Group Rates Kia Sedona ‘Poor’ in Its Crash Tests

Kia Motors Corp.’s Sedona minivan suffered more than $4,000 in damage during a low-speed bumper crash test because its air bags deployed, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said Wednesday.

The Sedona had a total of $9,747 in damage in four crash tests, a performance the insurance industry-sponsored group rated “poor.”

The insurance institute said the air bags went off when the Sedona’s front end was crashed into a flat barrier at 5 mph. Both driver- and passenger-side air bags deployed, and the passenger-side air bag cracked the front windshield. The cost of repair was $4,305.

Kia is investigating why the air bags deployed at such a low speed, the institute said. Air bags normally go off only above speeds of 12 to 14 mph.

Kia spokesman Geno Effler said the maker’s engineers studied the results and ruled them an anomaly. He also said the firm had no reports of Sedona air bags deploying during low-speed collisions.

In another test, in which vehicles are backed into a pole at 5 mph, the Sedona’s tailgate and rear body panels had to be replaced, with damage at $2,971.

“It was the worst performance of any minivan we’ve tested,” Adrian Lund, the institute’s chief operating officer, said. “The worst result was the air bag deployment in the flat-barrier test. This shouldn’t happen.”