Minivan, hybrid, 4x2, built in South Korea. Owner complaints on file from Nov 11, 2024 to Sep 30, 2026.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
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The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
64 complaints on file, page 1 of 4.
I had to slam on my brakes and the car went into Limp Mode, not allowing acceleration above 20 MPh. I drove for a while and then pulled into a parking lot and turned off the car and back on again. I was able to achieve normal acceleration after turning the car back on. We felt unsafe having no control over our speed and cars honking and racing around us. I am afraid to drive my family in this car for fear of having to slam on my brakes at a highway intersection or off/on ramp, which could cause a fatal crash. A Kia dealership is performing a diagnostic now and will advise. The vehicle has not been inspected by another agency. No warning lights went on that I can recall.
NHTSA complaint 11768008On random occasions, car will display "check hybrid system" and go into limp mode (limiting speed significantly) check engine, oil, and battery lights also illuminate. Had car serviced twice by dealership who cannot replicate the error, nor can they find any engine codes stored. However, this incident keeps occurring. Planning on having the car serviced again and not picking it up until it's figured out, but also wanted to report this incidence as I have seen several posts with other people complaining of the same issue. Concern is for if this happens randomly at freeway speeds and becomes a serious road hazard.
NHTSA complaint 11766261the 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. The rear passenger was thrown into the center console.
NHTSA complaint 11765465The seat and side curtain Airbags did not deployed on auto crash accident.
NHTSA complaint 11763227The passenger-side sliding door closed while I was holding my son and leaning into the passenger doorway. At the time the door was closing, my son’s left foot was still inside the doorway. The sliding door closed directly onto his left foot and remained fully closed on his foot rather than stopping or reversing. His foot was trapped by the closed door until we were able to open it. This incident resulted in significant bruising to his left foot and concern for a possible fracture. The failure of the sliding door to detect the obstruction and stop or reverse put my son’s safety at serious risk and resulted in injury. The component involved was the passenger-side power sliding door and/or its obstruction detection/anti-pinch safety system. The vehicle and door are available for inspection upon request. At this time, the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle/component has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others in connection with this incident. There were no warning lamps, warning messages, or other symptoms that we noticed prior to the incident indicating that the sliding door or its safety system was malfunctioning.
NHTSA complaint 11762863My vehicle keeps throwing a code “check hybrid system” and slowing me down to 30mph, it will not accelerate. This is extremely dangerous. I can restart the car and it’s fine but this is a major safety issue considering it keeps happening
NHTSA complaint 11762493The digital instrument panel display on the right side that shows map direction goes blank or start flickering. Audio also fails to function. When it goes blank, the rear camera also stops showing and causes difficulting in reversing the car. This happens randomly, but mostly once car has driven 10-15 mins or more and not right away. Points to some effect due to heat or vibration since the screen flickering begins once its driven a little bit.
NHTSA complaint 11760279I am writing to formally report a serious, recurring safety defect involving the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system in my vehicle. The system intermittently shuts off completely without warning and suffers from a malfunctioning airflow diverter. This directly impacts driver visibility due to immediate windshield fogging or the inability to de-ice during cold weather conditions. Below are the logged details of the intermittent shutdowns: July 9: System shut off 22 minutes into the drive. Local time: 07:58. Ambient temperature: 76°F. Vehicle settings: 72°F, Fan Speed 3.July 11: System shut off 34 minutes into the drive. Local time: 17:10. Ambient temperature: 92°F. Vehicle settings: Low, Full Blast. Furthermore, the airflow diverter is partially stuck on defrost mode. Air constantly blows onto the front windshield regardless of the chosen setting on the selector. This uncommanded airflow creates rapid temperature differentials on the glass, causing severe condensation and clouding the driver's line of sight during operation. These compounding HVAC failures constitute a significant safety hazard by unexpectedly distracting the driver and severely reducing visibility. I request that these issues be documented and investigated for potential safety recalls. Currently, my vehicle is in the shop with a local KIA dealership. A KIA corporate service technician is on ground and investigating the electrical and HVAC issues. Feel free to reach out for additional observational notes that I have compiled.
NHTSA complaint 11756260This is a bran new vehicle purchased and only driven by me. I have video evidence that on the morning of 8/10/26 my windshield was perfectly fine. On returning at the end of the work day there is a 2 foot long crack internal to the windshield, a stress crack, that starts where the sensor panel is. There are numerous reports of this happening to a large number of Kia Carnival owners and Kia refusing to warranty this.
NHTSA complaint 11756017My 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid is experiencing repeated electrical and hybrid battery failures. The battery has died multiple times, and the vehicle has shut off while driving, including at higher speeds. When the vehicle shuts off, all electrical systems reset, warning lights flash, and the dashboard displays “User Authorization” notifications. This creates a serious safety hazard for me and my passengers. The defect has occurred multiple times and remains unresolved despite dealer visits. Kia corporate is not responding and is redirecting me back to BBB Auto Line without providing any repair plan. The defect is ongoing and poses a risk of crash, injury, or loss of vehicle control. These symptoms match other Carnival electrical/battery complaints already filed with NHTSA, including sudden shutdowns, battery failures, and electrical resets. I am submitting this report because the defect continues and Kia has not provided a permanent repair.
NHTSA complaint 11752888While my 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid was parked, my [XXX] child attempted to unbuckle the rear passenger seat belt to exit the vehicle. The buckle mechanism jammed completely and would not release. The seat belt retractor then switched into Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode, continuously tightening and squeezing my child against the seat. Due to the jammed buckle and the aggressive ratcheting of the belt, my child was nearly choked, and I could not create enough slack to free them. I was forced to call 911, and responding emergency services had to physically cut the seat belt to extract my child safely from the vehicle." INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11752564I had two very serious incidents. July 8th: Horn just started blaring unprompted. Locking/unlocking doors, turning motor on, disconnecting battery did nothing to stop it. I was trying everything and as I was trying to find the correct fuse to disable (it wasn't labeled), the horn burned out and started smoldering. If the car was not in my driveway AND I wasn't home, I believe a fire would have started if I didn't pull the fuse AND douse it with water. It was parked next to my garage, so that would have been at risk as well. July 11th: When driving, my brake line burst resulting in a complete failure of my brakes. I narrowly escaped two accidents before I realized something was amiss. But the only warning was ABS was inactive, and active cruise control wasn't working. I had no warning that complete brake failure was imminent. I was extremely lucky. Mechanics had never seen a brake failure fail in a relatively new car in very good condition.
NHTSA complaint 11752483On five separate occasions, while turning onto a high-speed roadway and attempting to accelerate to the flow of traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost the ability to accelerate. Despite pressing the accelerator, the vehicle would not exceed approximately 35 mph and then began to decelerate. During both incidents, a "Check Hybrid System" warning appeared, and I was forced to quickly pull over to the side of the high-speed road. The vehicle would only return to normal operation after it was turned off and restarted. This loss of power while merging into traffic created an extremely dangerous situation. Having three young children in the vehicle made the experience especially frightening, and I no longer have confidence that the vehicle can be relied upon to operate safely. Because this defect affects the vehicle's ability to accelerate safely in traffic, I am deeply concerned that it could result in a serious collision if it happens again. I took it into the dealership and the service center experienced the same issue. They thought they had resolved the issue and that it was a "one off" occurrence but it happened to me again just 3 weeks after the attempted repair. This time the engine light came on after the "Check Hybrid System" warning light.
NHTSA complaint 11749457I live in [XXX]. On the way to [XXX], out of no where the car stopped accelerating. Was in eco mode at the time and dropped completely while trying to accelerate in the middle of the road. Pulled over completely turned off the car checked the engine nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Ran the diagnostics from the car and didn’t show any errors. Turned off again for a bit and turn on and everything was fine. Moved from eco to smart and turned around worked fine for about 5 m so we thought everything was on and tried to go back north to finish our trip and while on smart mode started to accelerate again and didn’t want to accelerate. Turned around and decided best to take it to dealership Monday. We have about another 1 hour to 2 hours to get home and it’s working fine in smart mode but it shouldn’t randomly drop acceleration at all in the middle of driving. Only at 16,487 miles. Doing it again only driving 33 m an hour and in smart mode. Not even going uphill just dropped acceleration while driving around town. About 15 m after. There’s still no error happening when it happens each time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11748283The vehicle began shaking and having ABS problems when driving at ~30 mph after having driven for several miles without issue. The vehicle did not have any history of problems or recent symptoms and was just over one year old. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. The dealership reported a broken driver side front wheel speed sensor wire and attributed it to rodent damage without other evidence.
NHTSA complaint 11746822Van made a loud pop noise and lost power. The HSG belt tensioner spring fell off it's seat loosing tension on the HSG belt. Was unsafe but luckily it happened before getting on the freeway, and coasted into a parking lot. Yes, it's at the dealership getting a replacement tensioner and belt. I believe so. No notification prior to failure, it was sudden.
NHTSA complaint 11744526I am filing this complaint to report a recurring, life-threatening safety defect in my 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid involving the battery and hybrid propulsion system. This defect has occurred twice, and despite dealer repair attempts, it has not been resolved. On both occasions, while the vehicle was in operation, the hybrid system failed without warning. The vehicle displayed a hybrid system failure alert, lost the ability to accelerate normally, and became unable to maintain safe driving speeds. On the most recent occurrence, the sudden and unexpected loss of vehicle power created an immediate risk of collision. The vehicle’s failure while in traffic nearly resulted in a serious crash. I was driving with passengers at the time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealership for repair following each incident. The same defect has now recurred after the first repair was completed, demonstrating that the underlying cause has not been identified or corrected. This defect substantially impairs the safety of the vehicle. The sudden loss of hybrid system function and propulsion while driving at road speed creates a direct and serious risk of accident, injury, or death to the vehicle’s occupants and to other drivers on the road. I am a [XXX] resident and am aware that this defect is not isolated to my vehicle. Numerous other 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid owners have filed similar NHTSA complaints regarding battery failure and sudden loss of acceleration. I urge the NHTSA to open a formal investigation into this defect and to require Kia Motors America to issue a safety recall. I am currently too frightened to operate this vehicle and request urgent attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11741345The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving in warm weather, heat from the exhaust pipe could be felt inside the cabin of the vehicle. As a result, the second row floor would become hot and cause discomfort to occupants seated in the second row. Upon investigation, the contact discovered TSB(Technical Service Bulletin) PI2501, which accurately described the failure the contact had experienced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they informed the contact that the TSB remedy was performed on the vehicle prior his ownership. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and was given the same information as the dealer. The contact was then given a case number and was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,5000.
NHTSA complaint 11735144Despite being only 18 months old with under 26,000 miles, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure with no prior dashboard warnings. While driving at highway speeds, loud cracking noises occurred while the engine was running, though we were able to pull off safely. The incident resulted in a burning smell, fumes, and rapid battery drain; subsequent inspection revealed a sheared tensioner spring and a critical VDCU diagnostic code (P1A7795), indicating a "Check Generator Belt" error and a major hybrid power control system failure.
NHTSA complaint 117350234/6/2026 vehicle stalled in traffic multiple times, entered "Limp Mode", unable to accelerate after stopping or after deceleration. I had to press the gas to the floor to get the vehicle to move. While driving, if I had to brake or lay off the gas at all, the vehicle would not accelerate back to the original speed quickly. This put myself and my four children at risk of being rear-ended. I drove with the hazard lights on to Kia of Wesley Chapel Service center. The Battery Management System Warning displayed at the time of the stalling. The Kia Access App displayed the BMS Warning and code P0AA600 (High Voltage Isolation Fault). Initially, Kia of Wesley Chapel Service Advisor stated No warnings displayed and No historical or active codes found. I provided a screenshot of the Kia Access App showing the active BMS Warning and active P0AA600 code at 2:48PM on 4/8/2026. The Service Advisor maintained that they could not find any active or history codes. At 3:00PM the same day, the Kia Access App suddenly showed "No Issues Found". The code was obviously manually cleared. I filed a complaint with Kia Customer Care the same day (4/8/2026) and requested a Kia Technical Specialist be assigned to the case. On 4/12/2026, the original Kia Service Advisor stated "the history code has finally appeared which was the one presented in the screenshot but we cannot replace parts based off of a code that is no longer active unfortunately". He stated they would "keep driving and testing" to try and duplicate the issue. The Kia Access App shows the last trip was 4/7/2026 (the day after I dropped off the vehicle). Interestingly, the vehicle was not moved from the drive up lane at the Service Center until 10:40AM that day, after being dropped off at approximately 6PM the evening prior. I believe they could not get the car to move the evening of 4/6/2026. The vehicle remains at Kia of Wesley Chapel. I am sending the Motor Vehicle Defect Notification to Kia Corporate today.
NHTSA complaint 11732931Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall.