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2011 Kia Sedona

Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.

Recalls, complaint breakdown & inspection checklist, all in a shareable PDF

65 owner complaints · 6 recalls · data verified July 17, 2026 · source: NHTSA

Cautionwillitcar.com

Buy-rated alternatives from this era

Other 20092013 cars in the same rough price bracket with a clean, matured Buy verdict — worth cross-shopping before you commit to the 2011 Kia Sedona.

2012
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (5 Door)
Buy98/100
2013
Nissan Maxima
Buy98/100
2013
Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid
Buy97/100

Why caution?

6 recall campaigns (3 safety-critical). Confirm every one shows "remedy completed" on the seller's VIN.

Very few owner complaints for its age and sales volume.

Complaints are overwhelmingly minor: almost none involve crashes, fires, or injuries.

The math, shown

Full methodology →
Complaint volume (40%)100
Severity (30%)93
Recall load (20%)53
Trend (10%)74

Complaints filed per year

Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.

20102026 YTD

How it crashes

NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.

NHTSA crash-tested this model year but didn’t publish an overall star rating for it.

1 open NHTSA defect investigation on file for this model year, separate from the recalls above.

Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.

The road ahead

What breaks on a 2011 Kia Sedona, plotted where owners report it happening.

030k mi60k mi90k mi120k mi

Also reported (mileage varies): Fuel system (13) · Electrical system (12) · Engine (11) · Suspension (9)

Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.

Fuel system

20%

13 complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SEDONA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V101000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECAL…

Electrical system

18%

12 complaints

First, the fuel pump was acting up was told the relay was going bad replaced the relay, Than we have "ESC" and ABS light come one for a bout a week took it to get the …

Engine

17%

11 complaints

EXCESSIVE NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, MOST NOTABLY ON COLD START OR STARTING A FEW HOURS APART. THE OIL CHANGED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MANUFACTURERS RECO…

Suspension

14%

9 complaints

both control arms broke and the front tires were ruined. The tow truck driver said they are lucky , they didn't get hurt because if they were going faster , they would…

Recalls (6)

Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.

Fuel System, Gasoline · 20V101000

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Sedona vehicles. The fuel rail may crack from exposure to heat generated within the engine compartment, resulting in a fuel leak.

Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of fire.

Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began June 16, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC188.

Air Bags · 18V363000

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Kia Forte, Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Kia Optima and 2011-2012 Kia Optima Hybrid and Sedona vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners from deploying.

Risk: If the frontal air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.

Fix: Kia will notify owners. For model year 2011 Sedona vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to verify the ACU part number and, if necessary, install an extension wire harness kit between the ACU Connector and the Vehicle Harness Connector. For all other affected vehicles, Kia will instruct dealers to install the extension wire harness kit. The recall began September 28, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC165.

Suspension · 16V387000

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 · 16V389000

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 · 13V550000

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 · 13V114000

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.

Before you hand over money

Verify the recall work was done

NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.

Free NHTSA VIN check

Get a pre-purchase inspection

A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2011 Kia SEDONA beats every score on the internet, including ours.

What to ask for

Not set on the 2011? See how every Sedona model year scores →

Cross-shopping? Compare the 2011 Kia Sedona against another car →

What owners say

Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.

See what owners are saying about other cars →

The fine print: this verdict is computed from public NHTSA complaint and recall records for the 2011 Kia Sedona as a model, not for any individual car. A well-maintained example of an “Avoid” can outlast a neglected “Buy”. Informational only, so always get a professional pre-purchase inspection.