Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Kia Sedona owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at 4MPH, a bystander informed him that the brake lights of his vehicle were not functioning. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to operate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 235,232.
This complaint is regarding a single-owner 2006 Kia Sedona. Since 2006 I have had numerous electrical related problems. Over half the buttons and knobs on the stock cd player/radio have not worked for approximately eight years. I am having to replace headlight and turn signal bulbs every few months. The airbag indicator light is illuminated and will not shut off. I have not been involved in any accidents (yet) and would expect my airbags to deploy if and when necessary. My understanding is that the airbags will not function if the indicator light is illuminated. This is a major safety concern, as this is a family vehicle and I have three small children, and I take frequent road trips due to my job. As far as I know, there are no recalls associated with the airbag or electrical/lighting system for this vehicle. …
My 2006 Kia Sedona airbag light would come on and then go off after driving for a few miles or a couple days and this happened periodically on and off for a couple years. It has now stayed on for the last 4 months. Turned on the van one day and the airbag light never went off. Was sitting in my driveway on a flat surface. My van had a hundred and fifty-one thousand miles on it when the light came on and now has a hundred and fifty-three thousand miles. I bought this as a new van in 2007. It was a left over. I have had to replace the headlight bulbs and turn signal bulbs on the front over 10 times since I've owned it. This also seems to be an issue that people have stated with a 2006 Kia Sedona.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that the brake light illuminated for an extended period of time. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 06V265000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was to be taken to a repair shop for inspection and repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000. Updated 02/12/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that the brake lights failed to illuminate when the brake pedal was applied. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Bulbs constantly going out. Lots of front end issues with noises, clunking mostly. Difficulty seeing due to blind spot where front window and doors meet and where front doors and back sliding door meets.
The turn signals work intermittently and probably only work 15% of the time, however beginning about 2 years ago the bulbs have never both worked at the same time (meaning when you turn the switch to the left the left signal will turn on but when you then turn the switch to the right it does not work). The bulbs have been changed several times yet this never fixes the problem. The turn signal bulbs have actually only been burned out one time, proving there is some form of a short. All of the other lamps, whether it be head lamps (low or high beam), fog lights,tail lights, running lights, reverse light or tag lights, keep burning out bulbs. Every 6 weeks I'm having to replace a bulb. This is so dangerous not to mention expensive! With as many complaints as there has been posted due to this very same issue, I do not understand why Kia has not found/created a solution for these issues. …
Headlamps blowing out we have had to replace the headlamps about every 4-6 weeks and have taken it to the dealer 4 times on the head light problem and they say there is nothing wrong. So why do they keep blowing out. We have had both low beams blow out at the same time and have had to drive with the high beams which is unsafe to on coming traffic let along unsafe for us not to have any low beams. The second problem is a steering wheel vibration that we have has been a problem since we purchased the van. The dealer had it for the 1st month we owned it and still have the problem to this day and we are really feeling unsafe driving it due to the vibration at highway speeds. My wife is terrified to even take it on the highway with our three precious children. So if I could get some feedback on these issues I would greatly appreciate it. …
The low-beam headlights (especially the right side) keeps blowing out. I have replaced/changed more than 6 times since owing my van. It keeps blowing; researched for recalls but there aren't none. Looking online I see that this is an issue with all 2006 Kia Sedona's. This last time that it happened, I was on my way to wisconsin from massachusetts and my light went out. It was a scary situation because it made the travel experience scary and dangerous. I didn't have my low-beam and was forced to use my high beam. I was pulled over by police because I was using my high beam; I had to explain the situation and told him that I was going to take care of the problem as soon as area mechanics opened (this was at 4:00 am). I have 3 kids and this is a hazard.problem started almost immediately upon purchasing my van with 11K miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that the headlights failed. The contact had the light bulbs replaced but the failure recurred several times. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and was advised that the headlights had burned out. The manufacturer was notified and they informed the contact that the warranty was closed and provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 2,000. ....updated 08-24-12 the consumer stated that along with the low beams failure, the turn signal has failed multiple times. The consumer replaced the headlights on his own as well as taking the vehicle to a repair shop to be replaced. The dealer was made aware of this. The grounding cables to the headlight assemblies were replaced under warranty but, the failure recurred. Updated 09/04/2012
Related recalls
Exterior lighting › Brake lights › Switch
Huyndai-Kia is recalling 139,844 my 2006-2007- sedona, sportage, sorento and my rondo and amanti vehicles. The stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles May malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch May cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or May cause the brake lights to remain…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2009. Owners May contact Kia's consumer assistance center at 1-800-333-4542.
Headlight complaints in other Sedona years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2006 Kia Sedona?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the lights of the 2006 Kia Sedona, 9% of the model year's 385 complaints. The component named most often is brake lights (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Kia Sedona headlight problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-130 (switch, Apr 17, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Kia Sedona headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
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.