2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid

On 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 ID

11766261

Incident

Sep 22, 2026

the 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 ID

11765465

Incident

Sep 4, 2026

The seat and side curtain Airbags did not deployed on auto crash accident.

NHTSA ID

11763227

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

The 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 ID

11762863

Incident

Sep 8, 2026

My 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 ID

11762493

Incident

Sep 6, 2026

The 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 ID

11760279

Incident

Mar 23, 2026

I 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 ID

11756260

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

This 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 ID

11756017

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

IMPORTANT REMINDER: OWNER NOTIFICATION: CARNIVAL POWER SLIDING DOOR FEATURE (KA4PSD2 FLIGHT#105) - This document is the owner notification advising Kia's ongoing commitment to providing vehicle owners with a superior ownership experience. We would like to remind vehicle owners about the proper use of the power sliding door and its automatic stop and reversal feature in the Kia Carnival. The power sliding door feature is designed to enhance accessibility and ease of use, but it’s important to understand its functions and limitations to ensure safe and reliable operation.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: 2ND ROW SEAT (LH & RH) FOLDING TENSION SPRING REPLACEMENT (PI2602) - This bulletin provides information to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment during the operation on certain 2022-2026MY Carnival (KA4) produced from 1/4/2021 through 4/14/2026 and certain 2025-2026MY Carnival Hybrid (KA4 HEV) vehicles produced from 5/21/2024 through 4/8/2026. To aid in the manual adjustment of the outboard second-row seatback in the subject vehicles, the seats are equipped with recliner springs that work in conjunction with a user-controlled seatback angle lever or walk-in lever. This seatback motion is controlled by the user to achieve their desired seat position. To improve usability, Kia has developed a newly designed second-row seatback recliner spring that will dampen the motion of the manual second-row seatback angle adjustment. (Note: Only the second-row outboard seats are affected. The second-row center seat, if equipped, is excluded from this campaign.)

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (PI2602) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign on certain 2022-2026 MY Carnival and certain 2025-2026 MY Carnival Hybrid (HEV) vehicles, equipped with manual (folding) second-row seats, to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment during operation.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (PI2602) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Product Improvement Campaign PI2602.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (PI2602) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment during operation in certain 2022-2026 MY Carnival vehicles manufactured from January 4, 2021 through April 14, 2026 and certain 2025-2026 MY Carnival Hybrid (HEV) vehicles manufactured from May 21, 2024 through April 8, 2026.

PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (PI2602) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment during operation in certain 2022-2026 MY Carnival vehicles manufactured from January 4, 2021 through April 14, 2026 and certain 2025-2026 MY Carnival Hybrid (HEV) vehicles manufactured from May 21, 2024 through April 8, 2026.