NHTSA has received 52 owner complaints about the 2026 Kia Carnival, or 52.0 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.29, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 73 model-year 2026 vehicles we track, it ranks #64 of 73 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Kia models its rate is 49% higher; against other Minivans it is about the same.
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 2025-08-10 and 2026-10-13. Median delay from incident to filing: 4 days.
52Complaints
52.0Complaints per year on the road
1.29Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
2Recalls
7.7%Share involving a crash or fire
50Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2025) drew 108.0 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Electrical (28.8% of complaints), followed by Unspecified or other (19.2%) and Transmission / powertrain (13.5%). Electrical complaints are 1.8 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 4 reports (7.7%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 5 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 5 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (100% of incidents). In the last 12 months 50 new complaints were filed, versus 2 in the 12 months before — up 2,400%.
Child's arm was crushed in the sliding door when it failed to properly stop due to the sensor failing.
Electrical · 2026-10-13 · ODI 11770886
On XXX my nearly new 2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige, with approximately 5,650 miles on the odometer, caught fire while I was driving in [XXX].
Engine · 2026-10-11 · ODI 11770376 · Fire
Driving ar 75mph my car began to decelerate. Depressing the accelerator only made the engine rev loudly but speed continued to drop. This is a significant safety risk. There was a check engine light and message to take the car to a Kia dealer.
Fuel system · 2026-10-12 · ODI 11770497
We rented a Kia from Budget in [XXX], they rented us a car with 19,000 miles on it. After driving it for a week and over 1000 miles we headed back to the airport.
Unspecified or other · 2026-10-08 · ODI 11769991
2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX. The digital instrument cluster intermittently flickers, goes blank, and displays “NO SIGNAL” while driving, potentially causing loss of access to speed, gauges, warning indicators, and other safety information.
Electrical · 2026-09-29 · ODI 11767908
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.
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.
