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2025 Kia Carnival

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 6 of 124 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 82 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

124 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 18, 2024
Electrical System

Brand new car and the battery is draining. Leaving the vehicle unable to start.

NHTSA ODI #11625838

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2024
Electrical System

The battery has died twice within 3 months. I couldn’t leave my house to collect my kids. The problem has been commented on by a dealership. No.

NHTSA ODI #11625614

Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2024
Electrical System

Battery went dead. Been at dealer 2 weeks. They are waiting to hear from Kia but nothing is being done.

NHTSA ODI #11625430

Mileage unknown · Nov 5, 2024
Electrical System

There seems to be a very common problem of the 2025 Kia Carnival having a battery drain issue, leaving people stranded. I had a dead battery today with only one month and 300 miles of use. Thousands have had the same experience and have discussed this on various forums.

NHTSA ODI #11623696

Mileage unknown · Nov 4, 2024
Electrical System

12V Vehicle battery drained. Unable to start Vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11623423

Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2024
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train

I'm getting an alert in the car app that says low battery and will not perform any lock/unlock/start, etc features. It says the battery level is under 40%.

NHTSA ODI #11623349

Mileage unknown · Nov 1, 2024
Exterior Lighting

In the general design of the Kia Carnival, among other vehicles from the same manufacture (i.e. Kia Sportage) and different manufacturers (i.e. Chevy Bolt), the false taillight cluster has created a safety issue when signaling. With specific mention of the turn signals being in the lower third of the vehicle height, and not in t…

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In the general design of the Kia Carnival, among other vehicles from the same manufacture (i.e. Kia Sportage) and different manufacturers (i.e. Chevy Bolt), the false taillight cluster has created a safety issue when signaling. With specific mention of the turn signals being in the lower third of the vehicle height, and not in the taillamp cluster, drivers may not ever see the turn signals from the rear of the Kia Carnival, as most drivers are looking at the large taillamp cluster, not the bottom of the rear bumper for turn signals. The poor visibility is further enhanced when combined with the height or size of other vehicles (trucks with lift-kits, large front end vehicles, or large A-pillars) or poor driving from either the vehicle mentioned, or others. Attached photo taken from the Autopian [XXX] ) as a visual reference. No warning lamps appear, and no failures occurred, as it is normal function. This is a manufacturer-created/designed problem. I believe it was done intentionally by the manufacturers to circumvent other design limitations on signaling lamps not being placed on moving surfaces such as liftgates or trunks, and thus crated a new safety issue with large false taillamp clusters that are just the dim lights for illuminating the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11623060

Mileage unknown · Aug 26, 2024
Electrical System

I purchased brand new 2025 Kia Carnival SX less than 2 months ago and it is back at the dealership for service for the second time. First time it had an airbag light stay on the dash and the battery kept reading low voltage and would not allow us to use any features on Kia Access app such as remote start and 360 view. The dealer…

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I purchased brand new 2025 Kia Carnival SX less than 2 months ago and it is back at the dealership for service for the second time. First time it had an airbag light stay on the dash and the battery kept reading low voltage and would not allow us to use any features on Kia Access app such as remote start and 360 view. The dealership fixed the airbag light but did not find any electrical issues with battery after testing. The car is driven daily and after sitting for approximately 16 hours the car battery is completely dead. Tried to do a quick jump and would not crank over. I am convinced it has a parasitic draw. It is currently at second service center in hopes of a resolution. So far Kia has not been very supportive.

NHTSA ODI #11611009

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2024
Electrical System

Purchased brand new, went home to put car seats in and that's when we discovered the rear sliding door did not lock. Took the vehicle in on the 7th, took until the 23rd for it to be "fixed". Picked up the vehicle came home and the car now does not lock again. Kia customer care team has been little to no help and it was suppose …

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Purchased brand new, went home to put car seats in and that's when we discovered the rear sliding door did not lock. Took the vehicle in on the 7th, took until the 23rd for it to be "fixed". Picked up the vehicle came home and the car now does not lock again. Kia customer care team has been little to no help and it was suppose to be escalated to the Kia escalation team but we have yet to hear from them.

NHTSA ODI #11610666

Mileage unknown · Aug 23, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine

Started about a couple weeks ago. Just bought my car and my battery drained 3 nights in a row. Had to jump start it Found out some fan run, when car is off, hours after it has been parked.

NHTSA ODI #11610563

Official recalls

1

26V232000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Apr 10, 2026

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.