2023 Kia Carnival

I am filing a comprehensive complaint against Kia America and its authorized dealership for a prolonged failure to remedy a safety defect, ongoing consumer deception, and gross mismanagement of a federally mandated safety recall involving a severe fire hazard. Vehicle: 2022-2026 Kia Carnival NHTSA Recall Number: 26V232 (High-Pressure Fuel Pipe Leak) [Chronology of Complete Events] June 29, 2026 (First Attempt): I brought my vehicle to Kia dealer shop to have Safety Recall 26V232 performed. The service department informed me that they did not have the necessary parts and the repair would take over a week. June 30, 2026 (Deceptive Release): The dealer contacted me to pick up the vehicle, stating they could not proceed with the recall due to a complete lack of parts. They only performed a standard engine oil change (unrelated to the recall) and promised they would contact me to reschedule as soon as the recall parts arrived. July 19, 2026 (Manufacturer Negligence): Nearly three weeks passed with zero follow-up from the dealer. I contacted Kia America Customer Care to lodge a formal complaint. Shockingly, Kia America responded by stating they do not assist with scheduling or coordinating parts availability, irresponsibly shifting the manufacturer's statutory obligation onto me to independently find another dealer. July 21, 2026 (False Assurances): Due to my persistent follow-ups, Kia Dealer finally called me. The dealership explicitly assured me over the phone that ALL necessary recall parts had physically arrived and were strictly secured for my vehicle. July 23, 2026 (Today - Repeated Deception): I dropped off my vehicle at 10:00 AM. I explicitly asked the service advisor to confirm if all recall work would be finished today. He promised it would be completed by the end of the day. However, at 5:50 PM—just ten minutes before closing—Dealer called to inform me that they could not finish the vehicle because they are "still waiting for a specific part."

Our Carnival had the SC266 recall repair done on July 3rd, 2023, at 3074 miles. Then our [XXX] daughter was injured as a result of the safety function not working and the door closed without any chimes. [XXX] (my spouse) is a cardiac nurse at our local hospital, and I have combat medical training, so we took care of the minor injury. Her small hand was spared the devastation a larger one would suffer. The dealership is pretending it’s unreproducible (even though I supplied them with video evidence to the contrary), and Kia Corporate (case # XXX) doesn’t appear any more likely to help. I reported the injury when it occurred on January 13th, 2026, to the dealership. They said they were sorry and would look into it. Nothing happened. I call, and they say they can’t fix it. I call again after I see the XXX v. XXX, et al., case was allowed to proceed, and I produce videos confirming the safety issue with sticks. They bring it in and claim in their exact words in the paperwork, “Found Doors to chime when an “abstruction” was present in the doorway and vehicle doors to stop when detecting an object. Started T/L case for documentation purposes.” In private, they tell me, “We cannot stop the force of the closing or fix it” and do not allow me to reproduce the safety issue for them to witness. I file a complaint with Corporate, and they tell me the dealership is saying it’s fine. I send the videos, and they say they will look into it. No resolution. Today, I produced a second set of videos to show the devastation the safety issue causes and the lack of response from the sensor, chimes, or the reopening of the door from an obstruction using bananas after the dealership declared it not reproducible. My special needs [XXX] daughter was harmed as pictured. The van itself is unsafe for children, which is the only reason anyone (including me) would purchase it. My children could be harmed again, but we cannot afford the burden of another car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 55

On August 23, 2025, I purchased a certified pre-owned Kia Carnival. Within hours, the vehicle had a severe fuel leak that produced a strong gasoline odor. Driving it made me sick, and I feared for the safety of my three children in the vehicle. A Kia technician later confirmed a crossover fuel line leak so severe that he became ill while inspecting it and feared the vehicle could explode. Even after repair, the gas odor persisted. This vehicle was sold to me in unsafe condition, and I believe this may represent a larger safety issue that needs investigation.

My [XXX] son locked himself and his [XXX] brother in the car today. The scenario which is repeatable is if the cars start button is pushed to turn on accessory power the key fob will no longer unlock the doors. My father had the key fob outside of the car, while my son scrambled up front and pushed both the start button on the car and the door lock button. Again at this point the key fob is outside the car and will not unlock the doors. The daycare had to call 911 because two children were locked inside the car. This is an unacceptable situation for a minivan. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I have not yet brought the vehicle to a dealer, there are no warning lights on the vehicle and the key fob is working and has power. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Gas door outside cover would not open which makes it impossible to pump gas. Dealership removed door to enable the ability to pump gas. This then disables the safety feature that keeps the van door from sliding open which a rear passenger may mistakenly open the door and the gas pump hose would be knocked off. if Dealership opens the door to the gas area, and leaves the door to the gas cover ajar slightly to enable the ability to pump gas, this causes an issue if the door is mistakenly opened by a rear passenger, there is no clearance and the door to the gas area would be ripped off. One incident Dec 2023, another incident May 2025

The rails in the middle row where the seats connect to, get extremely hot to the point where it is very hot to touch. This is a safety issue that could potentially cause a fire and/or burn my children’s’ feet. It doesn’t matter if the car has been driven for a short period of time or on a long trip, regardless the rails get very hot