This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The vehicle (2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid) has suffered from a systemic parasitic 12V battery drain since the first month of ownership. The first occurrence was July 20, 2025, requiring a jump-start from Kia Roadside Assistance. On 02/26/2026, the vehicle was presented at Moritz Kia Alliance for the same issue. The dealer diagnosed the 12V battery as defective (Code R04) and replaced it under warranty. However, the defect persisted. On 03/10/2026, only 12 days later, the vehicle suffered another total electrical failure. I had to utilize Kia Roadside Assistance for a jump-start and drive the vehicle directly to the dealer without turning the engine off to ensure it could be serviced. This marked the second official repair attempt for this recurring defect. The vehicle has remained in dealer possession since March 10 (21 consecutive days). On March 11, only one day after drop-off, the Service Director threatened that the vehicle would be "impounded" after 60 days, despite the vehicle being the subject of an active Texas DMV Lemon Law Case (#26-0012638.CAF). On March 26, a critical safety failure occurred: during a start-up attempt, the Integrated Power Brake (IPB) system malfunctioned, causing the brake pedal to pulsate and physically "kick back" with significant force against my foot. I have serious concerns that this braking failure could occur while in motion, posing an unreasonable risk of high-speed collision, serious injury, or death. No root-cause diagnosis has been made. Furthermore, the main fuse box cover was left off during service, exposing critical electrical components. The vehicle is available for inspection.
Date/time of incident 03-16-2026 18:09-18:17 * Faulting component: Infotainment screen (screen to the right of gauge cluster) * Incident: While backing out of a parking spot and utilizing the cameras to watch my surroundings, the infotainment screen became unresponsive and began flashing between visual noise similar to 'snow' on old broadcast television, primary colored jagged/blocky artifacts, and a black screen. The screen would occasionally revert back to normal imagery but with severely lagging touch response and stuttering screen transitions. This persisted until I pulled over, parked the car, & restarted the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle the infotainment screen flashed: Solid Black -> Solid White -> Solid Red -> Solid Green -> Briefly solid black -> Briefly Solid Green -> Then the infotainment functionality returned to normal operation after a brief stutter. --I have a video of the last portion of this incident that I can share upon request * All camera related safety functionality became unresponsive/unusable during this incident * I've requested an appointment with the local Kia dealership * As this incident just occurred, I have not yet reached out to other parties * No warning lamps or diagnostic warning appeared during or after the incident
12v Battery died 2 times first on 12/26 then on 1/25. We had to call in roadside assistance for jump start. This was reported to Kia Dublin and Kia Manteca in California. Kia Dublin ran the diagnostics and couldnt find anything. Kia Manteca later found the battery logs showing issues. But said it could have been related to the HVAC recall which is now fixed. But the problem re-occured. This is a brand new vehicle less than 1 year old, still unders warranty. Have reported this to Kia customer care as well. Kia Customer Care Case#XXX So far, we have had the following issues: 1. The front passenger seat recliner stopped working. Kia Manteca replaced the seat frame under warranty. 2. Both rear entertainment screens stopped working. Kia Dublin has ordered them under warranty. Replacement planned for 1/26. 3. Battery died 2 times, luckily car was in the garage we were not stranded anywhere outside. But its frustrating how the new car is not working as expected and stalls so frequently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid produces externally audible audio while the vehicle is locked, with all doors and windows fully closed. Private phone calls, navigation instructions, and other in-vehicle audio can be clearly heard from outside the vehicle indefinitely, even after locking the car. This behavior occurs without warning to the driver and cannot be disabled or controlled through any user setting. The dealership and manufacturer have confirmed this behavior is -??by design-?? and have declined to correct it. This presents a safety and security concern, as it exposes private communications, signals whether a vehicle is occupied, and may attract unwanted attention or increase the risk of harassment, stalking, or theft-?"especially in parking garages, residential areas, or public locations. The vehicle appears secure to the driver (locked, windows closed), yet continues to broadcast audio externally, which is unexpected and undocumented behavior. I believe this constitutes an unintended external output of vehicle systems while secured, creating a potential safety vulnerability.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" While driving all of the lights in the car went off. Everything internal, and atleast the head lights externally. This lasted for a second or 2 before everything came back on. The screen said something about loss of something, but I don't remember what exactly. This has only happened once. Yes it can be inspected How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Atleast the head lights went off while driving at night. Possibly my break lights as well. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? no Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" Just the message on the screen
- Philadelphia, PA, USA
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I am submitting a safety-related complaint regarding my 2025 Kia Carnival with approximately 4,000 miles. The vehicle experienced an electronic system failure that required diagnosis by an authorized Kia dealership. The dealer has informed me that the issue is due to a failed Body Domain Controller (BDC), which must be replaced. The vehicle is currently not safe or suitable for normal operation and will remain at the dealership for at up to one week, with the possibility of a longer delay depending on parts availability. The vehicle has very low mileage and has been maintained normally. A failure of a central body control module at under 4,000 miles raises serious concerns regarding vehicle reliability, quality, and potential safety implications, as the Body Domain Controller manages multiple critical vehicle systems. Additionally, during this repair period, the dealership has provided only a Kia K5 sedan as a loaner vehicle. This is not a comparable replacement to a Kia Carnival minivan and does not adequately meet the functional needs of my household, which relies on the Carnival-??s passenger and cargo capacity. While this is not a safety issue itself, it compounds the impact of the vehicle failure. I am concerned that this failure may indicate a broader defect affecting other 2025 Kia Carnival vehicles and request that NHTSA review this issue for potential investigation, recall consideration, or further monitoring.
The 12-volt battery fully discharges and leaves the vehicle inoperable ONLY when parked in my attached townhouse garage (overnight or 1-?"3 days). The vehicle starts and runs normally when parked elsewhere (work, airport, etc.) for the same duration. Symptoms: No warning lights prior to failure Dashboard completely dark; no power to doors, lights, or start button Requires jump-start or tow
I live in Alabama. Temperature here is 34 degrees so far in the morning. My check engine light is on. I have taken it in and had diagnostics and they can't find a code or code history. My heat and AC do not work properly if the ambient temperature on the cluster doesn't show up or is not correct. 72 degrees when it's not working right will run you out of the car it's so hot. The cluster currently says it's -15 degrees outside and has the snowflake beside it. I am scheduled bc they are booked out at the dealership to have diagnostics run on 11/14. I don't know if it is wiring, ambient temperature sensor, max air sensor, HVAC module (dealership had previously cleared water out of the module and then replaced the module, initially when they couldn't find the problem they disconnected the battery and reconnected to reset and clear the code). The dealership in Auburn Al has addressed all the issues and done all the services, updates, and trouble shooting. I'm having to run three different temps in the car and crack the windows when I need heat and AC just crack the windows and adjust the three temps again. I feel like I'm just getting a quick fix each time I go instead of the problem being resolved for good. This has been an ongoing issue especially when the temperature changes (seasons) or fluctuates (throughout the day). I've listed below the most recent start date. I would have to contact that dealership to get the exact timeframe that it ALL started.
12V battery drains if the car is left unused for more than 3-4 days. Car needs to be jumped to start it up again. The issue occurred in August and I jumped it first time. It started happening again September and had a service appointment with Kia. They hard reset the software but the issue occured again every time I left the car unused for more than 3-4 days.
I was driving about 6:30ish in the morning and my whole dashboard went black and my head lights turned off couple seconds later it came back on while i am driving. I will be calling the dealership to see what can be checked.
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 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)
This is the second time, while I was driving that the car would not want to pick up speed and shuddered. The engine light came on again. And stayed on this time. I brought it back to the Kia dealer. They ran a diagnostic. They first wanted me to pay the cost. It is under the warranty. Now I am waiting for the parts and was told to not drive my car until it gets repaired. No loaner was offered. They said to drive it home and they will contact me.
The car doesn't start after overnight, or after a period of no usage for a certain time. Push button doesn't start the engine, it takes 25-30 attempts to get it started. It keeps happening almost every day.
While I was driving on a highway, my vehicles "check engine" and "batter" lights were illuminated and a warning came across the car screen that said something along the lines of "Battery Management System Failure" and then "Powertrain failure". The car was not able to accelerate by pressing the gas pedal, and the heating/cooling features within the car stopped working. I quickly changed lanes to get to the far left shoulder of the highway, putting other cars at risk of my car that was slowing down to 50mph as I was getting over. When I would press on the gas pedal, nothing would happen. The car did remain on. When the dealership received the car the next morning they conducted what they referred to as a recall, but KIA refers to it as a "Service Action" - SA617 MCU DTC Logic Improvement. This requires a simply software update, which the dealership conducted, and the car was then working just fine, with no issues that I had indicated above. The dealership was Greenway KIA of Rivergate, 1526 Gallatin Rd North, Madison, TN 37115. The warning lights in the car illuminated about 5 seconds before the car was no longer able to accelerate due to the powertrain failure. In talking about the problem with a KIA representative, it was communicated that KIA has looked into this and it didn't pose any serious problems, so they left it as a "Service Action" item, not a recall.
Bought the car after 2 months of owning it and not driving for 3 days car wouldn-??t start had to charge the battery Happened again over my kids winter break didn-??t drive for 2 weeks and wounds start when I went out in January 7th to star it had to charge the battery
The vehicle's battery drain after turning off and cannot restart. It can cause to stall the vehicle on road. Kia Connect sent "Our backend team has determined that a TSB ELE341 (Network Reset) is needed to refresh your vehicle-??s connection to the Kia Connect servers. To resolve this, please contact your preferred official Kia dealership to schedule an appointment and mention TSB ELE341 for the network reset." Took the vehicle to a Kia dealer's service; they reset, but problem remains. I just received from Kia"Dear [XXX], This is nothing that we can troubleshoot. You will have to wait for your appointment to have them handle the issue. Thank you Sincerely, Kia America INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
One night while driving all lights went out even panel radio too and in a couple of seconds came back to normal..a few weeks after that while driving a loud warning sound came on and the info panel turned Red when I felt a breeze my door was opened by inself
While driving at highway speeds the exterior and interior lighting/electrial system shut down completely. My headlights shut off, as well as all electrical/lighting inside the vehicle for approximately 1 minute before turning back on as if I had turned the car off and restarted it. I have a low tire pressure warning that comes on when the car is started, and it came on again as if my car had just started, while I was still driving. This poses a safety risk to myself and other drivers depending on the headlights for visibility. The incident did not cause my vehicle to stop driving although I did break due to the sudden loss of all electrical components.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fort Worth, TX, USA