Kia Sedona (2005 and Earlier)

grumpyguycdn · July 2005

Towed a 2,000lb pop up for the first time. Amazing towing experience. Barely even noticed it. Used a class two hitch with no weight distribution or anti sway and didn't use the trailer brakes. Back end of the van only dropped a couple of inches. Was even able to accelerate up long steep grades.

Interesting that I saw 2 Odysseys towing about the same load with their back ends significantly lowered by the weight. Happy I made the choice that I did

Rob

bluedevils · July 2005

Just returned from a 400-mile round trip. Fuel economy: 22.5 MPG. 70% was 78mph highway cruising, 25% was 60-65 country road cruising, and remainer was in-town driving. 2 adults, about 500 pounds cargo including 2 small kids and 75 pound dog. A/C was on almost the entire time.

I really enjoy driving this van, although the tight cargo space behind the 3rd seat continues to be a challenge. We still can easily fit everything for a weekend trip, or even a weeklong one, but it requires more creative packing on my part. Our next van definitely will need to be bigger and/or more flexible in terms of cargo carrying (i.e. foldaway seats, larger cargo area, etc.).

At 54k miles, our 2002 EX still feels tight, smooth, and solid. It is a very pleasant highway cruiser.

philberto · July 2005

Very nice. Lots of load for that mileage. Not bad at all.

I just could not wait for my next vacation to test my mileage, so I had to know what my first full tank on my new 2005 LX would do. This way I can compare in the future when the car is broken in.

I ran the gas the dealer gave me ($12) as low as I could till it was just a little below "E". With only 163 miles on the Sedona, I put in 17 gallons to fill it to max. It could take no more. We drove around town for the first 30% of the tank. My wife was learning the controls and getting used to how NICE the van handles. We went to the beach and drove up A1A along the ocean. From 30 to 55 MPH, but most around 40. Then today we went for some highway miles. About 70% on I95. I ran it between 60 and 80 MPH. The AC was on all the time (FLORIDA). First full tank went 350 miles and still has a little space above E, so I guess I could go another 5 or 10 miles. So, that 30% city / 70 % highway driving with three passengers and AC cranked, got nearly 21 MPG on the new van. It can only get better!

Quick acceleration on this one with a light touch. Has power when I need it, but I am not pushing it much until it is broken in. I love the ride! Firm but not stiff. Corners so nice. No lean. Quiet even at 80 MPH. Comfy and has nice visibility. Headlights really light up the road. High beams light up the woods as well! So far it's a winner in my book.

I plan on doing two mods...1) install the fog lamps and wire them myself. 2) Change the grill color to black. That will look killer on my white Sedona with gray and black interior. Oh...and I found the place I want to mount the GPS navigation system...down by the ashtray. I have about 5" x 5" there and will be looking for something fairly flat. Maybe a PDA. That should do and it will be fairly cheap.

navyair · July 2005

I have a palm III GPS. It really isn't very good for car use, although you can make it work. Better to go with a portable made for cars.

You can get a Streetpilot III GPS for about $379 Try refurbdepot.com or ecost.com or use one of the search engines to compare costs.

philberto · July 2005

Thanks, NavyAir.

I went to Best Buy yesterday. Funny...nothing there is even a good buy anymore. They send me "preferred customer" discount coupons and my latest purchase was not even qualified! (marketing crap...I will be shopping elsewhere) Anywho, the PDAs they did have (4 in total) were not compatible with Street Atlas USA Handheld Edition. I have a laptop for work, and using SAUSA with the LT-20 USB powered GPS receiver (was only $100) works fantastic. Used it today on a business trip to Orlando and it worked very well. Yes, it a little big, but mounts fine on the center table. It also doubles as a DVD for the kids. Heck...I record actual HDTV on my home computer and can burn HD DVD disks and watch them on the laptop! You can't even watch true HD on a DVD player, but on the laptop you can. Looks very sharp too. Much better than standard (and superbit) DVDs'.

That is my solution. Works for me!

ahdashee · August 2005

Bought it for 19995 with sunroof, ABS, leather(-like?) seats, etc. I'm just worried about the warranty. I paid $600 to extent the bumper-to-bumper from 60k to 100k. If I bought a dog I'd love to hear it but since I let the wife pick it out, you know big daddy's getting lucky tonight! I just hope this isn't the end of my luck.

philberto · August 2005

Relax! It sounds like a VERY GOOD price with the options you listed. How is the ride? Do you like the van? If so, keep it and take care of it. Read around at other vans and you will see some of them have much worse going on. ENJOY.

dharmon · August 2005

Sounds like you got a heck of a buy. I was at the KIA dealer today and all they had on the lot were base EX's, no sunroof, no leather. The sticker was about $23,500. with an addendum sticker of $1800. This clown tried to tell me that the vehicle was priced so low that was the profit. I told him four times that I had sold cars and had worked the dealer finance department at a bank for seven years and he still kept this up. Then I told him that I knew that dealers get discounts on a model as they sell more vehicles of that model. He stated that KIA had the quota set so high that a dealer could not reach it. I did not realize that we still had those kind of car salesman out there! Enjoy your new ride, you did great.

bluecar3 · August 2005

ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PROGRAM A REMOTE FOR A SEDONA( 2003)? HATE TO GO TO A DEALER AND PAY BIG BUCK TO HAVE THIS DONE.

spectraman · August 2005

http://www.edmunds.com/future/2006/kia/sedona/100458771/preview.html?tid=edmunds.f.mmindex- .content.num2.5.kia

What Edmunds.com Says: Lighter and more luxurious, the next-generation Sedona is bound to out-class its predecessor.

-SM

Claires · August 2005

Hi, bluecar3,

If you don't get the answer here, you might want to ask the folks in the Got a Quick, Technical Question? discussion.

jcrider2 · August 2005

Bluecar3 The programing of the keyless entry system is found in section
BE-29 of the Sedona service manual. I can sent a copy of the instructions to you if I knew your E-Mail address. Mine is a 2002 but is probbly the same instructions.

bluecar3 · August 2005

THANKS FOR THE INFO. I DID FIND SOMETHING ON IT IN THE SERVICE MANUAL....

leftyflinter · August 2005

Hi, I have had a 2005 Sedona for 4 months now, mileage is REAL bad,10-11 around town, one small trip on the freeway got me 14 miles to the gal.
I am waiting to bring my van back to the service dept for the 5th time for various things, extremely loud AC, wheel recall,throttle cable recal, E brake adjustment,noise from rean axle and trip computer to be reordered.
I will try to get this Van returned as a lemon and will pay the higher price for a dependable and proven vehicle. Hope you have better luck with yours.

leftyflinter · August 2005

sounds like a pretty good deal. My 2005 drives great but has a bunch of small problems and one large problem with mileage,, only getting 10-11 city and the only short trip I went on got 14. Hope your's fairs much better

leftyflinter · August 2005

Wish I could say I was getting great mileage (even good would be ok) with my 2005 Sedona. am keeping records for the service dept for the next month then I will try to get rid of it under the lemon law

Claires · August 2005

Hi, Leftyflinter,

This discussion is intended for the features, attributes, etc. of the Sedona. If you'd like to discuss problems with this vehicles, we have another topic for that. Click the link below to get there:

Kia Sedona Problems

leftyflinter · August 2005

Hi,
Wasn't aware that Kia Sedona would have a problem site all to itself. I was wondering where all the pros and cons were. But,to be honest I have seen both posted here and wasn't aware that this was for "features,attributes,etc." only. I will post my messages in the reccommended catagory if there is room.
Thanks for the heads up.

bas4cas · September 2005

Hope I have the right place to add this...
We have just purchased a 2005 sedona and so far have been very please. However, our owners manual does not hit on the subject of the audio system. We would like to be able to change the sound to the rear of the vehicle rather than all the speakers. I'm sure there is a name for this??? It's not the balance...that's left to right. We want front to back.
Can anyone help?

jcrider2 · September 2005

You should have recieved a Radio/Audio manual in the package with your Owners manual. Check with your dealer for one.

philberto · September 2005

IF it's the LX model (you did not specify), press the AUDIO button until FAD appears. Turn the knob and it will allow you to adjust the front/rear fader.

IF it's the EX model (I do not have one...so I'm not sure), it might be similar, but I'm guessing that pushing the volume knob toggles through the options instead of an AUDIO button like on the LX model. I'm looking at a picture of the EX model and noticed "VOL PUSH-SEL". I would bet that will have a "FAD" setting, or something similar, for the fader control.

Good luck!,

Phil ~

bas4cas · September 2005

Thanks so much! I think my husband and I are just loosing it. We looked there and must have just been over looking it!!! ...probably 50 times! Oh brother!!!

I have found it and really appreciate your help!

philberto · September 2005

No problamo! Glad to hear you worked it out.

Phil ~

minivanfrank · September 2005

Has anyone put on new front brake pads yet? I was wondering if there were any surprises with the installation. I priced a set of ceramic pads at autozone for $36.99 today...there is no repair manual for sale yet, however (unless I purchase from the dealer).

bluedevils · September 2005

I don't remember hearing about ANY Sedona owners doing brake work -- except the unlucky folks with brake PROBLEMS such as warped rotors. Our 2002 has 55k miles and the original brakes seem to be performing fine. That's pretty impressive longevity, especially considering how heavy the vehicle is and probably half the miles on our van are city miles.

grngumby · September 2005

I am at 70,000 miles and experiencing the same thing. The dealler drained the power steering fluid and replaced which was a farse!! What did you find out? I think it is a KIA problem and am ready to sue!!

Claires · September 2005

Hi, grngumby,

Since you're responding to a post that's 6 months old, you may not get a response. Try posting your question in the Kia Sedona problems discussion, where it'll be on-topic :-)

minivanfrank · September 2005

Yes...I do not remember reading of anyone doing their own brakes either. I am taking my '02 for inspection tomorrow. I pulled the front wheels off to look at the brakes and they seemed a bit thin to my eye...so I was going to replace them. I did not pull the back wheels. Maybe I will just take it in without replacing them and see what the mechanic says. From what I have read, the front pads are ceramic - as opposed to a semi-metallic pad.

mcconna · September 2005

Guess you would be more thrilled to have my 2002 Kia Sedona. I get 20 mpg city and 27 mpg on a trip. I've driven it from OH to FL three times and to Nashville once. I currently have 54,000 miles on it. That's better mileage than I got on my 2000 Malibu. I'm extremely happy with my Kia Sedona. I also have a 2002 Kia Rio. They've been great vehicles for me. I would not hesitate to buy another one. I agree there is something wrong with your van. Are you sure you have the overdrive in gear? I think it's the five speed transmission that is making it so economical on gas. I would find a different dealer to look at my car.

jipster · September 2005

" I get 20mpg city..."

LOL

arjay1 · September 2005

Has anyone done the 60,000 mile service on their Sedona? I am curious about the services that were done and the cost.
We have 50,000 miles on our 2002 EX so our service will be coming up next year.
We just had the Sedona at a dealer for a recall and discussed the upcoming service. They mentioned that the service runs +/-$1,200 based on changing the plugs, flush and fill the transaxle, oil change and changing the timing belt.
Does anyone have first hand knowledge on this service and input on what has been paid elsewhere?
R. J.

boxwrench · September 2005

R.J.

I haven't reached even 30k yet, but I picked up a Service Menu from Daytona (FL) Kia, and the recommended service for 30K & 60K (same svc) was $349.95! It included Full Svc. Oil change, engine Oil system cleaner, Perform Induction service (whatever that is), Perform Throttle body svc, add fuel & emission sys. cleaner, Replace Air filter, Perform transmission flush and total fluid exchange, Front & Rear brake svc. (whatever that is) rotate & balance tires, multi-point inspection (?? of what), OH Yes, and a car wash!!
But it didn't include Spark Plug change, (???) cooling sys. svc $59.95, brake system flush svc $99.95, Air Cond. refresher svc. $99.95 or Power Steering flush svc. $89.95. These are recommended at this time. Timing belt replacement is recommended, but no price given. I think this is mostly a come-on and most is not required in order to keep your warrenty in place.
I never heard of flushing the power steering system, or brake system flushing. Do that when you have a problem with the brakes, or steering. I guess if you throw in a Timing belt replacement (Which is a good thing) it could be over a Grand! I know I'll just do the minimum required to keep the warrenty valid. My old Dodge Gran Caravan has 196K and I haven't done half of those things, and it still runs very well, and uses no Oil!!

Just MHO!

Boxwrench

philberto · October 2005

Still really loving our Sedona. No problems at all. Still has lots of power and rides great.

We are going to take care of this van! I have 2,293 miles on it and just changed the oil. The original oil was a little dirty. I wanted to get it done at 2,000, but close enough. I put AMSOIL ASL 5W 30 in her.

She likes it! The guys at the shop had to meet me. They were pleased to see someone who cares enough to use the best.

And nothing but "Top Tier" Chevron gas too!

jcrider2 · October 2005

jcrider2 · October 2005

Took my 2002 Sedona EX to the dealer today for the Timing belt replacement recomended at 60,000 miles. Also had the Transmission power flushed and the acessory belts ( A/C P/S Alt ) replaced. Those two belts had no labor charge as they have to come off anyway. Timing belt was $110.00 with labor of $435.00. Transmission flush was $129.00

I also replaced the rear brake shoes a few days ago myself. That was a fairly easy straight forward job. Rear rebuilt shoes at Advance was $27.00.

kiahatermuch · October 2005

I took my parents sedona in the other day because the air conditioner switch wasnt working. I took it in and everything and also the wind shield wipers were not working. Well the mechanic said the air conditioner wire melted through the windshield wiper wire and caused the short. They also said the wire could not have held that much electricity and which could cause a car fire. Thankfully the Kia still had a warranty. I will not let my parents or anyone i know buy a Kia. They all suck. My sisters Sephia has so many problems that I won't go into detail. :mad:

grumpyguycdn · October 2005

I have to agree withn you about those tires for Canada (Toronto). The Hankook RA07 tire is GOD AWFUL. They were bad with 100KM and only getting worse. Looking for new tires with H rating. I can only find 4 brands, 2 of which are the OEM tires (the other being the Kumho).

Did you buy anything yet? I am about to buy the Firestone LH30

navyair · October 2005

Grumpy/prof,

I'm running Nokia's in the winter in Minnesota. They have pure snow treads, or all weather tires with winter compounds. I obtained steel rims so I don't ruin the alloys with the salt slush.

BTW, 61,000miles/100kilometers is pretty good life for a tire considering the pounding they take. That generally means only two sets for the life of the van.

grumpyguycdn · October 2005

I actually was considering the nokian WR. looked like a great tire. what stopped me was the fact the I do quite a bit of camping/fishing in northrn ontario. If I ever needed a replacement I wouldn't have a chance in hell of finding one.

navyair · November 2005

I have the WRs on both my Sedona and my Chrysler Cirrus commuter car. I run them year around on the Cirrus, and winter only on the Sedona.

A suggestion might be to put a 5th WR on your spare tire so you would have that additional tire of the same make. Otherwise, since you have a full sized spare, you can always run the spare until you find a Nokia dealer. I guess you could go with a Goodyear or some other brand if you didn't want to do that.

I've had those tires in fairly deep mud and snow and never had them slip or spin. That is really a benefit. I'm sold on them while I'm here in snow country.

minivanfrank · November 2005

I need to replace a headlight bulb on an '03 Sedona. Does the assembly have to be removed from the vehicle in order to do this...or can I just replace the bulb with the assembly still in place?

adam14 · November 2005

Has anyone replaced the spark plugs on the sedona ?
I removed the plastic engine cover and saw that the front three plugs are very accessible, but the rear three will definitely require some expertise. The air induction manifold may need to be removed in order to access the spark plugs. Any input on this operation will be greatly appreciated.

jcrider2 · November 2005

To Adam14 I have a 2002 Sedona an had the plugs changed at the dealer. Yes the intake manifold has to come off to get to the rear plugs. It cost a litle over $200.00 including spark plugs and gaskets for the manifold and labor. Took them about two hours to do it.

bluedevils · December 2005

'gaskets for the manifold' - why were these replaced? did the dealer recommend doing so because the mechanic would already be in there anyway?

i don't know what these gaskets do, or whether they wear out in time, or if it's wise to replace them, etc.

kawamark · December 2005

The dreaded brake and battery light had been coming on and off for several days. Tried replacing the battery and the brake and battery light stayed off for most of the day when my wife went to work and ran her errands. Then I made a short trip into town and the battery light came on and it died leaving me stranded on the side of the road. Called Kia roadside assistance and had it towed to the local Kia dealer. Visited the service department the next day and talked to the service manager. I told him about the technical service Bulletin "Group Engine, Model Sedona, Number 010 (see post #761 by kiatech) but he said that it was out of warranty, and not covered. Our 2002 Sedona has 80,000 miles on it.

Today I got the bad news. Alternator has died. Dealer wants $235 for a new alternator; $35 for a new belt (seems the replacement alternator has a different size pulley hence the need for a new belt) and 3 hours labor for a grand total of $535! They also tried to sell me on a battery too. (Nice try but I told them it was only a day old. It will need to be recharged as it was run completely flat.)

Question #1) Has anyone had Kia work with them to replace the defective alternator for free or reduced price because of the service bulletin? If so, who did you have to talk to?

Question #2) Both Advance Auto Parts and Auto Zone list replacement alternators for the Sedona:

Advance Auto Parts
For vehicle: 2002 KIA SEDONA V6 3.5 Liter FI
Part No.12381 Worldwide Imp ALTERNATOR, Reman; 120 Amps; Warranty: 3 Year Limited Warranty, Ships in 1 day, $169.99, $50.00 core

Part No. 13967, Autolite Import IMPORT ALTERNATOR, Warranty: Lifetime Limited Warranty, Ships in 3 days, $104.99

Auto Zone
DURALAST-IMPORT ALTERNATOR for a 2002 KIA TRUCK SEDONA
Unit Price: $126.99, Core Value: $50.00, Part No. 12381 Weight: 7.0 lbs. Warranty: LLT, Availability: Online: Special Order, Store: Special Order
Note: PREMIUM QUALITY REMAN, SOME NEW COMPONENTS.

Has any one tried one of these? How hard is it to install? Im not afraid of some hard work and have plenty of hand tools, but I would draw the line if the engine has to be partially lifted out or if the A/C system has to be disconnected and recharged. (I have not been able to locate a service manual for the Sedona yet)

I sure would appreciate any feed back on this.

Thanks,

Mark J.

brenice · December 2005

I had the same thing happen with my 2002 Ex. It was still under warranty when it was replaced, but not after having to replace the battery. Your story sounds just like mine. I going to have to go back and pull my service receipts for the number of times it has been in the shop. Also to all those out there with EX's. I got a call from my dealer to schedule "work on the power seat wiring" under a recall notice.

jcrider2 · December 2005

Any time an induction system item such as the intake manifold is removed the gaskets should be replaced. This gasket is a crush type and if the old one is reused it may devlope a leak which may affect the fuel/air mixture and the proper operation of the engine. Also you probbly won't have a proper torque on the manifold bolts which could warp the manifold.

kawamark · December 2005

Brenice,

I got my 'Safety Recall Notice' today in the mail. Affects Sedona EX models from 2002 - 2004.

"Kia has determined that he wiring under the front seats of some Sedona EX vehicles eqquiped with power seats could be misrouted, allowing contact with metal seat components. This contact could eventually result in a short circuit condition that may result in a fire in the junction box area of the vehicle."

"Kia will inspect and re-rout the wires under the powerseats, if necessary, as well as install protective welts around those wires to better insulate them."

private_eye · December 2005

yes i was looking at my vin# on my sedona and copied it down 2 times.are there more letters in the vin than the first 4,please help!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

craigmri · December 2005

Greetings folks and Happy Holidays!

We have officially put our '04 Sedona EX on Autotrader. reason being you might ask? Primarily because we desire a special vehicle in effort to get my son and I to and from the dirt bike romping grounds. Last trip we almost got stuck in the soft Florida sugar sand(we tow our bike trailer with the Sedona). So....We're looking at a Honda Ridgeline or Ford Sport Trac kinda vehicle were we can haul the bikes and not get stuck.

Overall our Sedona has been a decent vehicle. We had dealer trouble early on but once we got to the right dealer things smoothed out. We had a handfull of service visits at this new dealership for various things such as "Check Engine" lights, Windshield wiper switch, radio and a couple of recalls. Basides those service visits the van has been a pleasure to drive. Gas mileage although we wished was better isnt any worse than my sisters Honda oddyssey. Was this worth the $20,000 we paid? Heck yeah!

Now the problem. As a trade its not bringing respectable offers from the dealers. With only 13,000 miles Kelly Blue book says the "Trade-in" value is $13,200. This I can stomache however the best trade number we've encountered to date has been $11,500. Thats quite a hit in less than 18 months. So....we decided to list it on autotrader and see if we can get something in the $14,500 range. If not we'll continue to drive it considering its paid off.

Craig
'04 Sedona EX

Kia Sedona (2005 and Earlier)

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