Overview & Reviews

Minor upgrades are in store for the Sedona in its second year on the market. On the outside, buyers will find new taillights, and in the cabin, you'll note a new audio faceplate and a remote fuel-door release. The LX model gets a CD player, while the EX now comes with two keyless remotes, as well as additional leather on the armrests and lower portions of the seats. A trailer hitch is now available for all Sedonas.

• Excellent value, lots of cupholders and storage bins, solid build quality, good crash test scores, lengthy warranty coverage.

• Hefty curb weight, below-average gas mileage, missing a few key minivan features, potentially expensive to repair in minor collisions.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 227.00

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  Dont do it!!! - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By saarifam - October 21 - 1:01 pm

  I bought my 03 Kia 2 years ago with 49k miles on it. I read good reviews,and it had such low miles I thought for sure Id have it for a long time. Well 2 years later, it has 78,000 miles and it is breaking constant! Every month I have to bring it in to be fixed! At that mileage I shouldnt constantly be in the shop with it. Other cons are its tiny,puts a whole new perspective on "mini"van. Good luck putting anything in the trunk space. Also it has no trade in value at all. My vans exterior/interior is perfect,has lower mileage and I cant even get $1500 for trade. Trading it in tomorrow for a Honda Odyseey. Im so done with Kias.They are sold cheap for a reason,you get what you pay for.

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  Sedona: Not the quality I expected - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By badexperience - August 15 - 1:03 am

  I researched minivans for 6 months prior to buying a Sedona. I really wanted a van that would last me for several years. We purchased our van from the dealer in Feb. 2004. Our problems began about 6 months later. It started randomly locking its doors. My husband was locked out once with it running and had to run home 3 miles to get the spare key. The air conditioning would every once and awhile turn hot and the car would randomly not start. They replaced the computer chip for the locking mechanism, the alternator, and the radio (it would also randomly go on and off). I have had the vehicle serviced under warranty issues approx. 7 times since Dec 2004. I am frustrated with this vehicle.

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  KIA Problems - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Martin F. Morgan Sr. - January 27 - 10:00 am

  My KIA sedona, within the first 15,000 miles had to have an alternator, and transmission replaced. The inside back Air control continues to fall out of the ceiling, and I have had to go through the factory to have it replaced. It continues to have the same problem with it, falls out of the ceiling. The interior is not well put together and the gas mileage is poor at best. The gas nozzel will cut off but pumping slowly you can still put four to five gallons of gas in the vehicle.

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  2003 already needing major engine work. - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By tdacw - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Our van is less than 6 months old, and is already in for a major valve job. The brakes are making strange noises and dont seem to be working properly. The paint on the roof has major blemishes appearing. We bought mainly because of value and a good rating from Edmunds. You get what you pay for and I have lost a lot of respect for Edmunds reviews.

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  Never Again - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By cmazgo - August 15 - 2:00 am

  Looks are deceiving. I thought I was purchasing a quality vehicle. What I got was a van-wanna-be. After only 5 months and 12,000 miles the front bumper paint was peeling in a number of places. Kias response--everyday road debris caused it, so its not covered under the warranty. I dont drive anywhere that a million other people drive, but because of "everyday road debris" its not covered.I will mention that Ottawa Kia did re-paint the bumper at their expense which they did have to. And know Im starting to have problems with the driver seat armrest not coming down! And gas mileage---IT STINKS! Highway driving gets me a whopping 16 MPG.

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  I will never buy another Kia! - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By jmc7982 - December 3 - 5:13 am

  I have 3 children and buying a minivan seemed like the right idea. If i had only known that buying a Kia would put me in debt i would have never ever done it! Everything on the car is pretty much plastic. I have broke several door handles that are far from cheep to replace. Everything in the van squeeks. I have had to replace the compressor and the shocks in the back that lift the back door! I have sank way too much money in this vehicle to enjoy it.

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  Please stay away! I beg you - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By monkey - May 29 - 1:13 pm

  This has to have been the worst vehicle i have bought. Purchased 4/2/2010 with 52,000 miles. 40 days later Im walking to work because engine blew and dealer wont fix it they blame me for changing the spark plugs. Before that in 3 weeks time it was in the shop 4 times first hub bearing went bad, then ac went out, then the van would just stall for no reason. They find nothing wrong. For people having this problem clean out the mass air flow sensor i found that out myself. Then a week later at 53,000 miles engine started knocking and smoking towed to the dealer and was told need new engine. Just the name KIA has lemon written all over it.Avoid the stress and steer clear. Very bad gas mileage.

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  Piece Of Junk - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By kpow903 - November 25 - 6:05 pm

  This van is a complete piece of garbage! I have my 2003 for 3 years and cannot rely on it at all! The 3.5 liter V6 is quite possibly the worst engine ever made. Do Not Buy

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  A true LEMON - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By phgraves - September 7 - 10:00 am

  I am not so happy with our van. It has spent 15 days in the shop. We have not had the van 3 months yet. Seven different problems, so far. The van has a sensory problem and is in the service dept. for the thirt time now. I am quite let down. I loved the way it drove and its comfort level.

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  Dont buy this car - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By Melissa - April 23 - 7:30 am

  I learned a valuable lesson about researching cars after owning this one. Safety without reliability is not safe. The alternator went out at 36k. I lost the ability to steer or accelerate on the freeway at night. The warning lights came on about 1 minute before the car failed so I was in the exit lane and luckily rolled straight off the freeway exit without power, and rolled into a gas station. Sure the warranty covered the repair and Kia towed it for free-but I was almost killed along with my unborn child, 2 other children and the babysitter in the car. Now the sliding doors wont open from inside, the AC compressor/clutch failed, electrical problems abound, and I cant give it away.