Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Kia Sedona owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Kia Sedona. While driving 35 MPH, the contact's vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,000.
Traveling at 85 MPH, cruise control on, "ESC off" light and check engine light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle decelerated rapidly. Lost ability to accelerate past 20 MPH. Vehicle was stopped and restarted. Accelerator resumed working for however the check engine light illuminated and checked the code it was throttle position sensor. This morning the check engine light remained on and the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Kia Sedona. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the throttle sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.
2 months while decelerating at red light, acceleration occurred while pressing brake pedal, stopped within a fraction of an inch from car in front of me. Last night while driving 70mph on hwy ESC and check engine lights came on and lost all acceleration function. Car stayed idling but could not regain acceleration. Had to cross over 4 lanes of traffic to get to an offramp exit. Was able to pull over to small shoulder and had myself and 6 children standing on highway while waiting for roadside assistance. The exit was for another hwy so we had no safe place to stand but along the guardrail of 2 hwys. Was told to call a taxi and would be reimbursed. Now Kia motors is telling me that since I purchased a fleet vehicle I am not covered under a warranty because it is at 70000. Purchased as certified reowned and was told it would be covered for 10 years 10,000 miles. …
Traveling at 70 MPH, cruise control on, "ESC off" light and check engine light illuminated on the dashboard and the vehicle decelerated rapidly. Lost ability to accelerate past 20 MPH. Vehicle was stopped and restarted. Accelerator resumed working for about 50 miles and the same things happened again: ESC off light and check engine light illuminated and vehicle rapidly decelerated and lost all acceleration ability this time. Stopped vehicle again and restarted and accelerator resumed working. This happened at around 2 am. In the morning the check engine light remained on and the vehicle was taken to a Kia dealer. On the way to the dealer the "ESC" light began blinking (note: this is not the same as the ESC off light), the acceleration sputtered, but remained working. …
The first time this incident happened, I was driving my 2008 Kia Sedona van on a level street at approximately 30mph. The van started accelerating at a fast speed and the brakes would not work. Fortunately, there were no cars coming the other way and no people out walking. I was not able to stop at the stop sign and I put on my emergency brake and turned off the van. The second incident occurred while I was driving up a hill. The van started accelerating and I was not able to use my brakes. This time I put the van in neutral and was able to regain control of the van. I took the van to my mechanic and they did not find any problem with the brakes or anything else. My friend also experienced a similar incident with her newer model Kia Sedona and uses my same mechanic and found nothing wrong. Her incident happened before my first episode in June. …
As I was approaching an intersection and I started to apply the brakes, the van suddenly accelerated, when I pressed hard on the brake still it wouldn't stop...call Kia Sedona authorized dealer, they said there's no recall. As I researched the internet, I notice that car gurus(which is a car forum) over 33 people had complaint with the same problem. There were an accident with fatalities even. I'm very concern as I drive with all my kids specially my grandson often, and it scares the crap out of me to think that I would get involved in an accident with the little one on board. A lot of people did the diagnostics that the dealer suggested, after paying over $110 plus taxes, the car is still showing the same problem. I really need somebody to tell me what am I supposed to do? I'm still paying for the vehicle, I'm scared to drive it anywhere specially the highway...help please...
Let me start by saying we loved the van up until this incident. I was driving on the interstate with my family in our 2008 Kia Sedona. I had the cruise control set to 75 MPH, I went to pass someone and when I pushed the accelerator to pass the car. I tried to disengage the cruise control by pressing the brake as well as doing it manually by pressing the cruise control button. I could not get the van to slow down even though I was pushing the brake to the floor. At one point I was doing between 90 and 100 MPH. I finally managed to get the van stopped and my brakes were smoking extremely bad. I took it to the dealer and they said it was a bad brake switch. The dealer acted like it was no big deal. I explained that we could have been injured or even killed.
Defective throttle position sensor causes the Sedona van to suddenly and unexpectedly stop with no throttle control. This is a known defect with the manufacturer, however, they will not repair until the sensor fails. This is unacceptable, considering that there is no warning signs, and the car has to be in motion at time of failure. This could result in death or serious injury should the failure occur at high speeds or if in a driving situation that require accelerator. If Toyota was forced to recall cars because of a slow, progressive, wearing of the throttle control, then the NHTSA should classified this defect as an even more serious threat to customer safety. Out of 40 vehicles in our fleet, 20 have failed. This is a 50% failure rate.
Defective throttle position sensor causes the Sedona van to suddenly and unexpectedly stop with no throttle control. This is a known defect with the manufacturer, however, they will not repair until the sensor fails. This is unacceptable, considering that there is no warning signs, and the car has to be in motion at time of failure. This could result in death or serious injury should the failure occur at high speeds or if in a driving situation that require accelerator. If Toyota was forced to recall cars because of a slow, progressive, wearing of the throttle control, then the NHTSA should classified this defect as an even more serious threat to customer safety. Out of 40 vehicles in our fleet, 20 have failed. This is a 50% failure rate.
Acceleration complaints in other Sedona years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Kia Sedona?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Kia Sedona, 22% of the model year's 170 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Kia Sedona acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2008 Kia Sedona, though it has 5 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 2008 Kia Sedona acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 49% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.