2025 Kia Carnival

Vehicle Malfunction Report What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle's transmission and/or gear shifter system has failed to function as intended. When the gear shifter is set to "Reverse," the transmission has repeatedly shifted into "Drive" or "Neutral" instead. Concurrently, the vehicle's electronic backup camera system and audible sensor beep activate, indicating that the vehicle believes it is in reverse. The van is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety and the safety of others were put at risk on multiple occasions due to the vehicle shifting into the wrong gear. This has caused the van to unexpectedly lurch forward when I intended to back up. I have nearly collided with other parked vehicles and my garage door between 10 to 20 times. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center, but it has occurred on numerous occasions and is a confirmed issue by the driver. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? To date, the vehicle and its components have not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps or messages displayed prior to the problem occurring. The primary symptoms of the malfunction are the vehicle shifting into "Drive" or "Neutral" instead of "Reverse," while the backup camera and an audible beep are active. These symptoms began almost immediately after the vehicle was purchased.

On two separate occasions, [XXX] and [XXX], I received emails from Kia Connect giving me a 12-Volt Battery Discharge Warning. I have the car out at the local dealership right now and they say there is nothing wrong with the battery but they are replacing it. I have noticed online multiple owners are complaining of the same issue and Kia has had a recall of a similar issue with a different model of car in the past. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On or around [XXX] the rear occupant sensor warning light came on. We scheduled a service appointment with the dealership for 7/15/25 at 7:00 a.m.. We were informed later that morning that it was a defective module that could affect the air bags and it wasn’t safe to drive the car. It is 7/26/25 and we still wait on the part. Yesterday we were told by the service department that they didn’t know when the part would be available, it is back ordered due to the number of vehicles with the same issue. While our car waits at the dealership we got an email from Kia Connect giving us a 12 volt battery discharge warning. We don’t know if this is related or not but when looking online we found several people with that same problem as well. Our mechanic agreed that the 12 volt battery should not be discharging that fast due to just not being driven. The car sits at Russ Darrow Kia in Madison WI where parts and other information should be available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Carnival came with DVD players for kids in the back seat. It contains a volume control that can be controlled by the child. The child at any point can blast the stereo insanely high which can distract the driver and could cause an accident. This needs to be recalled immediately. There is no reason for the sound to be able to be blasted that loud. Then if it happens, there is no fast way to turn it down which causes the driver to fumble. Please look into this immediately as it can effect any owner.

On [XXX], I was in a busy parking garage holding my [XXX] child on my hip and pushing the stroller, with my [XXX] safely procured inside, as I approached my Kia Carnival 2025 to load the children and depart. To avoid active traffic while allowing enough room for the automatic doors to open safely, I moved as close to the Kia Carnival as possible with my [XXX] and infant in the stroller, engaging the safety breaks of the stroller. Due to the tight space, I underestimated the length the door needed to fully open by approximately 3 inches; this should not have been an issue as there is a sensor in the door that stops when it senses any object in its way. However, the sensor failed. The door did not stop when it came in to contact with the stroller that had my [XXX] baby in it. With the safety brakes engaged to prevent the stroller from rolling away, I desperately tried to drag away the locked stroller as quickly as possible. The door hit the stroller, continuing to open regardless of the object (my infant in her stroller) in the way, hooking the stroller on the lip of the door and pushing it up and over. If I did not have my hand on the stroller and acted so quickly, my daughter could have been seriously injured or worse. If the stroller had been facing the other way, I fear what would have happened. In addition, had it been my toddler standing there, she would have been crushed. I also endured bodily injury, physical strain, and mental anguish while keeping my children safe from this malfunction. I was in shock by the pure fear created by that situation. It was devastating. The door will not physically stop opening if you try to pull on it. The sensor does not work in detecting any body when opening. It needs physical force exerted against it, the size of an adult male to kick in. It is negligent. (Kia was already sued for this in previous models- they know it’s an issue!) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)