2021 Kia Sedona
The 2021 Kia Sedona is sold in the U.S. as a gas minivan. The most efficient version, the Sedona, is EPA-rated at 21 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 10 complaints, most often about the vehicle speed control. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedona | Gas | FWD | 3.3L 6-cyl | 18 | 24 | 21 | $3,200 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42554.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedona | 5 / 10 | California LEV-III ULEV70 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 | All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards | — |
Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.
The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.
Specifications filed with NHTSA
Source: NHTSA vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Minivan |
| GVWR class | Class 2E: 6,001 - 7,000 lb (2,722 - 3,175 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 6 |
| Displacement | 3.3 L |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 276 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 3 |
| Seating capacity | 8 seats |
Transmission
| Drivetrain | 4x2 |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Transmission speeds | 8 |
Driver assistance
Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking
Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: EX Premium, SX, LX, EX). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 201.6 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 78.3 in |
| Height | 68.5 in |
| Wheelbase | 120.5 in |
| Track, front | 68.5 in |
| Track, rear | 68.9 in |
| Curb weight | 4,420–4,740 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 57/43 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 3 configurations: L 5-door Van FWD, Lx/Sx 5-door Van FWD, Sxl 5-door Van FWD. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2021 Kia Sedona is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.
What to check before you buy →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Recalls (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Kia Sedona. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.
Hear about a recall before the letter does
The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2021 Kia Sedona, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2021 Kia Sedona
Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.
Find parts for this Sedona →Owner complaints
Source: NHTSA complaint database2 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported
14 per 10,000 built · Kia reported 7,315 Sedona built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2021: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 2
Most-cited components
In owners' own words
Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.
This vehicle is burning oil at an alarming rate. Between oil changes it has lost 4 quarts before. I constantly have to check and add oil and have experienced stuck pistons and rough idle due to the oil not being at a safe level.
the drivers side passenger sliding door will not latch or close properly. The door started opening while driving and would not close. Luckily i had no children in the car at the time. The safety of my CHILD or any passenger could have been at risk. Driving while a van door is OPENING. I am taking it to the dealer this morning.
For starters, my lights go out every six months on queue. Cannot find a reason why. My car sputters or shutters when accelerating. I heard other Kia models have recalls due to the same thing. I have had my car in the shop multiple times and no one can figure out why it is doing it.
We purchased a brand-new 2021 Kia Sedona in 2021. Since January, we’ve been experiencing an intermittent but serious issue where the vehicle refuses to accelerate or shift beyond a certain point. This issue has put us in dangerous situations multiple times.
I was in a car wreck and my air bags did not deploy and my seat belt did not lock. The other vehicle involved in the car accident immediately deployed its airbags. I did not ask for an ambulance because I do not know if my insurance covers it so I went personally to the emergency room after the accident
The first of four tire failures (all the same DOT Number) of the OEM tires that were on the 2021 Kia Sedona when purchased in April, 2021. The first tire belt broke when on an approximate 1000 mile drive and was replaced on an emergency basis on January 24, 2024 with 16,760 miles on the vehicle.
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
Source: NHTSA NCAP| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 13% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications- 15 years or 180,000 miles, whichever comes first · Kia warranty extension WTY034CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS & SERVICE MANAGERS MEMO (WTY034) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Managers that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage…
The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every Kia warranty extension (28) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →
Most often about: Electrical System, Engine, Fuel/Propulsion System, Structure, Equipment.
- SC365_OWNR_YP Emissions2026-09-10 · Engine
- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC365) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting an important Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic in the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to ensure compliance with emissions regulations on the 2019-2020 MY Sorento vehicles manufactured from January 24, 2018 through Octo
- CS2312_TSB_R2 Service bulletin2026-06-08 · Structure — Body
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector on certain 2010-2022MY Kia
- TSB_ELE422 Service bulletin2026-05-28 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may improve system performance, enhance existing features, and apply the latest operating software for sup
- PS797 Other2025-12-09 · Back Over Prevention — Warnings
- PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane
- TSB_TRA046_R5 Service bulletin2025-04-17 · Power Train
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is
- WTY034_TSB_R2 Service bulletin2025-03-27 · Fuel/Propulsion System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: HIGH-PRESSURE FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT (WTY034) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY034) to diagnose the ‘Malfunction Indicator Lamp’ (MIL)
- CS2308_TSB_R6 Service bulletin2024-06-06 · Electrical System
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2308) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to upgrade the software logic of the In-Panel Module (IPM) or Body Control Module (BCM) system on
A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.
Diagnostic trouble codes on file
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaintsCodes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| P0088 P0088 on Kia → | Fuel rail pressure is above what the system commanded. | Fuel/Propulsion System · Fuel pump → | 3 bulletins |
Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
Sedona by model year
all years, side by side →Common questions about the 2021 Sedona
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2021 Kia Sedona have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Kia Sedona. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2021 Kia Sedona?
NHTSA gave the 2021 Kia Sedona 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 5-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (100/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2021 Kia Sedona?
For the 2021 Kia Sedona, the best EPA combined figure is 21 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2021 Kia Sedona?
Transport Canada measured it at 201.6 in long, 78.3 in wide (body, without mirrors), 68.5 in tall, on a 120.5 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 4,420–4,740 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.
What do owners complain about on the 2021 Kia Sedona?
Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Kia Sedona, most often about vehicle speed control, forward collision avoidance, unspecified. Of those, 2 involved a crash, 1 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.
How clean is the 2021 Kia Sedona?
The EPA smog rating for the 2021 Kia Sedona is 5 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV70, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2021 Kia Sedona?
The manufacturer has filed 54 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2021 Kia Sedona, most often covering electrical system, engine, fuel/propulsion system. The most recent is dated 2026-09-10. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.
What we hold, and what an empty row means
Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 1 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 1 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 10 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 1 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 54 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | none | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 11 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind. |
Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.