2018 Kia Sedona Engine Problems

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Kia Sedona owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Our 2018 Kia Sedona SXL caught on fire in the engine compartment while driving. IT almost killed my wife (driver) and my 4 year old son. Car had been driven only 2 blocks after picking up my son from daycare. The car started to produce black smoke incessantly from the engine compartment that made visibility almost impossible. Bystandards were waving with their arms up and trying to warn my wife and she managed to stop in a parking lot and run away with my son. Car got very hot. Despite of keeping regular maintenance, car has had a myriad of issues: electrical components going off and not working anymore (cruise control, rear view camera, navigation system), booming sound from air conditioner like an old airplane is inside the cabin..etc.There were no warning lights suggesting any problem before car caught on fire. Please help.

While returning from a road trip to the Phoenix Arizona area I was driving my family in the Kia Sedona van. We were driving on highway [redacted] going over [redacted] accelerating up hill. Without warning the car started to have high rpms and the sensor for the check oil along with the check engine light began to flash. Steering felt difficult. Safety was a concern having to try to use a dying vehicle to pull from the left lane across traffic of the busy highway on a mountain pass. I was able to pull to the right shoulder of the highway and park the van. I shut the van off and went to check the oil, the dip stick showed empty. I was trapped on the side of the highway with my wife and 5 small kids. I was uncertain that the tow truck would be able to transport my family off the highway. …

There was a fire under my minivan as my husband was driving it, creating smoke and flames. He lost power to the van and had to coast to the right side of the highway where he came to a stop with the flames occurring. This is the family vehicle and I have small children. We had no warning lights or any indication that there would be a fire in my vehicle as the van had been running smoothly, and I had kept up with all recommended maintenance (see Carfax report). On July 31st, I was told by Kia America that there was a fire in the engine compartment and that it was inconclusive and they could not determine what started the fire. …

While driving at highway speed all the dashboard lights came on and the engine instantly quit. I managed to pull the wheel and coast to the side of the road, which was difficult with no power steering. I tried restarting the engine, but it would not stay running. I had to have the car towed to the mechanic who, upon inspection, found the engine seized due to no oil. An engine replacement was required. All routine maintenance performed on this engine and records were provided. The dealership where I purchased the vehicle refused to replace the engine under warranty, 92330 miles, stating the engine showed "sludge" and was not maintained, this despite my providing maintenance records. This catastrophic engine failure was caused by a manufacturing/engineering defect in the GDI engine causing the engine to burn oil excessively. There was no indication of a problem prior to the failure. …

2018 Kia Sedona lx stalled while my wife was driving on the highway. No warning lights were on until the vehicle lost all power. Luckily my wife was able to pull the car safely to the side. The vehicle only has 36960 miles. Brought vehicle to the dealer and they said engine was seized. That Kia would not attempt a repair unless I gave copies of oil/oil filters from oil changes that I performed. I did not have these so Kia is not honoring the warranty. I changed the oil every year regardless of the miles. Did not miss. The oil is clean as I just changed the oil a couple months ago. Someone could have been killed. We got that van for our disabled adult son. Thankfully he wasn't in the vehicle. We've been ripped off but at least my family is safe.

While driving on the interstate, about an hour into the trip, there was a banging/tinging sound coming from the front of the van. Immediately the van was pulled off the road to assess the situation as there were NO WARNING MESSAGES OR LIGHTS that came on to alert of any problem. Immediately before hearing the noise, the van had a major loss of power going up a slight incline on the interstate. The van threw a rod and had I not noticed the sound and pulled over, this could have been potentially a deadly situation had I kept driving and the engine completely seized up in the middle of the interstate.

I was driving my 2018 Kia Sedona on [redacted]. I had all 4 of my kids with me in the van, I heard a click, click, click, then the car went dark, in the middle of the road no warning nothing. There was no light or anything that came on as a warning. It just died. It was scary to go through that with my kiddos. We are devastated as the car is only 6yrs old and it wont work at all. Had it towed to my local auto shop. They said the engine is defective and needs to be replaced.

Engine failed...driving down the road with five small children and without warning all the lights came on and started smoking, leaking fuel, power doors failed, steering, acceleration and more. We had to have the car towed to a shop. A when looking into what's happening apparently many others are having to spend thousands to fix this issue and I'm afraid that's where we are. An investigation needs to be opened as this is clearly an ongoing issue for many families

ENGINE - blown head gasket, cracked block. Vehicle is at dealership service center in for repairs.vehicle has been inspected by the warranty company. No engine light or warnings or messages came up on the car. Approximately 64000.00 miles smelling antifreeze. Took it in to have it checked for leaks no apparent leaks. Took in at approximately 72000.00 miles now has a blown head gasket and cracked block. The safety of a breakdown is obvious.

We barely use it and just for Sunday service only which our church is just 2 miles away from our home. We did the oil change last July 2022 and on December 2022, Suddenly the engine stops working (ONLY 120 MILEAGE ADDED). NO WARNING LIGHTS or INDICATION saying ENGINE OLI needs to change. My son heard a clunk noise while he's on the way home. Huntington Beach Hyundai Service center said that the ENGINE BROKE DUE TO OIL ISSUE.

Engine complaints in other Sedona years