My 2015 Kia Sedona with only 115K miles started making a loud clunking noise with no notice. It drove fine with no lights indicating issues or noises. I went to start the van again in the afternoon and immediately shut it off because I knew something was wrong. The van was towed to the mechanic and I was told I needed an engine replacement. They said something was wrong with either the valve train or rod and there was metallic and bearing debris in the oil. We've always maintained excellent care and routine oil changes.
Kia Sedona harsh shifting problems
13 of the 2,417 owner complaints about the Kia Sedona describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 65,000
By model year
- 20181
- 20151
- 20071
- 20066
- 20041
- 20031
- 20022
Often reported together
Grinding brakes 3Stalling 2Engine failure 2Ball joint 2Won't start 1Warning lights 1Headlights 1
What owners say
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.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 kia sedona. While driving approximately 35 MPH, a loud clunking noise came from the front end of the vehicle. The driver was suddenly unable to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver side lower control arm failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Van started making clunking / grinding noise when turning and/or hitting small bumps (bigger bump bigger noise). Dealer says 3 of 4 body bushings cracking / worn. Dealer states not a common problem. Said has never seen before yet has parts in stock to fix for $850. I do not believe that a van that is 6 years old with 72,000 miles that is driven exclusively on paved roads should have body bushings failing. I have seen numerous complaints about this issue specifically, and others that sound similar but have gone undiagnosed, relating to 2006 / 07 & 08 sedona's. Might this be an issue covered in a recall?
My fiance' dropped our oldest daughter off at school. While driving home she heard a loud clunk but everything felt fine. She then went to drop off our youngest at the babysitters. She then went to turn around in the driveway and heard a loud pop and felt the front end of the van fall. She got out to find the driver's front tire completely flat and the sway bar shoved into the tire. Upon further inspection we found both sway bar end links had completely failed. The balls had completely rusted out of their sockets and allowed the sway bar to fall in a way that allowed it to rupture the tire. Kia has a problem with front suspension components rusting out and failing. We were going to take the van in for the lower control arm recall because they are breaking due to rust. I contacted my dealer and they told me the tire and sway bar would not be covered by the control arm recall. I am currently working with kia motors to see if they will resolve this issue. Had this happened while travelling down the road at highway speeds, the outcome would have been much worse and possibly tragic. I do have pictures of the damage if needed.
Over the past year, I have replaced struts, bushings, cv boots, & countless other items on suspension. I have had sedona looked @ by multiple mechanics. Have driven around w/ me on both occasions. Had three ase certified guys at one time checking everywhere for lose or broken parts. We even checked spare tire & the pressure in it. When I go over any uneven surface, something rattles or clunks under the van. Not a little, a lot! Everyone can actually feel it, not just hear it. Cannot pin point location.it seems mostly around spare tire area, but I feel it under driver & passenger area too. Middle & back can feel & hear it. You cannot make it happen over things like speed bumps. Just uneven surfaces. Random.. So embarrassing & making me crazy! I also have had on 5 or 6 occasions when driving, I will take foot off gas as cars slow or exiting up a hwy ramp. When I push to excel, it wont catch but the engine rpms go crazy & engine races. I have to try to let off & reapply foot to gas to get it to grab. I almost got rearended twice! It happens fast, suddenly & far in between. Scares me to death. It is like the transmission is slipping, but had at dealership long ago for this & just like the other stuff, if they cannot make it happen... Sorry, out of luck! I now am just under the 100k mark & still cannot get resolve. Cannot sell a clunking car!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 kia sedona. The contact stated she had her vehicle serviced for the recall associated with the federal safety agency campaign id number: 09v130000 (exterior lighting: brake lights: switch). After receiving the vehicle back from the dealer, she was driving at approximately 15 MPH when the cruise control involuntarily engaged. There was an unusually loud buzz coming from the dash area. The contact shut off the engine and when restarting, the cruise control was deactivated but the noise continued momentarily. The contact also stated that she has been experiencing a recurring failure in which she hears a loud "clunking" noise coming from the front end of the vehicle while driving over bumps. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on many occasions where the right and left sway bar links were replaced. The failure continued to recur whenever driving over a bumpy road surface. The vehicle was not repaired for the cruise control failure. The failure and current mileage was 89,000.
While driving at 10 MPH ,my daughter and I heard a clunk in the rear of our 2004 kia sedona lx. I was heading for a repair shop as a result and heard a second clunk and pulled off on a side street and drove 200 feet when the wheel bearing assembly came apart and the whole wheel flew off the van.
Problems with stalling and rough shifting. This van has been in the shop 10 or more time for the same problem. It has been serviced at capital kia in austin, texas all 10 times. The transmission has been replaced 2 times, the main computer has been replaced. Air sensor replaced. The list goes on and on. My service advisor is gene. While he has been helpful he is limited on what he can do. I have called corporate several times and they have advise the service technicians on what to fix but the van is still not working. We need help in getting rid of the van.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2016 Sedona and Sorento vehicles. The vehicles may have been manufactured with faulty automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, preventing the shift lever from locking, which can allow the vehicle to rollaway.
- Risk
- A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash and injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the automatic transmission shift lever assembly components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 7, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC246.
Recall number 22V612000 · Recall details
Questions about the Kia Sedona harsh shifting
Which Kia Sedona years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (6 complaints), 2002 (2 complaints) and 2003 (1 complaints).
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