2009 KIA Sedona Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 7, 2026 · 48 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Sedona years
Far fewer complaints than other years 13th of 20 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 48 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 KIA Sedona. That ranks 13th out of 20 Sedona model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is electrical system (8 complaints, 17%), typically at around 91,500 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 2 fires, 5 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2009 KIA Sedona problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Electrical System8 · ~91,500 mi
Service Brakes8 · ~90,000 mi
Electronic Stability Control (esc)7 · ~38,000 mi
Exterior Lighting7 · ~78,645 mi
Unknown or Other7 · ~122,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control7 · ~30,000 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling5 · ~20,000 mi
Suspension4 · ~90,500 mi
Air Bags3 · ~95,000 mi
Engine3 · ~45,423 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Electrical System817%91,500——
Service Brakes817%90,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)715%38,000——
Exterior Lighting715%78,645——
Unknown or Other715%122,000——
Vehicle Speed Control715%30,000——
Engine and Engine Cooling510%20,000——
Suspension48%90,500——
Air Bags36%95,000——
Engine36%45,423——
Latches/locks/linkages36%4,000——
Steering36%95,000——
Power Train24%40,000——
Structure24%2,076——
Fuel/propulsion System12%95,000——
Seat Belts12%96,000——
Seats12%———
Service Brakes, Electric12%12,800——
Wheels12%170,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2010, with 9 complaints
2009: 1200912010: 992011: 5201152012: 442013: 1201312014: 992015: 1201512016: 332017: 2201722018: 442019: 4201942020: 222021: 1202112022: 112026: 120261

n = 48 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2009 KIA Sedona recalls (5)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Electrical system; service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/moduleFeb 14, 2020 · NHTSA campaign 20V088000 · 228,829 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2006-2010 Sedona and 2007-2009 Sorento vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.

Risk: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the vehicle is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the main junction box to prevent power from being directed to the HECU when the vehicle's ignition switch is turned off, free of charge. The recall began June 5, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC186.

Suspension:front:control arm:lower armJun 1, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V387000 · 97,884 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through August 14, 2012 and originally sold in, or currently registered in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may break due to corrosion from salt water exposure such as from road salt use.

Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the front lower control arms on 2006-2007 models. 2008-2012 models will either have their front lower control arms replaced or additional anti-corrosion coating will be applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC133.

Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latchJun 1, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V389000 · 219,800 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2014 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through April 04, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the secondary hood latch may bind and remain in the unlatched position when the hood is closed.

Risk: If the primary latch is inadvertently released and the secondary latch is not engaged, the hood could unexpectedly open while driving, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Kia will notify owners and dealers will replace the secondary hood latch or clean and lubricate the latch, depending on the vehicle's location and the condition of the latch. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on July 27, 2016. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC134.

Suspension:front:control arm:lower armNov 5, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V550000 · 79,867 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Kia Sedona vehicles manufactured from June 15, 2005, through August 14, 2012 originally sold in, or currently registered in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, West Virginia or the District of Columbia. In the affected vehicles, the front lower control arms may break due to corrosion resulting from prolonged exposure to salty environments.

Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Kia will notify owners and dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on December 20, 2013. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall number is SC100.

Exterior lighting:brake lights:switchApr 1, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V114000 · 980,377 vehicles

Problem: Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

My 2009 Kia Sedona is under Safety Recall SC133 (NHSTA 16V-387) for front lower control arms that can corrode and break. The dealership has had the vehicle at ANDY MOHR KIA in [XXX] for two weeks and states the frame is too heavily rusted to safely mount the new control arms. They will not perfom…

Unknown or Other · received Aug 7, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11755466

The door locks on passenger sliding doors,do not keep doors shut,they remain open on both sides and have to use a screw driver to rotate the mechanism.

Unknown or Other · received Jul 18, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11474442

An L shape plastic part broke off under the brake pedal that is causing the brake lights to remain on, intermittently, when I am not using them. It has drained my battery causing me to be late to work.

Exterior Lighting · received May 26, 2021 · NHTSA complaint 11418672

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 kia sedona. The contact stated that while driving and coming to a stop, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and inspected under the hood of the vehicle but found no issue with the vehicle. The contact then drove…

Steering · received Nov 4, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11373016

The vehicle was stationary and a fire started somewhere in the engine and the whole car burned.

Unknown or Other · received Feb 27, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11311935

Other KIA Sedona years

← 2008 Sedona · 2010 Sedona →

See all KIA Sedona problems by year, every KIA model, or the KIA VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2009 KIA Sedona?

Owners most often report electrical system, service brakes, electronic stability control (esc) problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 8 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2009 KIA Sedona?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2009 KIA Sedona a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sedona model years, the 2009 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.