Case Study: Sedona blower motor inoperative in all speeds

April 5, 2023

This Kia Sedona with a manual HVAC system was brought to the shop because the blower motor was inoperative when selecting any fan speed.

Richard Diegle

Related To: ALLDATA

Vehicle: 2011 Kia Sedona, V6-3.5L, automatic transmission/transaxle

Mileage: 132,932

Problem: This Kia Sedona with a manual HVAC system was brought to the shop because the blower motor was inoperative when selecting any fan speed. The owner reported that another shop had already replaced the blower motor and the resistor, plus had swapped the control head with a used one in unsuccessful effort to address the issue. The technician made a quick call to ALLDATA Tech-Assist for some diagnostic guidance.

Case Details:

The Tech-Assist consultant recommended using the Kia factory wiring diagram (found in ALLDATA) to trace the power and to determine if the wiring or a component was at fault.

The technician used the Kia wiring diagram to test all the blower relay circuits as directed. He found that power was not passing through the front blower relay.

Confirmed Repair: The technician replaced the relay box. After that, normal blower motor operations resumed. Easy Fix!

Reprinted with permission from ALLDATA.

About the Author

Richard Diegle | Senior Automotive Editor for ALLDATA

Rich Diegle has been in the automotive industry since 1978. After graduating from a local community college, he began working at a Nissan dealership as a used car technician. Since then, he’s worked as a Nissan and ASE master automotive technician, shop owner, marketing copywriter, automotive editor, public relations manager, instructor, ALLDATA Tech-Assist team manager, and a senior automotive editor.