2016 Kia Sedona · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 30owner reports
- 123,000median miles
- $2,700median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
149 of the 296 complaints on this car are about the engine. 30 of those describe overheating.
Tick what matches of 30 reports
Overheating on other Sedona years
No other Sedona model year has enough reports of overheating for a sheet of its own. See every Sedona year.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (14 reports), the coolant hose or reservoir (7 reports) and the radiator (5 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Sedona
3.3l engine loss of motive power (lomp). Closed mar 5, 2024.
What owners paid
6 of the 30 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $400 to $10,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 102,974 and 140,000 miles, from the 14 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 5 service bulletins or notices for the 2016 Kia Sedona that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039 REVISION 7) - This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY039) to diagnose a coolant leak from the cylinder head gasket area and, if necessary, replace the engine sub assembly on 2014-2015 MY Sorento, 2014-2017 MY ...
ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039 REVISION 6) This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY039) to diagnose a coolant leak from the cylinder head gasket area and, if necessary, replace the engine sub assembly on 2014-2015 MY Sorento, 2014-2017 MY Cadenza, and ...
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN (WTY039) This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY039) to diagnose a coolant leak from the cylinder head gasket area and, if necessary, replace the engine sub assembly on 2014-2015 MY Sorento, 2014-2017 MY Cadenza, and ...
ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY: INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY039) This bulletin provides information associated with the ‘Warranty Extension Program’ (WTY039) to diagnose a coolant leak from the cylinder head gasket area and, if necessary, replace the engine sub assembly on 2014-2015 MY Sorento, 2014-2017 MY Cadenza, and ...
1 more on the 2016 Kia Sedona page.
What owners wrote
“The vehicle radiator exploded while driving on the freeway. Towed to mechanic radiator replaced and housing. Problem persosted. With a simple pressure test the coolant in the reservoir began to boil immediately meaning there's a cracked engine block.”
Filed Aug 20, 2026 · 155,326 miles
“Engine has multiple engine miss fires. Loss of coolant into exhaust. Engine knocking.”
Filed Apr 20, 2026
“According to the my local Kia dealer, the head gasket is blown. There was no warning indicators. It was driving perfect until suddenly the engine temperature spiked and I immediately had it towed to the dealer in which they want $13,000 to fix it.”
Filed Apr 26, 2024
“Head bolts pulled out of block causing head gasket to fail needing engine replaced”
Filed Apr 4, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 30 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
Other problems on this car
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 91 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 38 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 34 reports
- Sliding door won't open, close or latch 28 reports