NHTSA has received 193 owner complaints about the 2025 Kia Carnival, or 108.0 per year on the road — far more complaints than typical (complaint index 2.68, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 86 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #76 of 86 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Kia models its rate is 209% higher; against other Minivans it is 108% higher.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2024-07-23 and 2026-10-07. Median delay from incident to filing: 3 days.
193Complaints
108.0Complaints per year on the road
2.68Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
2.1%Share involving a crash or fire
72Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 26.9 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2026) drew 52.0 per year, fewer than this one.
The most common problem area is Electrical (43.5% of complaints), followed by Engine (18.7%) and Unspecified or other (9.3%). Electrical complaints are 2.8 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 4 reports (2.1%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 14 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 4 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (72% of incidents). In the last 12 months 72 new complaints were filed, versus 74 in the 12 months before — down 3%.
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that her child screamed when the rear passenger’s side sliding door failed to detect the child's hand and closed on the child’s hand on four separate occasions.
Body & structure · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769717
the vehicle was rear-ended on the highway. The front driver airbag and seatbelt for the driver and passengers in the middle row, likely malfunctioned, as the driver hit her head on the front visor/headliner and rearview mirror.
Within 5 minutes of driving, the car stopped accelerating. Check hybrid system alert appeared one minute later. Car stalled out within approximately 1-2 minutes after warning light appeared. No other warning lights were present prior.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-05 · ODI 11768901
This complaint is a follow up to complaint #XXX. I took the car in to Dennis Eakin Kia in [XXX] to repair what caused the car to go into Limp Mode after slamming on the brakes.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-02 · ODI 11768594
The battery is draining due to external things but it’s not attached to anything and now all screens in the car flash on and off and go black including speedometer
Electrical · 2026-10-01 · ODI 11768241
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS Campaign 26V232000 · 2026-04-10
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Carnival vehicles. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail.
Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC368. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 24, 2026.
