2016 Kia Sedona exterior lighting problems

“The contact owned a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while her nephew was driving, the nephew made a left-hand turn, and the vehicle was hit on the front right quarter panel. The contact stated that her nephew had turned on the left-hand signal and was halfway through making the left turn when the accident occurred. The other vehicle drove on the opposite side and stated that the left-hand turn signal was not on. The contact's nephew was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags were deployed. The contact's nephew had minor injuries and had a bruise on the right arm and chest that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard. The contact then had the vehicle towed to the residence and no longer driven. The insurance company was contacted, and the results are pending. Upon further investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle had an open recall pending: NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V725000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that there was a passenger in the vehicle. The passenger was sitting on the front passenger seat and…”

“Rain water continually collects in both brakelight/taillight assemblies at the rear of the van. This causes the bulbs for the turn signal and brake light to burn out. This has been an issue since we purchased the vehicle in 2016. Initially, we could change the bulb(s) and they would last a while but now the passenger side bulb(s) can be replaced and burn out immediately! We have burned through dozens of bulbs since owning the van. On 6/17/25 I took the van to Valvoline in Circleville, Ohio for an oil change and replacement of the rear passenger turn signal bulb. On inspection he informed me that both brake lights were out as well as the right turn signal. He was able to replace the left brake light after dumping water out of the casing but the right side was so full of water he wouldn't even touch the bulbs because he said it would do no good. He recommended I get new casings/housing assemblies for both sides. In reading about this issue, it appears to be a problem not only for me but for many others. It was noted that several owners had holes drilled in the housing as "drain" holes and that the issue was corrected and/or improved in the later models. I believe…”

“The taillights leak, fill with water, and the bulbs short out. When this happens, the rear lights (taillights, brake lights reverse lights, turn signals) stop functioning. This occurs on a taillight for a vehicle that has never had an accident. I went to the dealer and asked them to fix this, suggesting it should be covered for free because it is a safety hazard. I mentioned that I have noticed other Kia Sedona's with the same problem of several inches of water in the taillight assembly. The service manager said, "Yeah, that happens all the time. But it isn't covered." The price to repair was several hundred dollars. I've since had to repair it three times. Here is a link to a YouTube video showing how to remove the water. The point of the video is to illustrate that this is a common problem. [XXX] Link [XXX] complaining about water in the rear light: [XXX] [XXX] This is for a Kia Forte, but showing the problem occurs across multiple Kia models. [XXX] This is for a Kia K5 [XXX]”

“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the turn signal was not operating as designed. The contact stated that the turn signal was activating on the opposite side of the turn signal desired. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.”

“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Sedona. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night going downhill, the headlights to the vehicle shut off inadvertently and the contact to almost struck a pedestrian. The contact stated that the vehicle struck a curb, and he became disoriented. The air bags had not deployed. A Police report was filed by the Sacramento Police Department. The contact later sought medical attention with their primary care physician. The contact also stated that the rear driver’s side sliding door failed to lock or unlock. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was not able to diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.”

“The rear brake / turn signal light housing tends to fill with water. When this occurs the turn signal lights short out. This presents a risk when making turns or switching lanes if the driver is unaware the rear signal is out. There are numerous online articles and videos illustrating the issue. KIA is also aware of the issue, but do not cover it under their warranty or offer repair.”