2004 Kia Sedona Electrical Problems

Your van randomly shuts off while idling, driving at normal speeds, and on the highway — sometimes multiple times per drive. This is dangerous, especially in traffic or at intersections. Despite replacing numerous fuel and ignition system components, the problem persists. The issue likely involves internal wiring problems that may require diagnostic testing and wiring repairs or replacement.

After driving your van for about 5 miles and parking it, you noticed smoke coming from under the hood. You used a fire extinguisher to put out a fire within 60 seconds. Upon inspection, the wire harness on the passenger side of the engine compartment was charred, but no obvious cause was found. The repair will likely involve replacing the damaged wiring harness and investigating the electrical system to prevent this from happening again.

Your van caught fire while parked after you had turned off the engine. The vehicle had a history of oil leaks. The fire completely destroyed the van, which was sent to a salvage yard. This appears to be an electrical system fire potentially related to the oil leak history.

Your car's doors are locking by themselves when you try to open the driver's side door. This has happened multiple times, trapping you inside or preventing you from opening the door as intended. The problem may involve the door locking mechanism or electrical system that controls the locks. A mechanic should inspect and repair the door lock actuators or the central locking system.

WIRING UNDER SEAT SHORTED CAUSING SMALL FIRE INSIDE..EXTINGUISHED WIRING UNDER CAR IN SAME AREA MELTED SHORTING EVERY THING OUT. *TR

VAN DOES NOT STAY STARTED. SENSOR CONTROL AND SHORT ON SEATS. *TR

ON OR ABOUT MARCH 20, 2010, WHILE MY WIFE WAS OPERATING OUR 2004 KIA SEDONA VAN, THE LEFT FRONT (DRIVERS SEAT) POWER SEAT MOVED ALL THE WAY FORWARD WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. DRIVER DID NOT INITIATE ACTION. SEAT COULD NOT BE MOVED TO THE REARWARD POSITION. MILEAGE AT THIS TIME (MARCH 2010 WAS 50,599) THIS SAME ACTION OCCURRED ON ONE PREVIOUS OCCASION(WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE) ON OR ABOUT FEBRUARY 17, 2009, AT THAT TIME THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LAFOUNTAINE KIA, DEARBORN, MICHIGAN FOR SERVICING. VEHICLE MILEAGE AT THIS TIME WAS 40,431. BASED ON THE INVOICE FOR THAT WORK THE SWITCH BOX ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. CURRENTLY THE VEHICLE IS AGAIN AT LAFOUNTAINE KIA FOR REPAIRS. HOWEVER AT THIS NO WARRANTY EXIST FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. LAFOUNTAINE STATED THAT PARTS AND LABOR FROM THE FEBRUARY 2009 INCIDENT ARE ONLY COVERED FOR 12 MONTHS/12,000 MILES. SO WHAT I HAVE IS A 2004 KIA SEDONA VAN IN WHICH DURING A ROUGHLY 13 MONTH PERIOD THE DRIVERS SIDE POWER SEAT, ON ITS OWN MOVED TO THE FULL FORWARD POSITION AND COULD NOT BE MOVED BACK. LAFOUNTAINE CLAIMS THEY ARE UNAWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS WITH KIA POWER SEATS. UPDATED 05/12/10 *BF THE DEALER CLAIMED THE WIRING PULLED LOOSE FROM THE ELECTRIC SWITCH. THE CAUSE WAS UNKNOWN/ THE SWITCH AND WIRING WERE SPLICED TOGETHER AND THE WRING HARNESS WAS TIE STRAPPED TO THE SEAT MOUNTING TO PREVENT FUTURE OCCURRENCES. UPDATED 05/14/10.*JB *TR

KIA SEDONA 2004-VEHICLE WILL NOT SHUT OFF EVEN WHEN THE KEYS ARE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. THE CAR WILL DRIVE HOWEVER NO FUNCTIONS ON THE DASHBOARD WILL WORK, LIGHTS, WIPERS, RADIO, HEADLIGHTS ETC. THIS HAPPENED FOR ABOUT 1 WEEK IN JUNE 2009 AND HERE AND THERE THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. I DID HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT AT THE TIME THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AS IT HAD CORRECTED ITSELF. IT HAPPENED AGAIN THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 21ST. THE BATTERY HAD TO BE DISCONNECTED TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. THEY ARE STILL UNSURE OF WHAT IS CAUSING THE CAR TO REMAIN ON WITHOUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. *TR

TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN: WE ARE A FAMILY OF 6 AND ON JULY 21ST OUR 2004 KIA SEDONA EX CAUGHT ON FIRE. WE HAD JUST DRIVEN IT 2 HOURS BEFORE WITH NO INDICATIONS OF A FIRE. WE HEARD A BLARING HORN AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW TO SEE THE NEIGHBOR RUNNING ACROSS THE STREET. WE STEPPED OUT OF THE HOUSE TO FIND OUR VAN IN FLAMES COMING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE. THE WINDOWS WERE ALL UP AND WE WATCHED THE FIRE DIE DOWN AND SMOKE FILL THE AIR. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND TOOK PICTURES AND MADE A REPORT. AFTER ALL THAT WAS SAID AND DONE WE BEGAN TO RESEARCH THE INTERNET AND FOUND A RECALL THAT WAS SENT OUT ON OUR VAN BACK IN NOV/DEC 2005. (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05V463000) THE FIRE APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED IN THE FUSE BOX AREA. APPROX. A YEAR BEFORE THE INCIDENT WE HAD STARED HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT WORKING ON AND OFF. DUE TO NOT BEING UNDER WARRANTY ANY LONGER WE DECIDED NOT TO GET IT FIXED BECAUSE WE NEVER REALLY USED THE SEAT CONTROLS ON THAT SIDE MUCH. WE WERE UNAWARE OF ANY RECALL ON OUR VEHICLE; IF WE HAD BEEN WE WOULD HAVE DEALT WITH THIS MATTER MUCH DIFFERENTLY. IN ADDITION, WE HAD BEEN HAVING ISSUES FOR APPROX 9 MONTHS WITH THE BATTERY GOING DEAD. WE HAD REPLACED 3 BATTERIES IN 9 MONTHS AND OUR CD PLAYER STOPPED WORKING 3 MONTHS BEFORE THE INCIDENT. WE HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE DEALERSHIP AFTER THE FIRE AND THEY INFORMED US THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED THE RECALL ON JANUARY 11, 2006; A FEW DAYS BEFORE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED OF THIS RECALL WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE OR SHOWN THE RECALL ON THE CAR FAX. THIS FIRE HAS NOW RESULTED IN OUR FAMILY VEHICLE BEING TOTALED OUT AND OUR FAMILY NOW BEING LEFT WITH NOTHING. WE APPRECIATE YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS MATTER AND THANK YOU.*TR

VEHICLE FLOORBOARD GOT HOT AND MELTED THE WIRING HARNESS UNDER CARPET. KIA DEALER FOUND NO CAUSE FOR THE EXCESSIVE HEAT BUT REPLACED THE WIRING AT MY EXPENSE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES WHEN MY 04 KIA SEDONA LX STARTED SMOKING. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE LOCAL AREA. AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT IT COULD BE MY VAN AND PULLED OVER AND POPPED THE HOOD. FLAMES JUMPED UP IN THE ENGINE AND BURNED UNTIL THEY WERE EXTINGUISHED WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE KIA SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT HE BELIEVED IT WAS A TOTAL LOSS. MY INSURANCE COMPANY IS NOW VERIFYING THAT. *NM

I HAVE A 2004 KIA SORENTO 4X4 (THAT CAR OPTION NOT INCLUDED IN COMPLAINT FORM) ONE MORNING CAR STARTED UP ROUGH AND WOULDN'T STOP. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. DROPPED OFF AT DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY SAID IT WAS MY FUEL INJECTORS. THEY REPLACED THEM, BUT SAID THEY WANTED TO KEEP CAR OVERNIGHT TO MAKE SURE PROBLEM DID NOT REPEAT. IT STARTED ROUGH AGAIN WITH THEM AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THEY KEPT THE CAR NEXT DAY TO DIG DEEPER TO FIND PROBLEM. THEY DISCOVERED THE WIRE HARNESS SUFFERED A SHORT AND WAS BURNT IN 3 DIFFERENT AREAS. SINCE HARNESS IS CONNECTED FROM COMPUTER TO SPARK PLUGS, FUEL INJECTOR AND OTHER ENGINE COMPONENTS THEY HAD TO REPLACE EVERYTHING...BUT THE COMPUTER. I GOT CAR BACK AFTER 5 DAYS. 2 DAYS LATER CAR STARTED ROUGH IDLING AND STARTED MISFIRING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I ONCE AGAIN DROPPED CAR OFF AT DEALERSHIP. SAID IT FEELS LIKE THE SAME PROBLEM, OR COULD BE RELATED TO WORK DONE. THEY SAID RANDOM MISFIRES ARE COMMON AND CLEARED COMPUTER LOG AND I GOT CAR BACK. NEXT MORNING CAR RAN ROUGH AGAIN AND WAS MISFIRING AGAIN. I CALLED KIA SERVICE AND SAID THAT THIS CAR NEVER MISFIRED BEFORE OR RAN ROUGH AND HOW CAN A RANDOM MISFIRE HAPPEN SO FREQUENTLY AND ISN'T IT COINCIDENTAL THAT IT ONLY STARTED HAPPENING AFTER MY WIRE HARNESS SUFFERED FROM A SHORT THAT WAS DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE SPARK PLUGS. SERVICE MANAGER MENTION THAT TECHNICIAN WORKING ON CAR THOUGHT THAT COMPUTER WAS MALFUNCTIONING BUT NEGLECTED TO TELL ME. I ASKED IF THEY KNEW IT WAS MALFUNCTIONING, WHY DID THEY EVER GIVE THE CAR BACK TILL EVERYTHING WAS FIXED. HE SAID THEY NEED PROOF AND NOT JUST MAYBE'S. I TOLD THEM THAT THE CONSTANT MISFIRING WAS PROOF ENOUGH. THEY TOOK THE CAR BACK AND REPLACED THE COMPUTER. THEY SENT THE COMPUTER TO KIA HEADQUARTERS TO INVESTIGATE WHY THE COMPUTER MALFUNCTIONED. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE WORRIED THAT THIS MAY NOT BE A ISOLATED CASE. *JB

ON THE FIRST INCIDENT, I WENT OUT TO THE VAN, A 2004 KIA SEDONA EX AND IT WOULDN'T EVEN TURN OVER, JUST MADE A CLICKING NOISE. THEN IT WOULD TURN OVER AND NOT FIRE. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE TO HAVE THEM TOW IT, BUT TRIED LATER BEFORE THEY ARRIVED AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR AND IT FINALLY FIRED UP. I THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS JUST BAD GAS SINCE IT WAS FINE AFTER THAT. YESTERDAY, MY WIFE IS DRIVING IT AND THE RADIO CUTS OFF AND SHE BEGINS TO LOSE POWER AND CANNOT ACCELERATE. SHE WAS WHERE SHE NEEDED TO GO WHEN IT HAPPENED, SO SHE WENT ON IN, IT STARTED BACK UP, BUT THEN SHE HAD THE SAME THING NOT EVEN A BLOCK LATER OF THE POWER CUTTING OUT AND NO ACCELERATION. AFTER THIS IT WOULD JUST CLICK WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED AND DO WHAT IT DID TO ME. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS CONTINUALLY BLOWING FUSES THAT OPERATE THE HEADLIGHTS. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT IT WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE FUSE WOULD BLOW. THE BULBS IN THE HEADLIGHT WERE REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES TO SEE IF THE BULBS WERE THE PROBLEM. THE BULBS WOULD PASS INSPECTION WHEN TAKING OUT OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE DEALER CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.

AFTER PARKING VAN AFTER A SHORT TRIP OF APPROXIMATELY 2 TENTHS OF A MILE THE VAN WAS TURNED OFF AND THE KEY WAS OUT OF THE IGNITION AND DOORS WERE LOCKED, FOUR HOURES LATER SOMEONE NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE VAN. WHEN THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WAS OPENED FLAMES SHOT OUT OF THE VAN. AFTER A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS USED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, IT WAS NOTICED BE ME THAT THE MAIN WIRING HARNESS GOING TO THE FUSE PANEL AS WELL AS THE FUSE PANEL WAS MELTED AND SMOLDERING. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THE RADIO WAS PLAYING AND THE DASH LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND THE DOOR BUZZER WAS BUZZING, ALL WITHOUT THE BEING IN THE IGNITION. I THEN PROCEEDED TO UNHOOK THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE TO KILL POWER TO THE VAN. KIA MOTERS CAME AND GOT THE VAN AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALER. UPON INSPECTION BY THE DEALERSHIP THEY AND KIA MOTORS CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS NOT AN WARRENTY ISSUE. IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THIS WAS A WIRING FIRE AND WAS NOT CAUSED BY ANY FREAK ACT OF NATURE OR NEGLEGIENCE OF ME THE OWNER. KIA SAYS THAT IT IS NOT A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. KIA SAID TO TAKE PICTURES AND MAIL THEM TO THEM AND TURN IN A CLAIM TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY. WE HAVE READ OF NUMEROUS FIRES JUST LIKE THE ONE THAT OCCURED ON MY VAN ON THE INTERNET.

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 KIA SADONA. THE DASH LIGHTS HAVE REPEATEDLY FAILED IN LESS THAN ONE YEAR. A COUPLE OF TIMES THE DEALER PUT FUSES IN THE VEHICLE, AND THEY CLAIMED THAT SOMETHING HAD BEEN PLUGGED INTO THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER THAT DID NOT WORK. THE MASTER TECHNICIAN PUT A NEW INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BOARD. THIS WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM FOR A WEEK UP TO A MONTH, AND THE PROBLEM WOULD COME BACK. AT NIGHTS, THEY CANNOT SEE THE SPEED OR FUEL OR ANY LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD. PREVIOUS OWNER HAD THIS VEHICLE IN THE SHOP THREE TIMES FOR ELECTRICAL REASONS. *AK

BLOWN MAIN ENGINE FUSE DUE TO THIS FAILURE IT SHUTS OFF ALL ENGINE AND IT DOES NOT OPERATE AT ALL. WHILE DRIVING, ENGINE SHUTS OFF AND WON'T START. AFTER IT WENT TO THE DEALER FOR SO MANY DAYS WITHOUT CALLING US TO INFORM OF WHAT'S GOING ON, THEY HAVE FIGURED THAT IT HAS A BLOWN FUSE AND THEY ( DEALER MECHANICS ) BLAME ME TO THE FACT THAT I MIGHT BE USING A LOT OF ELECTICAL ACTIVITIES IN THE VAN SUCH AS PLAYING VIDEO GAME WHILE DRIVING AND MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE ELECTRICAL BLOW OUT. THEN 2 MONTHS LATER... SAME THING HAPPENED I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND IT DID THE SAME THING. NOW THAT THE CAR IS AT THE DEALER, GOD KNOWS WHAT THEY WILL COME UP WITH, TO HAVE SUCH AN EXCUSE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. *JB