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Electrical System
01/02/2026
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that the air bag and the check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with alternator failure; however, the battery was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that after his wife had pulled into the driveway, the instrument panel turned blank, and the driver noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The driver turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle cooled down. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle later in the evening, the vehicle failed to start. The contact opened the hood and noticed that unknown parts had melted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the battery terminals and an unknown control module had melted due to an electrical failure; however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was pro...
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Service Brakes, Hydraulic
04/06/2026
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Check Auto Emergency System" was displayed and the brake warning light illuminated. Additionally, an unknown fluid was leaking near the front passenger’s side wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and an oil change was performed but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was about 63,000.
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Engine
02/08/2026
The vehicle is a 2018 Kia Sedona with approximately 122,000 miles that experienced a catastrophic engine failure resulting in complete engine seizure. The failure has been identified by an independent mechanic as a rod bearing issue. The engine remains intact and is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle is currently not operational and the battery has been disconnected. This vehicle is a family vehicle that regularly transports our four children. At the time of the incident, our [XXX] child was in the vehicle with us. The failure created a serious safety risk. While traveling on the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost power without warning, creating a hazardous situation in active traffic and increasing the risk of a collision. The presence of a young child in the vehicle further heightened the severity of the safety risk. The issue was preceded by a light tapping noise that began approximately 10 miles prior to the failure. Within about one minute before total failure,...
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Seat Belts
10/19/2025
My [XXX] son pulled the seatbelt so tight it got wrapped around his neck. When I pulled over to unbuckle it, it was stuck. I turned the car off and on again to try and loosen it, but it didn't work. In the emergency, I had to cut the seatbelt with scissors. It's the passenger seatbelt in the second row, next to the window. I reported the incident to Kia in Puerto Rico by phone. They never called me back. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
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Air Bags
05/10/2022
In 2022, our airbag light came on. On 5/10/2022 am Airbag recall was issued and it was fixed. The airbag computer/module was fixed. We got into an accident in August of 2022, and our airbags never went off. And the airbag light has never shut off since it was “fixed” May 2022. It’s now October 2025. They said nothing was wrong with it, after bringing the vehicle in multiple times. And now after bringing it in, again in August 2025, they said the entire passenger airbag unit needs to be replace and isn’t related to the airbag recall. It’s $800+ and Kia won’t do it since the warranty has expired and it’s “not related”. Still fighting with them over it. As the airbags recall in 2022 included a defect where the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) cover can contact a memory chip, potentially deactivating the airbags. This issue affects a range of models manufactured between July 2016 and January 2019 and can result in the airbags failing to deploy in an accident. Worst customer service and vehicle...