLEM IS THE RIGHT (DRIVER) SIDE SLIDING DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK AT ALL, EITHER THROUGH THE KEY FOB OR BY MANUALLY OPERATING THE INSIDE LEVER TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. AS IT WILL NOT OPEN, IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY FLAW IN THAT NO ONE INSIDE DURING A CRASH CAN EXIT THROUGH THE DOOR, AND NO ONE OUTSIDE THE MINIVAN CAN OPEN THE DOOR TO FREE A TRAP CHILD ARE INFANT. KIA HAS REPLACED ONE PART WHICH DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, AND NOW IS REPLACING AN ELECTRICAL CONTROL BOX. *TR

THE VEHICLE PERIODICALLY WON'T START. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE SHOULD THE VEHICLE STALL WHILE DRIVING OR PULLING INTO TRAFFIC AND VEHICLE WON'T RESTART IMMEDIATELY, IT COULD CAUSE A CRASH. IT IS NOT A STARTER, BATTERY OR OTHER RELATED ISSUE AS FAR AS OUR MECHANIC CAN DETERMINE. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS ON LINE BY SEDONA OWNERS AS IT IS APPARENTLY AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH THE SEDONAS OF VARIOUS YEARS. PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THAT STARTERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN THEIR VEHICLE AND IT WILL RESOLVE THE PROBLEM FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME ONLY TO RETURN A SHORT TIME LATER. OTHERS STATE THAT THEIR MECHANICS THINK IT COULD BE RELATED TO THE ANTI-THEFT DEVICE IN THE VEHICLE. NO ONE SEEMS TO HAVE A SURE FIX FOR THE PROBLEM AND KIA APPARENTLY IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT OR MAKING ANY RECALLS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. VARIOUS THINGS WILL GET THE CAR TO START SUCH AS LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE DOORS SEVERAL TIMES, JIGGLING THE GEAR SHIFT AND TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL OR OPENING AND CLOSING THE DOORS. SOME DAYS IT WILL DO IT ONLY ONCE AND OTHER DAYS IT WILL DO IT SEVERAL TIMES. *TR

PASSENGER SLIDING DOOR REPEATEDLY FAILED TO LATCH CLOSED AND WOULD KEEP OPENING WHEN YOU CLOSED IT. ONCE WE DID GET IT CLOSED THE DOOR OPENED WHILE DRIVING. KIA IS AWARE OF THE DANGEROUS DEFECTIVE DESIGN AND HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN AND HAS A REDESIGNED PART AVAILABLE. KIA HAS NOT NOTIFIED CUSTOMERS. KIA WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE LATCH UNDER WARRANTY DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD BUT CHARGES FOR THE 'REPAIR' IF THE WARRANTY HAS RUN OUT. KIA REPLACES ONLY THE ONE LATCH THAT HAS ALREADY FAILED NOT BOTH DEFECTIVE LATCHES. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 KIA SEDONA VAN AND HAVE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS JUST RECENTLY WITH THE HEAD LIGHT BULBS BURNING OUT. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE DRIVER FRONT HEAD LIGHT BULB TWICE IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS. AFTER JUST REPLACING THE LAST BULB JUST A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO, MY DRIVER SIDE BRAKE TAIL LIGHT BULB IS NOW OUT. IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH A CONNECTION IN THE WIRING WITH THESE BULBS? I HAVE NOTICE SEVERAL KIA SEDONA'S ON THE ROAD THAT HAVE BLOWN HEAD LIGHT BULBS. THOSE BULBS ARE NOT CHEAP AND THEY ARE ALSO HARD TO FIND AS WELL. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT KIA SHOULD BE ADDRESSING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN CONSTRUCTION (55MPH) GOING TO WORK IN MORNING RUSH, THE ESC OFF LIGHT CAME ON AND THERE WAS LOSS OF ACCELERATION. I TURNED THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON AND COASTED TO A STOP, BUT THERE WAS NOWHERE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. CARS STARTED SWERVING AROUND ME AND ONE CAR ALMOST HIT A DIVIDER WALL. I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED 3 TIMES BEFORE I COULD GET GOING AGAIN. IT HAPPENED TWICE AGAIN WITHIN A 2 MILE DISTANCE ALL IN THE CONSTRUCTION AREA. RESEARCH SHOWED THE TPS IS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDS REPLACED AND REPROGRAMMED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM. SOMEBODY COULD BE KILLED. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND LOST ALL POWER. WE HAD TO PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN THE VAN OFF AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES. WHEN WE STARTED IT BACK UP IT RAN OKAY BUT THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES (DATES UNKNOWN OTHER THEN AUG 7,2014) DRIVING DOWN A BUSY ROAD AND HAVING LOSS OF POWER COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. IT IS THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR THAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I OWN A 2008 KIA SEDONA. THE SEDONA HAS/HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC OPEN/CLOSE DOOR ELECTRONICS BREAKING. THE LEFT AUTOMATIC DOOR FUNCTION STOPPED WORKING AND I RECEIVED AN ESTIMATE OF NEARLY $1000 TO REPAIR. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THE PROBLEM IS WELL DOCUMENTED. I DID NOT WORRY ABOUT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE I CAN STILL OPEN THE RIGHT DOOR ELECTRONICALLY. I HAVE SMALL CHILDREN AND IT IS VERY HARD FOR THEM TO OPEN THE SLIDING DOORS MANUALLY. IT'S HARD FOR ME TO OPEN THE DOORS MANUALLY. REGARDLESS, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT MY KIDS NOT BEING ABLE TO EXIT THE VAN FROM THE LEFT DOOR IF THE RIGHT DOOR, FOR WHATEVER REASON, IS NOT AN OPTION. KIA SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THIS SAFETY ISSUE A LONG TIME AGO. *TR

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE HEADLIGHTS & TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS EVERY 3 MONTHS. I HAVE SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON THE LIGHT BULBS REPLACEMENTS ALONE. NOT TO MENTION ALL THE SENSORS I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THOSE ALONE. *TR

SECOND FAILURE OF TURN SIGNALS ( LOOSE BULBS ) 1ST WAS LEFT, NOW RIGHT. I AM AN ELECTRICIAN SO I FIXED THE PROBLEM. IT WILL RETURN WITH TIME AS WEATHER CHANGES HOT/COLD EFFECT THE COPPER THAT HOLDS THE BULBS IN PLACE. ALL OLDER CARS USED A SPRING IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SOCKET WHICH MADE CONTACT WITH TIP IN THE CENTER OF THE BULB. KIA HAS USED A FLAT PIECE OF COPPER BENT IN A U OR V SHAPE, THE TENSION WILL NOT KEEP THE BULB STABLE. A TEMPORARY FIX IS TO BEND THE COPPER UPWARDS TO CREATE TENSION. MY FIX TODAY ON MY KIA WILL BE TO REPLACE THE SOCKET WITH A NEW SPRING TYPE. 100K MAINTENANCE IS DUE, WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL THEN BECAUSE WE ARE IN A HEAVY TRAFFIC SITUATION, IT IS JUST TOO DANGEROUS !!!! [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *JS