Showing the 2016 Sedona LX. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
About every 2016 Sedona
The 2016 Kia Sedona has 297 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, and the most common part is engine with 148. Its combined fuel economy is 19 to 21 mpg, with a 5-year fuel cost of $15,470 to $17,100 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 5 stars overall. Its 4 recall campaigns may apply, covering transmission and drivetrain, electrical system, lights, and others.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
19–21 mpgcombined; city 17–18, highway 22–25; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$15,470–$17,100U.S. average; Ohio $13,820–$15,280 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2016 Sedona. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 297 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Sedona. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
148
1
11
3
Electrical system
46
3
2
2
Exterior lighting
37
3
0
3
Unknown or other
32
1
4
0
Structure
25
0
1
1
Air bags
19
2
0
3
Power train
13
1
1
0
Fuel/propulsion system
9
2
3
0
Seat belts
8
0
0
0
Service brakes
7
2
0
1
Latches/locks/linkages
6
0
0
1
Steering
6
1
1
2
13 more parts
Engine and engine cooling
5
0
0
0
Seats
5
1
0
0
Vehicle speed control
5
3
0
1
Tires
2
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
2
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Firerelated
1
0
1
0
Fuel system, gasoline
1
0
0
0
Insert, padding
1
0
0
0
Other/i am not sure
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Wheels
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2016 Sedona over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sedona vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.
Risk: A turn signal activating in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 12, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC217.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Sedona vehicles equipped with manually-adjusted front passenger seats. Over time, the Occupant Detection System (ODS) wiring harness located underneath the front passenger seat may break from the seat being occupied.
Risk: If a child is in a child seat in the front seat, a broken ODS wiring harness will not prevent the front passenger air bag from deploying in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the child.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will remove the wire harness clip to prevent the wiring harness from breaking. If the harness is found damaged, the front passenger seat cushion will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC175.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Kia Sedona vehicles equipped with a power sliding door (PSD). The PSD may not auto-reverse when its closing is obstructed.
Risk: If the door closes on an occupant, there is an increased risk of an injury.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the PSD module software, free of charge. The recall began on June 18, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC164.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 112 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2016 Sedona, the latest on Jun 8, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (35), equipment (28), engine (20), engine and engine cooling (11), steering (11).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP24002 3.3L Engine Loss of Motive Power (LOMP)
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2016 Sedona.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: minivan. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Sedona Front-Wheel Drive
3.3 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 24 / 20
Sedona SX Front-Wheel Drive
3.3 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
18 / 25 / 21
Sedona SXL Front-Wheel Drive
3.3 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
17 / 22 / 19
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data