In XXX, my 2004 Kia Sedona caught fire shortly after I arrived at work in [XXX]. My [XXX] daughter was with me because she was sick. After parking, I removed her from the back seat and went inside the salon. Minutes later, I returned and saw smoke coming from the engine. Within seconds, the front of the vehicle caught fire. The vehicle was parked near a building, and the fire and smoke spread toward the building. The fire department responded and made a report. The vehicle was completely disabled and later sold to a salvage yard because I could not drive or transport it. My insurance did not cover the fire because I did not have fire coverage. I am especially concerned because my daughter had been inside the vehicle moments before the fire. Fortunately, I removed her before the fire started. I later contacted Kia America, which opened Case No. XXX and requested the vehicle's location for investigation. Kia also requested preservation of the vehicle, but it had already been destroyed by the fire and sold to salvage. I am requesting that the federal safety agency review this incident for possible safety defects, recalls, investigations, or similar fire complaints involving the 2004 Kia Sedona or its components. I can provide the fire report, Kia correspondence, and other supporting records. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The worst 2004 Kia Sedona 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.
- Brakes32
- Wheels32
- Engine30
- Steering22
- Electrical18
- Suspension17
- Acceleration12
- Airbags9
- Transmission7
- Tires6
- Body5
- Fuel system5
- Lights5
- Visibility5
- Seats4
- Seat belts2
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Kia Sedona
Fire or smoke 12Stalling 12Check engine light 8Misfire 7Grinding brakes 6Engine failure 5Headlights 5
Recalls 2
Vehicle speed control: cables
- What is wrong
- On certain mini vans, freezing conditions can cause water on the throttle cable to freeze during normal operation. Resistance to movement of the throttle cable can occur when the driver lifts their foot off of the gas pedal.
- Risk
- This can cause the cable to stick, thus preventing the engine from returning to idle and causing the vehicle to maintain speed or accelerate. Such an event can occur without warning and could cause a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will modify a protective sleeve around the throttle cable. The recall began on august 15, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1‑800‑333‑4542.
Recall number 05V329000 · Recall details
Wheels
- What is wrong
- On certain mini vans equipped with alloy wheels, moisture can accumulate around the rear hub caps causing damage to the outer wheel bearing.
- Risk
- Wheel bearing failure may occur without warning which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear hub caps free of charge. Upon inspection, some vehicles will also require replacement of the rear outer bearings and/or hub assembly. The recall began on june 13, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1‑800‑333‑4542.
Recall number 05V232000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 2004 Kia Sedona
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
Throttle cable binding
Kia provided information describing a water entry point at the rubber sealing boot located at the throttle body end of the throttle cable, advising that water could enter the cable sheath during normal vehicle operation.in low temperatures, the water freezes and may impede the movement of the throttle cable thereby preventing an open throttle from returning to the closed position.a stuck throttle could increase the risk of a crash.to prevent water ingress, kia increased the crimping force of the clamp installed on the rubber boot from 2 to 5 kilograms force.the action took place in april 2004 and occurred in connection with other changes to the throttle cable system.to remedy the vehicles built before this date (all of my 2002 and part of 2003), kia will conduct a safety recall to replace the defective cable with an improved component.certain recalled vehicles will also have an additional clip installed to address a potential cable disengagement concern.see kia's january 17, 2005 part 573 letter for the federal safety agency recall 05v013 (kia recall sc-042) for further information.no action is being taken on vehicles built after april 4, 2004.
PE04067
Technical service bulletins for the 2004 Kia Sedona 18
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Information for headlamp condensation and moisture
- Pitstop - engine component re-use guidelines
- Mandatory replacement of locking/security hardware
- Mandatory replacement of locking/security hardware
- TSB - use of aftermarket USB charging cables in USB/12V ports
- Automatic transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin provides information relating to the...
- Kia: intermittent MIL on with no fault code stored; information about DTC P1330
- Kia: ECM upgrade with tp sensor replacement-mil on with DTC P2135/P0638
- Kia: power sliding door remoe controller motor replacement
- Kia: increased steering effort
2004 Kia Sedona fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6‑cyl | FWD | 14 | 21 | 16 |
What 2004 Kia Sedona owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Everything appears normal driving down road bout 45 to 50 mph. Slowed down for car n front was turning when I noticed smoke coming from under hood around headlights both sides. Then we pulled into a storage unit place. When even more smoke . I got out popped hood it was all on fire. I turned off van and a friend and I got a couple cups and dipped in water puddle and put fire out , while we were watching to make sure it restarted 2 more times. After half hour goes by and no more smoke . Closed van up found a ride home after contacting insurance company.
I have a 2004 kia sendona lx van and the wheel barrings are bad I fixed it once already a month ago and it is already broken again both times it completely fell apart in to little peices when I took the wheel off.
Tl* the contact owned a 2004 kia sedona. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a tow yard. The contact mentioned that the cause of the fire was unknown. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 100,100.
My 2004 kia sedona was sitting stationary in my driveway engine was off. When something in the engine compartment caught fire causing extensive damage to engine parts on the top side of the engine. Such be as fluid reservoirs wiring, fuse box, and more.
On saturday, december 16, at approximately 11:30 am, my wife's 2004 kia sedona spontaneously caught fire in the driveway of our home. I had driven it that morning to run a quick errand, actual drive time less than half an hour without anything out of the ordinary. I returned home, parked in our driveway behind my ford windstar. Both my wife and myself were in our house when we heard a loud boom followed shortly by a second boom. That is when we saw that fire was coming from the engine compartment of her van and the rear of my windstar was on fire. We immediately called 911 and shortly thereafter our local fire company arrived and began fighting the blaze. By that time both vehicles were engulfed in flames. The fire appears to have started in the engine compartment of the kia. Both vehicles are a total loss. Until this incident, notwithstanding basic maintenance and repairs, the kia sedona was a very reliable vehicle. As with the windstar, maintenance and repairs were done on a regular and as needed basis by the same shop that has worked on all our vehicles for over 10 years. I am sure I can produce maintenance and repair records if needed. The last time the kia was serviced was late october of this year to replace an alternator.
When I went to start my car it immediately shut off, as it occasionally does. The RPM's dropped and the engine cut out. Usually the problem is resolved by me revving the engine for a minute or two, but the problem persisted longer than usual. It eventually stayed on and I tried to drive away. As I changed into gear everything seemed okay, I reversed from where I was parked then I put it into drive and while in the middle of the road the engine cut out and I was stuck there for only a few seconds luckily. I drove back to where I was parked and as I stopped the engine cut out on me. This typically has happened to me when the gas tank was below half. I managed to get to a gas station and fill up and that stopped the problem.
"takata recall" on tuesday may 9, 2017 we were involved in an automobile accident. To our amazement and horror, not one airbag deployed . 'we were hit on the passenger side of the van . The front passenger door required assistance from the police/fire fighters assistance to exit the van however the sliding door could not be opened requiring removing the baby through the driver's side. The light turned green and we began to move forward when our van was struck by the other car exiting a parking lot. Neither one of us saw the advance nor impact of the other car. After realizing what happened we call emergency vehicles for assistance. We were instructed to move our van to a safe location and wait for h
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 kia sedona. While stationary, the front end of the vehicle erupted into flames. The contact stated that the fire originated from the engine compartment. A police report was not filed. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. There were no injuries sustained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the fire. The failure mileage was 110,000.
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 and is a manufacturer flaw for so many people to have the same issue..btw my van only has 100.000 miles on it I've seen some as low as 30.000 with this same issue..no excuses for this..any kind of electronic short out has potential for fire not to mention the hazards of the van randomly stopping in town at intersection on the interstate .
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Other model years
2002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220142015201620172018201920202021
Questions about the 2004 Kia Sedona
Is the 2004 Kia Sedona reliable?
Owners have filed 176 complaints about the 2004 Kia Sedona, 1.3 times a typical Sedona model year.
What is the 2004 Kia Sedona year score?
The 2004 Kia Sedona scores 61 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Kia Sedona: 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?
Brakes, with 32 complaints, typically around 15,000 miles. Next is wheels (32).
How many recalls does the 2004 Kia Sedona have?
2 recalls, covering vehicle speed control and wheels.
What year does the Kia Sedona have bad brakes?
The Kia Sedona model years with the most brakes complaints are 2005 (81 complaints), 2006 (45 complaints) and 2004 (32 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2004 Kia Sedona get?
Official estimates for the 2004 Kia Sedona range from 16 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.5L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 14 city and 21 highway.
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