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Kia Sedona (2005 and Earlier)

18284868788

Comments

  • bearlyredbearlyred Member Posts: 2
    We purchased our Sedona used and did not get the security drawer key under the passenger front seat. We hope the manual is locked in this drawer. Anyone know if a Kia dealer can replace this key?
  • moparblue2moparblue2 Member Posts: 86
    WE HAVE 2003 SEDONA. THE SAME KEY WORKS EVERYTING. THE IGNSION & GLOVE BOX & DRAW UNDER PASS. SEAT. I WILL CHECK WHEN WIFE GETS HOME. TO MAKE SURE. ;)
  • moparblue2moparblue2 Member Posts: 86
    YES THERE IS A DIFF. KEY FOR DRAW UNDER PASS. SEAT. :blush: OURS HAS FIRST AID KIT IN IT THAT CAME WITH VAN. I DID SOME CHECKING FOR YOU & IF YOU BOUGHT VAN FROM KIA DEALER. THEY HAVE TO GET YOU OWNERS MANUAL & NEW KEYS FOR DRAW.
  • bearlyredbearlyred Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for your help. We will talk to a Kia Dealership tomorrow. :)
  • vannervanner Member Posts: 47
    I'm going to post this over on the "Sedona Problems" forum too.

    Has anyone any experience with either a DIY or after-market-dealer installed remote starter in a Sedona? We have an '05 LX and I'd like to put in a remote starter setup. Don't need a full alarm system although I could tolerate it if it was reasonable and with a remote receiver.

    Anyone have handle or success story on what to use for a remote starter and where to get it?

    Thanx!
    Vanner
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Dealer's will not normally pay KBB Trade-In value for ANY vehicle...but charge the highest Retail value that KBB, NADA, or Edmunds lists.
    If you can use a 2nd vehicle, your Sedona is worth more to you than the unreasonable $ 11,500 trade-in offer.
  • jmemsjmems Member Posts: 1
    Was there an answer?
  • integradriverintegradriver Member Posts: 123
    Front Passenger, just the other day. But I had the dealer do it.
  • minivanfrankminivanfrank Member Posts: 83
    No there was not any answer. I never got to this replacement myself either...so I have no additional info at the moment. It appears that the headlight assembly is installed with (2)ea. bolts. I am thinking that if I remove them that I will be able to pull out the assembly and gain access to the bulb...otherwise, it appears that there is not enough room to get your hand behind the unit to do the replacement.
  • boxwrenchboxwrench Member Posts: 55
    Frank

    I didn't replace the headlight, but I replaced the left Turn signal lamp. My big hand could just barely fit in the hole in the fenderwell, after removing the battery, but there is so much sharp metal in there it was scary. It turned out the bulb wasn't the problem, and the wires to the bulb were cut in half. I took it to the dealer, and they repaired it, under warenty,(with a little coaxing) and they removed the entire headlamp assy. I'm sure that is how you have to replace the bulb.
    The svc manager said the wiring was misrouted at mfg, and that was why it was severed! Again, must be some really sharp metal edges in there.

    On another note, has anyone found a service manual for the '02 thru 05 Sedona other than the one from Kia? I have friends that say the Kia is a different animal to repair than most other cars! My '04 EX is still under warrenty, and the dealer has handled all things so far.

    Boxwrench
  • minivanfrankminivanfrank Member Posts: 83
    Thanks for that info! As to the manual...I know that Haynes does not make one for our vehicles at the present time. I had e-mailed the company and they said that there would not be enough interest at the present time to justify a manual. :cry:
  • couturrcouturr Member Posts: 5
    Vanner,
    I have a 2002 EX in which I installed a remote starter. My wife gave me the starter as a gift from Best Buy. The purchase includes installation. They guarantee the module for life. This is my second vehicle that they've installed for me and both experiences were excellent.

    Please note that they sometimes have to charge extra for a wiring interface cable. And on Ford products, they have to install a relay for the locks which is about a 24.00 charge. Fords locks use a different ground :)
  • erikkleinerikklein Member Posts: 50
    I replaced the halogen bulb a few months back. Nothing needs to be "removed" from the van. There a rubber-like circular gasket that needs to be removed and is easily accessible when the hood is open (on the rear of the headlamp assembly). Once inside, you remove the wiring harness from the back of the bulb. After that, I believe there are two metal hooks that hold the halogen bulb in place ... they need to be handled carefully and may require contorting your hand a bit to get it to work. Once the hooks are off, the halogen bulb can be easily removed.

    When installing the new bulb, make sure that you don't touch the bulb itself or get anything on the bulb ... it will explode when turned on if there's grease or oil of any kind on it (so I'm told). You simply put the new bulb in the same way the old one came out, carefully apply the metal hooks back in so that the bulb is firmly held in place, attach the wiring harness, and replace the rubber gasket on the outside.

    All done. It took me about 15 minutes to do the first one and about 5 minutes to do the second one. Bulbs cost me about $17.50 at Strauss Discount Auto.

    Good luck.
  • navyairnavyair Member Posts: 202
    Although Haynes doesn't make a manual, the mechanics manual that Kia has on line is very good.

    Yes, you have to pay for access now (it was free at first), but you can always pay for access, and download the whole manual to your computer.

    I've printed several tech bulletins off to take with me to the dealer, and it works great.
  • boxwrenchboxwrench Member Posts: 55
    Navyair,

    What is the web-site with the manual. Is it Kia.com? Can you not order a hard copy from Kia? Or from the Dealer.

    Just looked at a 2006 while my 04 was in for the Seat wiring Recall. It looks very nice, with many extras now standard.

    Boxwrench
  • ClairesClaires Member Posts: 1,222
    We also have a new 2006+ Sedona discussion here :-) :

    Kia Sedona (2006+)

    MODERATOR

    Need help getting around? claires@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.

    Tell everyone about your buying experience: Write a Dealer Review

  • ernwernw Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone adjusted the low beam head light on 2003 Sedona?
  • ernwernw Member Posts: 2
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Wow. Just saw Kia is giving $5,000 rebate on 2005 Sedonas-- at least in my area (Michigan). Plus there's $500 owner loyalty on top of that. I'm not sure what kind of 2005 Sedona supply is still out there at dealers, but those discounts could make for some really outstanding deals.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I thought folks might find this comparison interesting. 2 Sedonas traveling together on a mostly highway approx 300 mile round trip.

    Van 1: 2002 EX, 60,000 miles, Bridgestone Turanza LS-T tires in stock P215/70/15 size, approx 22,000 miles on tires, approx 35 psi
    Van 2: 2003 EX with rear spoiler, 40,000 miles, Michelin Symmetry tires in stock P215/70/15 size, approx 15,000 miles on tires, approx 40 psi

    Van 1 speedo showed 79mph when Van 2 speedo showed 75mph. Van 1 trip odometer showed 9 more miles on it than Van 2’s trip odo – 287 vs. 278. This is one the same route, with the vans traveling closely together.

    Van 2 is my parents’ van. They have never been able to record fuel economy as high as we get with our van, Van 1. It looks like part of this gap is because of the approx 3-5% variance in the speedometer and odometer readings between the 2 vans. When I calculate mileage on Van 1, I’m dividing a larger number of miles by the gallons used, so that skews my fuel economy calculations higher than on Van 2. Plus, when my speedo says Van 1 is doing 75mph (Van 1’s typical highway speed), Van 1’s speed is quite a bit slower than when Van 2’s speedo says it is doing 75mph. So Van 1 is using less gas at the slower speed.

    My educated guess on the speedo is Van 1 is about 2mph too high at highway speeds and Van 2 is about 2mph too low.

    On fillup, Van 1 took 0.5 gallons less than Van 2 – even though Van 1 traveled an extra 6 miles (took different route after exiting highway to see which way was quicker to the destination).

    I’ve always wondered how our van’s fuel economy was so much better than my parents’ van. Looks like some of the difference is explained by the instrumentation differences, but this explains only about half of the approximately 10% advantage our van usually has on highway fuel economy.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Our 2002 EX returned about 21.8 MPG overall on 700 miles of driving in the past couple days. Approx. 80% highway at 77 mph average highway speed, 35 degrees F, winter-blend fuel (here in Michigan), mostly flat.

    Our van continues to exceed the 20mpg EPA highway rating by a noticeable margin, which is especially surprising because most of our highway miles are in the fast-ish 75mph range.
  • treaportertreaporter Member Posts: 1
    Can you tell me what state you had this done! Thanks! I am looking at a timing belt and being quoted over $1,000!
  • navyairnavyair Member Posts: 202
    http://www.kiatechinfo.com/logon.aspx?url=%2fDefault.aspx%3f is the link. Look to the right side for subscriptions. Comes in a variety of lengths up to a year in length. I think that one is around $70. Yes, you can download the manual. No, I don't think they sell hard copy (a shame).

    Will look at 2006's when I take mine in next time.
  • jcrider2jcrider2 Member Posts: 46
    I had the work done at Hart KIA Salem Virginia.
  • henshe07henshe07 Member Posts: 4
    Hi,
    I have a 2002 Sedona LX, can I swap out the 2nd row bench and put in two buckets instead? That's if I can get my hands on some!
    Thanks
  • calgarykatiecalgarykatie Member Posts: 3
    I brought my 2002 Sedona in for a oil change and they recommended that I change the air filter I asked when was it last done they said 6 mnths ago when I bought it, they recommend every 10,000 km. I think that is a little early. What does anyone else think? Thanks, Katie
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    I'd check your owners manual. If it were a Quickie Lube place (or even the dealership) they always recommend more frequent service intervals for oil changes,coolant, air filter etc.,i.e they can charge you $25 for a $5 air filter. My Mazda MPV recommends every 2 years under normal conditions. BUT, if the filter is dirty (ask to see) then it will need to be changed.
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • temp409temp409 Member Posts: 55
    I love that new car smell!!! lol ALL of Kias seatbelts catch the FIRST time you jerk on them!! Unlike our rear Dodge shoulder straps which gave my little girl (shes 12) a concussion with blood coming from her eye nose and mouth when we wrecked it last week (have pics of her face next day) her face slammed the back of drivers seat cause the shoulder strap DIDN'T catch when we hit going only 35mph on a ON ramp, hit the suv in front of us that suddenly stopped. Im angry and traumatized my mom wants me to file a law suit but I dont want to. So here I am just warning ya all over the internet every forum and review place that I can find. JERK the seatbelts on your Dodge and see for yourself front catches perfect none in the Rear WONT! Durangos are the same way too. Don't learn the hard way like us! Why is Dodge putting different catching mechanisms in back that they do for front?
  • calgarykatiecalgarykatie Member Posts: 3
    I am so sorry to hear about your little girl. I hope everything turns out ok for her. I am a little concerned regarding your mother mentioning a law suit. Of course you should get a hold of a lawyer regarding the driver of the other vehicle, I am sure the police are involved right? But on another note how is the new Kia? Is it all what they say it is? We have a 2002 one and love it.
  • temp409temp409 Member Posts: 55
    But then again, Ive only had it about a week, lots of scary stories on the kia problems board but I feel much safer in ANY van with catching seatbelts. All vans I tried catch on first jerk except the dodge caravans they catch perfect in front NONE in rear catch. The wreck was our fault but we didn't get a ticket we hit SUV in front of us on the On ramp they hard stopped and we skidded into them. Yes cops arrive first then firetruck then ambulance took my daughter. Shes doing better now. I have pics of her face where it slammed back of seat it was scary I thought she might die. Mom says suit over faulty seatbelts but I dont want to. Just trying to warn others about them. Durangos are the same way front catches perfect and the rear WONT. People keep saying oh just cause they dont catch when you jerk doesnt mean a thing but thats how it worked in our crash the ones in front that caught on first jerk held us perfect the ones in rear the lap belt held her in but shoulder strap didn't hold at all and her head and face slammed the handle on back of drivers seat. Seems some think I should stop posting about it like faulty belts are a dirty secret you shouldn't talk about or something, or maybe the just work for dodge-lol who knows?
  • ne03sedonane03sedona Member Posts: 15
    Hi all,
    Just had my 03 in the dealer spa for the day. I must say my dealer was flawless. Both the recall for the power seats and the one for the throttle did apply to my vin. I inspected every single item tonight and ALL was done perfectly. I also used my free oil change coupon and other than a good amount of oil dripped down the stabilizer bar, all is good. They actually DID top off all the fluids too!
    SOOO. I happened to mention the rear heat line corrosion, and to my dismay, the parts are now on order with warranty appointment pending on parts. I simply cannot believe the bad dealer stories I see here about this topic. I believe I read one dealer made a poster pay $1k for the repair! Now I wonder how much it has to do with single dealers or multi model dealerships. MY Kia dealer belongs to a Porche, Audi & SAAB conglomerate, and through my prior Sephia, and this Sedona, I have always received 'Porche' style service.
    Also, I just returned from my trip, here are the stats:
    858 total miles, 41.09 total gallons = 20.88 mpg. thats highway down, 170 miles in town, highway back.
    JUST for the highway back was 346 miles, 16.061 gallons = 21.54 mpg. Not bad if I dare say so. Thanks for reading and good luck!
  • dixiedcdixiedc Member Posts: 3
    I just purchased a 2003 Sedona with 28,000 miles. The brakes squeal almost all the time. I took it back to the dealer and they said it is because the brakes are made of metallic material. Has anyone ever heard of this?
  • joancjoanc Member Posts: 26
    Hello..
    ...We also have an '03 Sedona (EX w/26k miles), and we love it. HOWEVER..don't let the dealership give you the run-a-round on the brakes. Ours did the exact same thing--started out squeaking, and eventually got worse and worse. The dealership turned the rotars for us a couple of times, and also told us the reason for the noise was the metalic thing. But, my squeaking got so bad I finally took it in and said, "this is ridiculous..I've never driven a car that has brakes this squeaky, and I'm not going to risk the lives of my twins in the backseat anymore". I remained polite but FIRM...and the dealership in fact REPLACED my rear brakes completely at no cost to me. The squeaking stopped 100%, so don't let them give you the 'metalic' excuse. I would do a search on all the postings on Sedona brake squeaking problems, print it out--and take it to the dealership with you. Heck, print this one out if you want! Good luck..
  • ne03sedonane03sedona Member Posts: 15
    Hello all.
    My repair was completed today and I have posted the watered down invoice on my web page.
    http://webpages.charter.net/dishsnthings/RearHeatLine.jpg
    I hope it helps some of you who are having difficulties with your own dealer refusing to repair. Now that it is done, I find suspect with the poster who said it cost him $1k out of pocket. The actual part was $89.00, I was in at 8 am and out before noon, so by that claim he paid $911 for labor?. There has to be more to that story to be sure! Anyway, please note that on the invoice it has the actual Kia part number of the line assembly, could come in handy. Also, yes, I checked and am blowing nice and hot back there. They did a good job, and NO hassle/denials or refusals even hinted at. Its hard to believe that some dealers are doing just that to people.
    Best wishes.
  • sc_driversc_driver Member Posts: 2
    I was wondering if the center bench on a 2005 LX Sedona can be removed and replaced with two captain seats such as on the EX. My dealer was not sure but the Kia literature says captains are optional on the '05 LX so I am thinking that it is a possibility. The tracks seem to be off . . . . . but, hoping someone has an answer.

    Does anyone know if this can be done?

    Thanks,

    Andy
  • qazq50qazq50 Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem, have you found out the cause? If so could you let me know. Thanks
  • dixiedcdixiedc Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the info joan. I will do that.
  • jbautijbauti Member Posts: 6
    :cry: Hi, My 2004 Kia Sedona has been in the shop 5 times in the past 5 months for the same exact problem. When I press on the brakes (most of the time but not all the time) I hear this LOUD roaring/dry rubbing sound coming from the rear brakes. (This sounds seems to happen after I have gotten the wheel bearing recall fix). The first two times it was in the shop, they could not duplicate the sound and said the took apart the brakes and everything seems fine something except leaking-which was not major and they fix it and applied Brake squeal stop.) Each time, two days later the sound is back. Then they told me the recall was not done correctly and they fix it properly- and the brake pads had 50 percent life left- Two days later- brake sound is back. It went back into the shop and they rotated the drums and shaved the pads and said the pads look like they are brand new (Go figure??)- Two Days later, sound is back. Back in the shop, this time they changed the brake drums and said the drums were warped and gave us a rental car. Okay- I am getting really tired of this and we live 1 hour away from this service department. TWO DAYS later the brake sound is back Louder than ever!! Back in the shop, received a rental car and opened a case with Kia of America- all Kia said they will check with the service department and make sure they are doing everything they can do to correct the problem. :cry: I love this van but this is ridicules!! I am afraid I will have this problem forever. I was thinking of trading it in for an 2006. But maybe, I should stay away from Kia. I have read on the internet the 2002-05 Sedona's have a brake flaw in their system. I don't know if this is true. Does anyone else have this similar problem? Does anyone know if the 2006 Sedona's have a redesign brake system? They redesigned everything else.

    Headache in Illinois,
    Joanie
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I searched for 'timing belt' in this forum and in the Kia Sedona Problems forum and read all of the posts about this topic, but I am still longing for more information.

    I'm thinking about having the t-belt on our 2002 Sedona (65k miles) replaced this week at the dealer, but don't know if the $453 quote is reasonable.

    I guess I need to call the service advisor for more clarification, but I still have questions...
    1. How worthwhile it is to replace the timing belt tensioner at the same time. Someone mentioned this in a much-earlier post; it may have been from navyair?
    2. How much $$ to replace the tensioner at the same time?
    3. Does this vehicle even HAVE a timing belt tensioner? Is this a standard item on any vehicle that has a timing belt?
    4. Is replacement of the tensioner covered in the timing belt replacement?

    Hoping to get more feedback here before I book the dealer appointment later this week. Thanks folks in advance!
  • minivanfrankminivanfrank Member Posts: 83
    Yes...the '02 has a hydraulic timing belt tensioner. A good illustration can be found if you go into the kiatech.com web site and then look at page # 21 of the 2002 Sedona technical highlights training pdf. If you continue on to pages #23 - #25...you can read exactly what the process is for the timing belt replacement.

    I only have a little less than 30K on my '02...so I have not gone through the timing belt hassle as of yet. I did think that it was interesting, however, that in California it is not a mandatory requirement to have this done.
  • sedonasorentosedonasorento Member Posts: 29
    I recently talked to my service dept regarding timing belt replacement - your $453 estimate is about what I was told. He told me that they were told to replace timing belts at 60,000 miles (both Sedona and Sorento). I asked because (at least for the Sorento), the owners manual talks about timing belt inspections - which is pretty silly as you have to tear open the front of the engine to even see the timing belt. Its my understanding that the 3.5V6 is an interference engine, which means that really bad things will happen if the timing belt breaks, and which also means that preventive replacement is a good idea.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Thanks for the replies. sedonasorento, was replacement of the tensioner included in the estimate you received or not?
  • sedonasorentosedonasorento Member Posts: 29
    Sorry, don't know if that incldued the tensioner or not.
  • beyond_helpbeyond_help Member Posts: 110
    the timing belt inspections in just away of selling more timing belts, if you don't have it inspected and it brakes before 40,000 miles (replacement under severe service, nobody qualifies in the USA as far is i can figure out by reading the owners manuel) Kia may use the fact you did not have it inspected to void an engine failure due to a belt failure before 40,000 or 60,000 miles (if somehow you qualify for Nornal service)
    califorina is the only state i know of that stands up to shady car warrenties (unless they put different timing belts in them in califorina, LOL)
  • yodasbeastyodasbeast Member Posts: 1
    I have a similar question to one that is only a few spots up, just with a different year. I'm looking to put 2 captains chairs in the middle row on a 04 Sedona LX that I just bought since it would be easier for kids (infant and toddler being seperated and not constantly hitting each other would be good). Anyone know if:
    A) It's possible.
    B) How much they would cost either from the dealer or from a 3rd party like JC Whitney
    C) Are they compatible over a span of year models, so I could check at junkyards to see if they may have some in.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

    Eric AKA YodasBeast
  • minivanfrankminivanfrank Member Posts: 83
    Yodasbeast,
    I seem to remember this issue being addressed quite some time ago. If my memory serves me correctly, you cannot use the captains chairs in the middle row of the LX...I believe the dimensions of the tracks are different. I would check the dimensions between an LX and an EX and be sure. I would measure my EX for you...but it is away with the wife at the moment.
  • kiapanamakiapanama Member Posts: 2
    Hello Joan,

    I live in the Republic of Panama and I have a Kia Sedona 2005 which I love also, with exactly the same problem that you have I went to the shop 6 times and no solution is provided for my Kia Dealer at my country, please let me know if finally you find a solution for this problem because my car is going to put me crazy with this terrible noise.
  • sockeye342sockeye342 Member Posts: 5
    I own a 2003 sedona and I just had the timing belt done by the dealership. Had them replace the drive belts too.

    I asked for the old parts so I could take a look at them. The drive belts were showing quite a bit of wear. Timing belt didn't look too bad, but the teeth were beginning to round, so it was good call.

    I understand that one of the engine mounts has to be be loosened and pulleys removed to make the replacement. I know they didn't replace the tensioner, so I hope it will be ok.

    As for the 105,000 mile warranty in california on the timing belt, I guess it is a state law for all manufacturers to warrant the timing belt for that long.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    sockeye, how many miles on your Sedona when you replaced the timing belt?
  • sc_driversc_driver Member Posts: 2
    I just picked up a 2004 LX and really like the vehicle. It did not come with a manual and while I ordered one, I had a question I hope someone can answer ASAP as it is driving me (and my neighbors) crazy.

    When I close the door after parking it (and do not lock the doors), I hear a short horn "toot" and if I look inside I see the red light by the driver door on the dash flashing. If I open the door, the panic (or theft) alarm goes off; i.e., horn blows and the car will not start. If I press the unlock button on the remote several times it gives a few short beeps and then everything is fine.

    Does anyone have any ideas on what is going on?

    Thanks in advance

    Andy
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