2004 Kia Sedona problems & reliability
175 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Kia Sedona, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
8 complaints report injuries (25 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Kia Sedona vehicles were involved in 7 fatal crashes with 4 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 32 | 18% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 28 | 16% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 24 | 14% |
| Steering | 22 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 18 | 10% |
| Suspension | 17 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 12 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 9 | 5% |
| Power Train | 7 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 49,000 miles (middle 50% between 15,000 and 87,250 miles), based on 124 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Oct 8, 2021
“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.”
Wheels · filed Mar 28, 2020
“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…”
Engine · filed Apr 2, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BINDING
Engineering Analysis EA08017 · opened Aug 28, 2008 · closed Jul 1, 2009
- STEERING BINDING
Preliminary Evaluation PE08033 · opened Apr 28, 2008 · closed Aug 28, 2008
- THROTTLE CABLE BINDING
Preliminary Evaluation PE04067 · opened Sep 24, 2004 · closed Jan 27, 2005 · led to recall 05V329000
Technical service bulletins
18 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Kia Sedona. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFORMATION FOR HEADLAMP CONDENSATION AND MOISTURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in…
TSB_BOD055_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 13, 2021
PITSTOP - ENGINE COMPONENT RE-USE GUIDELINES - In general, parts and components removed during engine repairs should be considered serviceable, and should be thoroughly cleaned and transferred to the new engine.
PS539 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2018
TSB: MANDATORY REPLACEMENT OF LOCKING/SECURITY HARDWARE - By design, certain fasteners, which are designed to lock into place once fully attached, are utilized in various Kia models and are strictly intended for ?one…
TSB-GEN085R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2017
TSB: MANDATORY REPLACEMENT OF LOCKING/SECURITY HARDWARE - By design, certain fasteners utilized in various Kia models are strictly intended for ?one time use?. Though not limited to the following, some examples are…
TSB-GEN085 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2016
TSB - USE OF AFTERMARKET USB CHARGING CABLES IN USB/12V PORTS - This article provides information regarding the use of USB ports and 12V power outlets to connect/charge mobile phones. Customers may experience issues…
PS443 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 4, 2016
Tsb: automatic transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin provides information relating to the correct automatic transmission fluids that are required for each kia model. Refer to the shop manual on kgis for…
TSBTRA046 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2013
Kia: intermittent mil on with no fault code stored; information about dtc p1330. Provides information relating to certain vehicles. In affected vehicles an intermittent short to ground in a circuit only intended for…
TSB-068 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2010
Kia: ecm upgrade with tp sensor replacement-mil on with dtc p2135/p0638. Information related to ecm software and tp sensor upgrade on some vehicles with 2.7l engines which may experience a malfunction indicator lamp…
TSB-044 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2009
Kia: power sliding door remoe controller motor replacement. On some vehicles, a power sliding door (psd) may not open when using an overhead console switch, b pillar switch or remote control button. *pe
TSB-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2009
Kia: increased steering effort. In areas where heavy road salt use occurs, increased steering effort and noise (from steering intermediate shaft) for some sedona. *pe
TSB-019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2008
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Kia Sedona has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Kia Sedona?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 49,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.