2003 Kia
SEDONAProblems & recalls

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 COMPLAINTS OF STIFF STEERING AND THAT THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS INTERMITTENTLY LOSING POWER ASSIST.THE CRASH OCCURRED AS THE DRIVER WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES PER HOUR AND STRUCK A VEHICLE PARKED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE STREET THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TURNING INTO. THE CRASH RESULTED IN MINOR INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. AFTER THE CRASH, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS EXHIBITING SOME BINDING OF THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEARINGS.WHILE THE ABSENCE OF ADDITIONAL CRASHES OR INJURIES DOES NOT MEAN THAT THERE IS NOT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT, THERE HAVE BEEN NO REPORTED ADDITIONAL CRASHES CAUSED BY THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE PAST THREE YEARS. THE RELEASE OF THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN SHOULD ASSIST SERVICE PERSONAL IN DIAGNOSING THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM LONG BEFORE IT BECOMES POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS.ACCORDINGLY, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED. THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT DOES NOT EXIST. THE AGENCY WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND OTHER INFORMATION RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND TAKE FURTHER ACTION IN THE FUTURE IF WARRANTED.FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS REFER TO THE EA08-017 CLOSING REPORT.

Recorded closure: Jul 1, 2009

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 JOINT BEARINGS WERE MADE TO IMPROVE LUBRICANT RETENTION AND ELIMINATE WATER INTRUSION THAT COULD LEAD TO EARLY BEARING FAILURE.ACCORDING TO KIA, THE ALLEGED DEFECT RESULTS IN A PROGRESSIVE CHANGE IN STEERING EFFORT THAT SHOULD BE APPARENT TO THE DRIVER THROUGH NOISE AND GRADUAL CHANGES IN STEERING STIFFNESS LONG BEFORE THE CONDITION COULD BECOME DANGEROUS. ODI'S ANALYSES OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY DATA RELATING TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT SHOW THAT THE CONDITION IS OCCURRING AT SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER RATES IN SALT-BELT STATES (NOTE:FOR PURPOSES OF THIS INVESTIGATION THE SALT BELT INCLUDES CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA AND WISCONSIN).THE WARRANTY RATE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT IS 5.5% FOR VEHICLES SOLD IN THE SALT BELT AND 0.5% FOR THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES.THE COMPLAINT RATE FOR THE ALLEGED DEFECT IS 186.8 PER 100,000 VEHICLES IN THE SALT BELT AND 29.4 PER 1000,000 VEHICLES FOR THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES.THERE IS ONE ALLEGATION OF A CRASH RELATED TO THE ALLEGED DEFECT.A SUBJECT VEHICLE STRUCK TWO PARKED CARS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, ALLEGEDLY RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES TO THE DRIVER. ODI HAS UPGRADED THIS INVESTIGATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA08-017) COVERING MY 2002 THROUGH 2004 KIA SEDONA VEHICLES SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN SALT BELT STATES TO ASSESS THE FREQUENCY AND TREND OF THE ALLEGED DEFECT AND ITS EFFECT ON STEERING EFFORT.

Recorded closure: Aug 28, 2008

BY LETTER DATED OCTOBER 4, 2005, KIA NOTIFIED THE AGENCY THAT IT IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL (NHTSA RECALL NO. 05V463) INVOLVING ALL MODEL YEAR (MY) 2002, 2003 KIA SEDONA EX VEHICLES AND CERTAIN MY 2004 KIA SEDONA EX VEHICLES.KIA?S RECALL COVERS 74,276 VEHICLES.KIA REPORTS THAT FIRES WERE CAUSED BY WIRING UNDER FRONT SEATS BEING MISROUTED; THIS ALLOWED THE WIRE TO BE PINCHED BY METAL SEAT COMPONENTS.OVER TIME, THE SHORT IN THE WIRING UNDER THE SEAT CAUSES OVERHEATING OF COMPONENTS IN THE FUSE BOX (LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER SIDE INSTRUMENT PANEL).SPECIFICALLY, THE CIRCUIT BREAKER DIODES CYCLE ON-OFF-ON ETC. AND OVERHEAT.KIA WILL INSPECT VEHICLES FOR PROPER WIRE ROUTING AND INSTALL PROTECTIVE COVERING OVER CERTAIN METAL PARTS UNDER FRONT SEATS.DEALERS WILL ALSO APPLY A LABEL WARNING TECHNICIANS NOT TO REMOVE THE CIRCUIT BREAKER DIODES WHICH CANNOT BE SERVICED BUT CAN BE DAMAGED BY REMOVAL ATTEMPTS.BASED ON KIA?S SAFETY RECALL ACTION, THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.

Recorded closure: Oct 19, 2005

Campaign reference in the source: 05V463000

KIA PROVIDED INFORMATION DESCRIBING A WATER ENTRY POINT AT THE RUBBER SEALING BOOT LOCATED AT THE THROTTLE BODY END OF THE THROTTLE CABLE, ADVISING THAT WATER COULD ENTER THE CABLE SHEATH DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION.IN LOW TEMPERATURES, THE WATER FREEZES AND MAY IMPEDE THE MOVEMENT OF THE THROTTLE CABLE THEREBY PREVENTING AN OPEN THROTTLE FROM RETURNING TO THE CLOSED POSITION.A STUCK THROTTLE COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.TO PREVENT WATER INGRESS, KIA INCREASED THE CRIMPING FORCE OF THE CLAMP INSTALLED ON THE RUBBER BOOT FROM 2 TO 5 KILOGRAMS FORCE.THE ACTION TOOK PLACE IN APRIL 2004 AND OCCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH OTHER CHANGES TO THE THROTTLE CABLE SYSTEM.TO REMEDY THE VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE THIS DATE (ALL OF MY 2002 AND PART OF 2003), KIA WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE CABLE WITH AN IMPROVED COMPONENT.CERTAIN RECALLED VEHICLES WILL ALSO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CLIP INSTALLED TO ADDRESS A POTENTIAL CABLE DISENGAGEMENT CONCERN.SEE KIA'S JANUARY 17, 2005 PART 573 LETTER FOR NHTSA RECALL 05V013 (KIA RECALL SC-042) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.NO ACTION IS BEING TAKEN ON VEHICLES BUILT AFTER APRIL 4, 2004.

Recorded closure: Jan 27, 2005

Campaign reference in the source: 05V329000