Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2022 Kia Carnival submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 17 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Engine light turns on every couple months. The Kia either stops accelerating and goes into “limp mode” or gives code for misfiring cylinders. Took to dealership several times, they did nothing but reset battery so light goes off. Unsafe when driving my family around and has turned into an unreliable vehicle. SO frustrating for a new vehicle to have these issues.
My engine smells like fire and fuel my can will not start or do anything. There was smoke coming out of it. The van has had several issues since buying it. Now it’s completely disabled I heard a popping noise as I was driving and then it died and has not started since.
I am unsure as for what is wrong with my car the dealership keeps saying its running rich and there is a recall on several 2022 Kia Carnivals that say it could be a faulty fuel rail tube. They have also said my map sensor is failing. My check engine light appeared a few days ago and has since been cleared and hasn't came back on, however it is just a matter of time. My children ride in this car as it is my daily driver and I have extremely head headaches. The dealership inspected the car and stated it did not smell like fuel however it definitely does.
Dealer says recall sc211 doesn’t apply to this vehicle, however CEL is displaying (once again) with DTC “P0191 Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Range/Performance”. Kia dealer has does minimal investigation/diagnosis with no resolution.
While driving my 2022 Kia Carnival Prestige, the engine started knocking and the vehicle started sounding like it was going to turn off. There was no alert or light on until we got to the service center where the check engine light came on. I took to the nearest dealer with service center for Kia for inspection and repair which the dealer's service center indicated it was an engine failure at 62,203 miles. This failure was hundreds of miles away from my home. I had to return to my state on a rental vehicle. The vehicle remained at the service center for 2 months for engine replacement. Prior to this event, I had serviced the vehicle at my home dealer's service center since I bought it. I performed all maintenance and my home dealer never alerted to an engine trouble before this event. Once I retrieved my vehicle, the vehicle was fine for few weeks and at 66,427 miles the vehicle started having issues with a check engine light on again. I took to my home dealer's service center and after inspection they indicated it was a bad fuel injector. The vehicle became unreliable and unsafe for my regular commute. Once I received the vehicle with the new engine the performance and sound was very different than my old engine had been since I bought the car. I believe the original engine has been faulty since I bought the vehicle.
I bought this car June of 2022. The car was days old and the front end started making a popping sound when you turn the wheels. The dealership changed front right axle. There is still a popping noise but now it’s from the front and the back. The transmission went out in February of 2023. They replaced the transmission. Since then the car shakes violently when accelerating, loses power when accelerating, the self drive mode turns on by itself. I have contacted 2 different dealerships about these issues. They say “ they cannot duplicate the problem.” This car is not a safe vehicle for me or my family to ride in. They won’t do ANYTHING about it!
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while her daughter was inside the vehicle, the door closed on her rib cage and arm, but medical attention was not provided. Additionally, the taillights were inoperable. While driving, the vehicle stalled. While accelerating and making a turn, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the weather stripping sensor needed to be replaced. The bulb was broken, and a wiring harness replacement was needed. The system was reset. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 1,187.
In December of 2021 my 6 month old Kia Carnival lost power while on the Ohio turnpike when the engine shut down. At that time the dealership was unable to identify the cause. Since then the vehicle has been into the shop multiple times, has an issue with Cylinder 6 and is burning coolant internally which is likely the original reason for the unexpected engine failure. Kia has been ordered through arbitration to repurchase the vehicle, however are unwilling to even offer enough to cover the loan and take back their defective vehicle. I have seen reports online of other Carnivals having similar issues. There are no recalls for this, and Kia seems to have no intention of making sure this is addressed.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the horn and the sliding sensor for the doors on the vehicle failed to work as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,125.
1. When accelerating (while driving on ECO Mode) the vehicle starts to shudder at times. When using Normal Mode, the vehicle will shudder while the brake pedal is being used at a red light. Front windshield cracks easily and paint easily chips with no sign of rocks hitting the vehicle. Called Kia Service to get the car looked at and they said they haven’t heard of such issues. 2. Doors are supposed to retract when closing if motion is occurring. A family member almost got her leg pinned by the door and our child almost got hurt on the shoulder because the door kept moving in closing mode when she was trying to get inside the car. Whatever sensor it has, it doesn’t work. 3. Roof Mold on driver’s side came off the roof while driving the speed limit on the highway never to be seen again. The passenger side almost went flying too. 4. iPhone XR does not work properly when synced to the car. It connects and disconnects out of nowhere. It becomes dangerous when using GPS. Vehicle system kept saying it needed a new software to be downloaded. Went to the site and downloaded multiple rimes, called the Customer Service about 3-4 times and last person I spoken to told me to ho straight to the Service Dept at the Kia dealership to get the software downloaded. No one at Kia knew how to download the software. After multiple attempts and Kia not “finding anything”, decided to spend extra money and get a new phone to resolve this issue. I have to have a software downloaded to the vehicle.
The engine has shut off while driving multiple times.
Around 17,000 -18,000 miles, the engine started to shutter like it wanted to die or wasn't getting enough fuel. While driving, it feels like it's trying to accelerate by itself even when cruise control is set. Even when it is just in nurtural it does it.. Still waiting to get the car into dealership to figure out the cause.
Beginning of January, when I went to drive home from work my check engine light was on and my Kia Carnival wouldn't accelerate over 10 mph. I let it run longer and tried to drive again and it wouldn't go over 20 mph. Let it sit a while longer and it finally drove normally but the check engine light stayed on. I called and made an appt with Kia in Fort Wayne immediately after it happened but they couldn't get me in for almost 2 weeks. The day I took it in (Jan. 22) the vehicle/engine shook anytime I accelerated. It did this the entire drive from my home to the Kia dealership. They ran diagnostics and found there was a sensor error with the injectors. They test drove it and said everything was fine. I got it back on Jan. 25 or 26th and it was fine. Then on the 29th I went to drive my vehicle and it had the acceleration problem again. I immediately called Kia and they couldn't get my vehicle in until Feb. 7th. I didn't drive it that day after the acceleration problem, but the check engine light was on again. I've driven it all last week because I need a vehicle. The check engine light will come on sometimes and sometimes be off. On Friday Feb. 4th the shaking happened again. It would shake when I accelerate. The check engine light was on all weekend. They looked at my car on Feb. 7th and the check engine light isn't on and it's driving fine for them at Kia. They ran the diagnostic and said it was the sensor error again. They said it was fine to drive because it wasn't happening right at that moment. I drove it home and it started to have the same issues again multiple times. I called the first time it happened again after service and they couldn't get it in until March 7th. It won't do it everyday, usually just cold mornings on the first start. It wasn't having the issue when I took it in for service. They looked at it and said it was fine. I get it back and it's doing it again. After 4 service visits I'm still having problems and Kia refuses to help or do a buyback.
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the rear driver's side automatic sliding door sensor malfunctioned, causing injury to the contact's daughter's shoulder when it closed while she was exiting the vehicle. No medical attention was received. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an unknown failure. The dealer informed the contact that an unknown part needed to be replaced and deactivated the rear-powered sliding doors. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 1,020.
On three separate occasions when the temperature was below -20C, this brand-new vehicle stopped working due to ice in the throttle body. Vehicle had to be towed each time. The dealer service manager informed me that the new design no longer heats the throttle body, and condensation jams the mechanism. In my mind this is a safety risk because (1) the car stops working while driving in traffic and (2) it's a family vehicle, putting up to 8 passengers at severe risk of cold-related injuries when stranded. The dealer has confirmed that this has occurred for at least three other customers at this one dealership. Each time they have inspected and disassembled the assembly, cleared the ice buildup, and applied a silicone lubricant. On the first and third occasion only, the "Check Engine" light came on. On the second occasion, the car simply died while driving, and I had to roll to the highway shoulder. Note: On the "address" page, your form does not take a Canadian address, however this vehicle is also sold in America. My Correct postal code is J7V 8P4 and Province is Quebec.
The throttle body froze up and the Van went into "limp mode". I was driving on a semi-busy road and I could not go above 10mph. It would not let me shift either. Like it was not getting any gas to let me accelerate. The check engine light was on, I used a scan reader and the code came as P2118. Also when it went to the dealership the check engine light was still on. It was inspected by the dealership, but only deleted it and it was given back to us. Yes, the first symptom was the idle was rough and the exhaust was making a deep noise. *Dealership wrote that it had high rpms*, which I never said that to them, I told them( dealership) that it was low rpms with the rough idle. I had it idle for 5 minutes so it could warm up since it was 15 degrees that night. This issue is not safe because I could get hit from behind because the van can not go faster or drive at the marked speed limit on city/highway roads. Also, having issues like this is not safe for my kids or other passengers in the Carnival. The dealership said it is from condensation getting into the throttle body. But I have never had this issue with any other car/truck I have owned.
This morning was the coldest morning this year (7F) and I could not accelerate the vehicle after turning it on. It won't go faster than 15mph or so and the engine warning sign popped up. The code said P211800. I have heard that there were many people complaining this issue and I had felt mine was safe from this issue, but the weather hasn't been that cold to cause the issue. I had to drive with the panic button on and all the other cars passed me and I felt I was in danger while driving back home.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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