The Lemon Index
Transmission complaints owners filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) for each model year, per 100,000 cars sold. A complaint counts when it's filed under the transmission, or under the power train and the owner describes the transmission (shifting, slipping, gears, CVT). It's an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and older years have had longer to collect complaints.
What owners describe
Share of this model's transmission complaints that mention each symptom. One complaint can mention several.
In owners' words
Driving down the road and when you brake to slow down the transmission down shifts faster then it should and on snow covered road the front starts to slide when it does this and when it shifts back up it vibrates other then that its fine any idea what the problem could
2002 Kia Sedona owner · NHTSA complaint
Strong antifreeze smell when using the ac on hot days. Transmission shifts violently from 1-2 and occasionally into reverse. Dealer has attempted to correct several times. *nlm sliding doors have had alignment problems and bearing failure several times also. (currently fixed).
2002 Kia Sedona owner · NHTSA complaint
Quick answers
Which Kia Sedona years have transmission problems?
By transmission complaints filed with NHTSA per car sold, the worst Kia Sedona years are 2002, 2006, 2016.
What are common Kia Sedona transmission problems?
Owners most often describe rolled away or park trouble, shudder, lost power while driving.
Which Kia Sedona years have the fewest transmission complaints?
Since 2010, the Kia Sedona years with the fewest transmission complaints per car sold are 2025, 2017, 2022.
See every problem, not just the transmission: Kia Sedona reliability by year. How we count