Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Kia Sedona owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Upon returning home and parking my van after running an errand of about 5 miles, I saw smoke coming from the engine compartment, ran to get a fire extinguisher, the fire was put out within 60 (sixty) seconds after seeing the smoke. Removing the air cleaner and other components, -- the wire harness on the passenger side of the engine compartment was found charred by the fire. No immediate reason was found for this incident to occur.
After parking van after a short trip of approximately 2 tenths of a mile the van was turned off and the key was out of the ignition and doors were locked, four houres later someone noticed smoke coming from the van. When the drivers side door was opened flames shot out of the van. After a fire extinguisher was used to extinguish the fire, it was noticed be me that the main wiring harness going to the fuse panel as well as the fuse panel was melted and smoldering. I also noticed that the radio was playing and the dash lights were flashing and the door buzzer was buzzing, all without the being in the ignition. I then proceeded to unhook the positive battery cable to kill power to the van. Kia moters came and got the van and took it to a local dealer. Upon inspection by the dealership they and Kia motors concluded that it was not an warrenty issue. …
Takata recall..my van stalls out no matter where..stopped at idle it randomly shuts off..driving average speed in town 45mph it randomly shuts off..on the hwy. Speeds average from 55 to 70 MPH it randomly shuts off ..in heavy traffic this is very dangerous..I have replaced the following.. Fuel pump fuel filter fuel pump relays throttle position sensor mass air flow sensor crank shaft position sensor oxygen sensor fuel coil packs spark plugs intake gaskets injectors air filter just like the hundreds of people on the forumebay about Kia Sedona..I've put $1000's in the van with no solution to the dangerous issues..the only thing left to change is the internal wiring..this problem is way to common for Kia not to have a recall on it..its a huge safety hazard and needs to have something done about it..not just for me but for everyone that has a Kia Sedona..its obviously a short in the wiring …
I was driving on the freeway for about 15 minutes when my 04 Kia Sedona lx started smoking. At first I thought there was a fire in the local area. After a few minutes it occurred to me that it could be my van and pulled over and popped the hood. Flames jumped up in the engine and burned until they were extinguished with a fire extinguisher. The Kia service manager said that he believed it was a total loss. My insurance company is now verifying that.
To whom this May concern: we are a family of 6 and on July 21st our 2004 Kia Sedona ex caught on fire. We had just driven it 2 hours before with no indications of a fire. We heard a blaring horn and looked out the window to see the neighbor running across the street. We stepped out of the house to find our van in flames coming from the driver side. The windows were all up and we watched the fire die down and smoke fill the air. The police and fire department came and took pictures and made a report. After all that was said and done we began to research the internet and found a recall that was sent out on our van back in nov/dec 2005. (NHTSA campaign id number: 05V463000) the fire appears to have started in the fuse box area. Approx. A year before the incident we had stared having trouble with the passenger side seat working on and off. …
On or about March 20, 2010, while my wife was operating our 2004 Kia Sedona van, the left front (drivers seat) power seat moved all the way forward while vehicle was in motion. Driver did not initiate action. Seat could not be moved to the rearward position. Mileage at this time (March 2010 was 50,599) this same action occurred on one previous occasion(while I was driving the vehicle) on or about February 17, 2009, at that time the vehicle was taken to lafountaine Kia, dearborn, michigan for servicing. Vehicle mileage at this time was 40,431. Based on the invoice for that work the switch box assembly was replaced. Currently the vehicle is again at lafountaine Kia for repairs. However at this no warranty exist for this particular item. Lafountaine stated that parts and labor from the February 2009 incident are only covered for 12 months/12,000 miles. …
While driving today, I noticed a whining noise, with a slight grinding noise to it as well. Initially thinking it was the brakes, I listened closer and realized it was not happening when braking but rather seemed to be happening when turning, primarily during acceleration. Soon after the turn as I steadied speed, the noise would decrease or disappear. After the first few times making turns however, in addition to the noise the steering wheel also became very stiff and extremely difficult to turn. It progressed so suddenly and severely that I was worried I May not make it home without crashing. This all happened during a total of approximately 20 miles of driving in town. …
5/05 noticed humming on occasion from rear wheels at highway speeds 6/30/05 received recall notice that rear hub assembly/or bearings May need replacing. 7/05 brought car to dealer for recall repair, dealer ordered part 8/12/15 part in to dealer, bearing scored and replaced both outer wheel bearings noticed loud humming noise worse since recall repair 8/30/05 both rear hub assemblies needing replacement 3/22/06 at 22,000 miles both rotors and brake drums warped and need replacing at owners expense 8/29/06 vibration coming from rear of van, tires rotated and rebalanced, vibration still noted in rear end 8/31/06 ac compressor and radio brakes both replaced 9/29/06 radio breaks again and is replaced 11/1/06 unable to remove key from engine, shift lock cable binding 11/9/06 loud humming noise again noted in rear of car, rear valve replaced 11/29/06 loud humming noise continues rear hub …
On the first incident, I went out to the van, a 2004 Kia Sedona ex and it wouldn't even turn over, just made a clicking noise. Then it would turn over and not fire. I called roadside assistance to have them tow it, but tried later before they arrived and pressed the accelerator to the floor and it finally fired up. I thought maybe it was just bad gas since it was fine after that. Yesterday, my wife is driving it and the radio cuts off and she begins to lose power and cannot accelerate. She was where she needed to go when it happened, so she went on in, it started back up, but then she had the same thing not even a block later of the power cutting out and no acceleration. After this it would just click when the key was turned and do what it did to me.
Blown main engine fuse due to this failure it shuts off all engine and it does not operate at all. While driving, engine shuts off and won't start. After it went to the dealer for so many days without calling us to inform of what's going on, they have figured that it has a blown fuse and they ( dealer mechanics ) blame me to the fact that I might be using a lot of electical activities in the van such as playing video game while driving and might have caused the electrical blow out. Then 2 months later... Same thing happened I was on my way to work and it did the same thing. Now that the car is at the dealer, god knows what they will come up with, to have such an excuse.
Electrical complaints in other Sedona years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2004 Kia Sedona?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the electrical system of the 2004 Kia Sedona, 11% of the model year's 213 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › fuses and circuit breakers (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Kia Sedona electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2004 Kia Sedona, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Kia Sedona electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 6 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.