Power steering makes whining sound when turning the wheel, power steer fluid low in canister due to leaks. Hard to turn to the steering wheel when turning. Don't know if belts affected I hear a humming sound. Don't know if the power steering pump is working properly. Constantly adding fluid to the canister.
The worst 2004 Kia Sedona EX problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering11
- Brakes7
- Electrical5
- Engine5
- Wheels4
- Driver assistance3
- Suspension3
- Tires3
- Transmission3
- Lights2
- Seats2
- Airbags1
- Body1
- Fuel system1
- Locks1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Kia Sedona EX
Recalls 1
Seats
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles equipped with power seats, the wiring under the front seats could be misrouted, allowing contact with metal seat components.
- Risk
- This contact could eventually result in a short circuit condition that may result in a fire in the junction box area of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and re-route the wires under the power seats, if necessary, as well as install protective seaming welts around those wires to better insulate them. The recall began on november 28, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1‑800‑333‑4542.
Recall number 05V463000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2004 Kia Sedona EX
Defect investigations
Steering intermediate shaft binding
Odis analysis of warranty data shows that the alleged defect has occurred at a relatively high frequency in salt-belt states (5.9 percent).however, the tests conducted by odi and kia have shown that the alleged defect has a minimal effect on steering efforts.in addition, odi interviews of owners who experienced the alleged defect showed that in most cases the problem was preceded by months or years of noise or a gradual increase in steering efforts and was more of a nuisance concern. There has been one allegation of a minor crash related to the alleged defect, involving a my 2003 kia sedona with 59,900 miles.the vehicle had been checked twice in the previous nine months by a dealer for complaints of stiff steering and that the vehicle felt like it was intermittently losing power assist.the crash occurred as the driver was attempting to make a left turn while traveling at approximately 20 miles per hour and struck a vehicle parked on the right side of the street that the vehicle was turning into. The crash resulted in minor injuries to the driver. After the crash, it was determined that the intermediate shaft was exhibiting some binding of the steering intermediate shaft bearings.while the absence of additional crashes or injuries does not mean that there is not a safety-related defect, there have been no reported additional crashes caused by the alleged defect in the past three years. The release of the technical service bulletin should assist service personal in diagnosing this potential problem long before it becomes potentially dangerous.accordingly, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted.for additional information regarding this engineering analysis refer to the ea08-017 closing report.
EA08017
Steering binding
On april 28, 2008, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe08-033 to investigate complaints alleging steering binding in model year 2002 through 2004 kia sedona minivans.kia's response to odi's request for information in pe08-033 indicated that concerns with binding of the steering intermediate shaft were first identified and investigated in august 2002, in vehicles sold in indonesia.this investigation resulted in the addition of a stiffening rib to the bearing cap seal.in june 2003, kia again investigated owner complaints of steering noise and higher than normal steering resistance and in october and november of 2003 design changes to the shaft universal joint bearings were made to improve lubricant retention and eliminate water intrusion that could lead to early bearing failure.according to kia, the alleged defect results in a progressive change in steering effort that should be apparent to the driver through noise and gradual changes in steering stiffness long before the condition could become dangerous. Odi's analyses of complaint and warranty data relating to the alleged defect show that the condition is occurring at significantly higher rates in salt-belt states (note:for purposes of this investigation the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).the warranty rate for replacement of the steering intermediate shaft is 5.5% for vehicles sold in the salt belt and 0.5% for the rest of the united states.the complaint rate for the alleged defect is 186.8 per 100,000 vehicles in the salt belt and 29.4 per 1000,000 vehicles for the rest of the united states.there is one allegation of a crash related to the alleged defect.a subject vehicle struck two parked cars while attempting to make a left turn, allegedly resulting in minor injuries to the driver. Odi has upgraded this investigation to an engineering analysis (ea08-017) covering my 2002 through 2004 kia sedona vehicles sold or currently registered in salt belt states to assess the frequency and trend of the alleged defect and its effect on steering effort.
PE08033
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Kia Sedona EX 3
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
What 2004 Kia Sedona EX owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
After having a variety of mechanics diagnose a problem of my vehicle not starting for 20 mins to 1 hour after the engine is warm & after the vehicle does start; it has a very strong gasoline &/or additive smell. I went to a kia dealer to have their opinion: the kia mechanic stated: to start a $200.00 test would have to be performed to ensure that it's the crankshaft position sensor; a $159.00 part; that is common for kia's to go bad, because it could be fuel related; another common problem they have. To replace the sensor will cost $1,400.00 because of where it is; making a timing belt replacement necessary. (this is after getting spark plugs done & numerous other repairs that involved repeated fixes involving the vehicles water system); one mechanic says there may be another problem & unrelated to the sensor; and these problems have been ongoing with no mechanic able to fix the problems since the vehicle's purchase in 2012; even the radiator was replaced & the vehicle still can quickly overheat; especially after driving through three traffic lights or in traffic. I am more than uncomfortable with certified mechanics saying when I do have the money for the sensor repair, they'll replace the water pump as well; even though there is no visible sign of leakage...the vehicle takes about 1 1/2 liters of water a day directly into the radiator & only periodically sucks it from the resevoir...this added repair is not included for free... And if that doesn't fix it, we will do the fan etc...the A/C is not connected; so driving with the heat on in fl to keep the vehicle from overheating is not making it easy to resolve this/these ongoing problems that is stated to be 'common'.
I bought my sedona on or about february 7 2015. After aweek almost two. I was broke down and stranded in the middle of the road.van was so hot it wouldn't start and. Behaved as a vehicle with a blown head gasket . The dishonest criked. Crook sales man at the dealer. Ship wound. Not fix it at first after complaining at the better business bureau sales man [xxx]. Pramier auto sales south ninth street modesto. Cailifornia 95351 wouldn't. Help me after a week of complaining. He agreed to put it in his shop who he is in parterns with (boy) premer.auto sales matnens located on angey way ceres cailifornia. 95307 my sadons van remained there on angie way for. Seven days on march twentieth. 2015 [xxx] from premer auto sales. Refused to surrender kia sedona. Van without writing three times I am a satisfied customer.he was annoyed due to expensive of a new water pump,radiator,fan, belt,and thermostat.now only april 10,2015 my kia sedona is performing the way it was before repair.fan not coming on,radiator not circulating,motor cutting because its so hot.I paid 2200.00 dollars down and have driven it for two months. Two months of cost.my insurance was 500.00 dollars to start up 143.00 dollars a month,however when the rubber deminishes completely off sedonas tire rim while driving down highway, my insurance. Stonewood from cost u less wouldn't anyone under 18 in their tow truck a.d would only dispatch a tow truck if only someone over eighteen stayed on highway with broke down sedona.unable to do so because I was the only adult with three children. Ages ,11,7,5, so the very best highway patrol were are only hope.again my kia sedona after completely new parts coolant. Fan again not working 2 months owning one of the worst cars with one of the worst experience in my life ,like when I owned a grand trino experiencing. Freeze plugs. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Engine seized without any warning. There wasn't much traffic on the road and helped to steer the vehicle to the shoulder. In bad weather and/or traffic conditions, this could have resulted in a serious accident. I strongly believe that there are some safety issues with the engine of this vehicle make/model and would like to register this incident.
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. Since returning home I began to investigate what the likely culprit may be, and now believe strongly that it is the universal joint; a problem that has clearly effected enough kia sedona owners that I find the lack of recall quite maddening and a bit confounding. With two young children in the van at the time, it is plain to see how potentially dangerous this problem is, and I am just grateful that there was so little traffic at the time; had it been a busier time of day or more heavily populated town, I believe a crash would've been highly unavoidable.
The van was in drive to move forward when the gas was pressed instead of going forward it went in reverse & when the brake was pressed to stop it didn't work. The only way to stop the van before going into the cement wall of a community center was to open the driver door which caused 3 other vehicles to be damaged. Thank god the driver is safe but the van has deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
I have been going to kia for years complaining of a strange intermittent groaning sound coming from the brakes at low speed stops. It would never make noise at the dealer and would only make the noise sometimes. Never for the same reason. It was very random. This time I was driving for several hours ( city traffic) where I began to hear the sound. After about 20 minutes or so I smelled rubber or tar. Thought it was from the street repaving but when we passed the construction I could still smell it. The car began to drive as though the transmission was not working properly. After about 2 miles at slow speed I pulled over and saw steam. I lifted hood where it appeared to be coming from transmission. I continued 10 MPH or less to get closer to home and out of the way of traffic. About a mile or 2 later I could hardly drive even at slow speed. I pulled over to stop and as I got out the front passenger brakes were on fire and the rear driver side brakes were smoking. The front brakes were new and the bake ones still had plea toy of life. I have been complaining for years and keep getting told there is no problem. This is a major problem.
The steering started to become difficult while driving ,intermittently dangerous when you never knew it was gonna happen. Eventually just stopped working all together ,I did alot of online research and found out this is a very common problem ,with the steering knuckle binding because of corrosion . All and all think the vehicle was very well thought out and alot of amenities are awesome in this vehicle ,why doesn't kia just offer a recall ,since they have already posted a bulletin for this? Call the dealership and realize this part is always on back order come on kia man up.
Bridgestone insignia se200 size p215/70r15 65k mile tires set of 4 purchased. May 2009 with 77,567 miles on vehicle. Date on tire is 2108 so they appear to have been a year old when installed at coyote tire shop in glendale az. Driving in 80 degree weather 70mph in a kia sedona with 2 adults and one 6yr old child inside. Tread separated from tire. Was able to pull to side of road. Air never escaped from tire. Still has 32lbs in it cold. Tire tread destroyed rear bumper of vehicle upon separation. No prior handling or vibrations occurred. Odometer read 104235 at time of incident so the tire only had 26,668 miles on it. Dot number: y7m3 model year 2004 make kia model sedona ex vehicle identification number: n/a tires were aftermarket.
I have a 2004 kia sedona which I have replace headlights so many times, now there is a problem with the rear lights, when I turn headlights on there are no back lights. You want to talk about dangerous driving at night. Apparently you can replace the fuse but there is no guarantee that the fuse will not blow and how are you to know when you are driving at night as the dash lights stay on. Please let me know if anyone else has had this major problem. This has happened several times and now I have to pay $500.00 to get this modular replaced.
Compare the 2004 Kia Sedona EX
Other model years
Questions about the 2004 Kia Sedona EX
Is the 2004 Kia Sedona EX reliable?
Owners have filed 37 complaints about the 2004 Kia Sedona EX, close to a typical Sedona EX model year.
What is the 2004 Kia Sedona EX year score?
The 2004 Kia Sedona EX scores 75 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Kia Sedona EX: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Kia Sedona EX?
Steering, with 11 complaints, typically around 79,618 miles. Next is brakes (7).
How many recalls does the 2004 Kia Sedona EX have?
1 recall, covering seats.
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