KnownCarProblems2002 Kia Sedona EX Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 50 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Kia Sedona EX, most often about the electrical (24% of complaints, typically around 102,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Sedona EX model year since 2000 and has 1 recall.
Most common 2002 Kia Sedona EX problems
Electrical
12 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 102,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, instrument cluster/panel.
I notice that when I unbuckle my seatbelt, the warning light does not come on, nor does it chime. It does not matter if you are in drive and moving, or parked. The seat belt light won't illuminate, nor does the car chime. The only time the light illuminates is when you first start up the vehicle. I don't believe it…
Tl contact owns a 2002 Kia sedona. The vehicle was parked in the driveway and the wires from the driver side under the instrument panel caught fire. The inside of the vehicle was totally destroyed. The fire department extinguished the fire by also cutting the electrical wires from the instrument panel and stating that…
Seats
8 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 114,000 miles. Parts named most often: front assembly, mid/rear assembly.
The contact owns a 2002 Kia sedona. The wiring under the passenger front seat made contact with a metal seat component, which caused a shortage in the junction box. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and they informed him that they have to repair the wires and replace the junction box. Since the previous owner…
: the contact stated, while driving at 65 MPH and attempting to adjust the driver side electric seat, the switch malfunctioned. The seat slid completely to the front of the track, forcing the driver against the steering wheel.
Air bags
7 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2002 Kia Sedona EX. The contact stated the passenger side air bag lights constantly illuminates. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the air bags and stated the pretensioner wiring harness was installed incorrectly. The dealer informed her that the vehicle was not included in any…
The contact owned a 2002 Kia Sedona EX. While driving 45 MPH, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. All the air bags failed to deploy. The police arrived at the scene, but a report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound lot. The dealer was not contacted. The contact sustained…
Brakes
6 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 40,500 miles. Parts named most often: conventional.
Parking brake does not function. I first noticed this when parking to pick up my daughter (slight incline). After putting the vehicle in park and depressing the parking brake, the vehicle would slightly roll. When I got home, I stopped on an incline, put car in neutral, activated the parking brake and let go of the 4…
I have had an ongoing problem with the brakes period. I have had the parking brake replaced due to not working. I have also gone through four sets of rotors in 90,000 miles. The reason is because shortly after being replaced when braking the entire car begins to shake violently until the speed reaches below 40 MPH or…
Engine
6 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 89,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
I have had my 02 Kia for 2 years. It ran great for a few 1000 miles but then it just went haywire. The problem that cost me the most time and money turned out to be the fuel pump. The Kia dealer in charlseton sc originally told me that it was bad gas so I called to the gas station on the military base that I got gas…
Tl contact owns a 2002 Kia sedona. While the contact was driving 65mph he noticed that the engine suddenly stalled for a short period and then corrected itself. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact had the catylatic converter replaced; however, after the repairs the contact experienced the same…
Seat belts
5 complaints · 10%Parts named most often: rear/other, front.
: the contact stated the front passenger side seat belt latch jammed and will not release. The dealership is aware and informed the contact there were not any recalls on the seat belts.
I had a few occasions where the middle row seatbelts locked up and it took awhile for them to unlock so I could buckle my children in. Over a week ago one locked up and we couldn't get it to unlock. I had to take my car to the dealership and it turned out I needed to have three (both middle row one rear row) seatbelt…
Body and structure
5 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 96,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
2002 Kia sedona- passenger front inside door handle - the chrome peeled off the door handle at the bottom edge that was not visible to the eye- when I exited the door the peeled chrome sliced my thumb requiring immediate medical care-if these handles are susceptible to peeling Kia needs to have these changed- no one…
Both of my door do not open from the inside I have to have someone let me out of the car, it is a safety hazard my sliding door get jammed I really don't feel safe in this call and I can not afford to get another car right now.
Fuel system
4 complaints · 8%Parts named most often: delivery, storage.
: the contact stated the vehicle stalled and was hard to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealership, who determined there were metal shavings in the gas tank. As a result the fuel pump, filter and pre-filter were replaced. The tank was inspected for any remaining metal shavings. Updated 02/02/06.
: the consumer stated there were metal shavings in the gas tank of the vehicle. This caused the fuel pump to fail because the fuel pump was inside the gas tank. The dealership replaced the fuel pump, but was unable to determine how the shavings got into the tank. Updated 2/24/2006 - the consumer still has the faulty…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2002 Kia Sedona EX recalls
Seats
Risk: This contact could eventually result in a short circuit condition that may result in a fire in the junction box area of the vehicle.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and re-route the wires under the power seats, if necessary, as well as install protective seaming welts around those wires to better insulate them. The recall began on november 28, 2005. Owners may contact kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with power seats, the wiring under the front seats could be misrouted, allowing contact with metal seat components.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Steering intermediate shaft binding
Summary
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 compl
Steering binding
Summary
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 jo
Questions about the 2002 Kia Sedona EX
- What are the most common problems with the 2002 Kia Sedona EX?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (12 complaints, typically around 102,000 miles); seats (8 complaints, typically around 114,000 miles); air bags (7 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2002 Kia Sedona EX have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 5, 2005 (seats). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2002 a bad year for the Kia Sedona EX?
- It is the most complained-about Sedona EX model year since 2000, with 50 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.