2008 Kia Sedona Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2008 Sedona most often describe sudden loss of throttle or unintended acceleration, often diagnosed as a throttle position sensor fault and sometimes accompanied by the ESC and check engine lights. A second cluster of complaints covers power sliding doors that fail to latch or open, plus hood latches that release while driving; corrosion of the front lower control arms is also reported, particularly in states that use road salt.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Loss of throttle / unintended acceleration (throttle

   • 39 complaints (23%)
   • median 25,000 mi at 2.5 yrs old (39 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2017

   Complaints describe the van suddenly dropping to idle with no response from the accelerator, or in some cases accelerating on its own while the brake is applied. Several owners say a scan pointed to the throttle position sensor; some report the part was replaced and the symptom returned, while others say the dealer would not act until a code was stored or could not duplicate the failure. A number of these complaints come from fleet operators reporting repeated failures across several vans. Mostly reported between roughly 14,000 and 56,000 miles, often while cruising at highway speed or accelerating to pass.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle position sensor or ECM software has been updated, and request any stored powertrain codes be read before purchase. During a test drive, note any hesitation, limp-home behavior, or ESC and check engine lights.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My 2008 Kia Sedona accelerate unexpectedly. It has done this several times starting in oct 2009. I can be driving along and it will suddenly accelerate on its own. If you apply the brake it takes a great deal of force to get the vehicle stopped, if you're lucky. This has happened several times.”

   NHTSA complaint #10316367, filed 2010-03, 12,093 miles

   “Vehicle stallled with out warning at 60 MPH, throttle position sensor failed. This is the second one in our fleet of 4 2008 Kia Sedona's. Searching the internet, and talking to the dealer this is a huge problem. I requested Kia replace this part on the other two 2008 Sedona's, they said not until it throws a code. We also have 2 2010 Sedona's, I do not know if they have redesigned the part. For the 2008, this is a 50% failure rate and a safety hazard stalling at any speed is a safety hazard.”

   NHTSA complaint #10321509, filed 2010-03, 24,074 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Power sliding doors fail to open, latch, or stay closed

   • 30 complaints (18%)
   • median 71,500 mi at 6.2 yrs old (24 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2010–2023

   Owners describe sliding doors that will not open electrically or manually, stop partway, fail to latch and re-open slightly, or pop open while driving. In several cases the dealer replaced door motors, latches, or track parts without resolving the problem, and one owner reported plastic clips in the track breaking on both doors. Reported from about 20,000 to 171,000 miles, on both driver and passenger sides, sometimes on both doors at once.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors several times from the fob, overhead switch, and B-pillar switch, and check that each latches flush and the door-open light stays off. Ask whether the door controller motor has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The van's sliding side doors no longer open due to plastic clips in the tracks breaking. The doors cannot be opened from the inside or the outside. Both doors broke the same day. My son is in a wheelchair and we use the side sliding door with a ramp to get him in his wheelchair into the vehicle. He is five and was trapped in the vehicle. We had to open the back hatch and fold down the rear seats in order to get him in his wheelchair out. This is not a safe situation. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11389807, filed 2021-01, 128,000 miles

   “The side doors on my 2008 Kia Sedona van open unexpectedly as I am driving the van on the highway. It has done this many times in the last 4 months. I have a 2 and 3 year old in the backseat in childseats.”

   NHTSA complaint #11197152, filed 2019-04, 100,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   ABS/ESC warning lights and electrical faults

   • 41 complaints (24%)
   • median 74,500 mi at 6.2 yrs old (32 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2026

   Complaints describe ABS and ESC lights staying on, intermittent no-crank conditions where the starter does not turn, and in some cases smoke or burning smells traced to wiring, a fan module, or a blower motor. Owners report batteries, starters, relays, and fuse panels replaced without a lasting fix. Spread broadly from about 40,000 to 146,000 miles, with some reports at low mileage.

   Recall 20V0880002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the ABS module recall work has been done, look for a burning smell or scorched connectors near the fuse box, and verify all warning lamps go out after start-up.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I replaced a blown 10 amp fuse on a dealer installed trailer wiring harness adapter. 15-20 minutes later I noticed a fire coming from driver's side rear light assembly. Removed fuse, removed lighting assembly, put out fire. In looking at damage, trailer harness adapter was melted along with several wires attached to it. Foam bumper padding caught fire and was melted. No visible body damage.”

   NHTSA complaint #10548512, filed 2013-10, 93,700 miles

   “The engine will not crank/start intermittently without rhyme or reason. Turn the key to start, the lights come on , all indicator lights turn on, all electrical devices such as lights and radio and heater are working, but the engine does not crank. The starter makes no noise whatsoever. This happens randomly and cannot be given to a dealer to fix as he may try it 20 times and it will start and I will try it the next day and it won't. I can turn the key back and forth 20 times and it will suddenly start. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11071724, filed 2018-02, 50,000 miles
4. 4
   Suspension

   Front lower control arm corrosion and breakage

   • 8 complaints (5%)
   • median 145,000 mi at 12.2 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2024

   Owners in road-salt states describe perforating rust on the front lower control arm, in some cases snapping while braking or driving, along with rattling or looseness from the front end. Several say the vehicle was not covered because of its registration state or a Canadian VIN, and one inspection found a subframe with severe corrosion. Reported from about 45,000 to 171,000 miles, mainly on older vehicles in cold-weather, salt-using regions.

   Recall 16V387000Recall 13V550000

   What to check: Have the front lower control arms and subframe inspected on a lift for rust perforation, especially if the van spent time in a salt-belt state, and confirm whether the regional control-arm campaign applies to the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “There is a recall on my vehicle for the control arms. I found this out when I did a google search because mine has broken nearly completely in half as I was driving it. I was on a city street and it snapped as I was applying the brakes. After that it was giving me issues turning left and braking. The recall states that the control arms will rust and break which is exactly what happened. But apparently my vehicle has a canadian VIN number and because of that Kia will not honor the recall and I have to get it fixed myself. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11110408, filed 2018-07, 88,200 miles

   “The contact owns a 2008 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, there was an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the control arm was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 160,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11617496, filed 2024-10, 160,000 miles

Buying note. Inspect the front control arms and subframe for rust, test both sliding doors and the hood latch, and confirm which open recalls have been completed for the VIN. A pre-purchase scan for stored codes and a highway test drive are worth doing, given the throttle and warning-light complaints.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.