2026 Kia Carnival

Battery dies after car sitting for 1-3 days and requiring jumping to recharge. Parasitic tests have been inconclusive but issue remains. This is a safety issue where it’s unclear when the vehicle will start and be usable.

NHTSA ID

11775835

Incident

Apr 1, 2026

I have taken my car 3 times to 3 different Kia dealerships for this issue. First on 9/13/2026, then 10/13/2026 and on 10/26/2026. While driving at highway speed my vehicle suddenly begins to loose power and the check engine light comes on. This is dangerous for myself as well as other drivers.

NHTSA ID

11773840

Incident

Oct 26, 2026

Subject: Formal Consumer Complaint: Alleged False Representation of Completed Vehicle Safety Repair I am filing a formal consumer protection complaint regarding a XXX Kia dealership's representation that a safety-related repair was completed on my vehicle. Vehicle: 2026 Kia Carnival SX VIN: [XXX] The dealership represented that a safety-related repair had been completed. However, information subsequently obtained from another dealership raised concerns that the original repair was not actually performed as represented. I believe this discrepancy warrants investigation because it involves the accuracy of dealership service records, potentially misleading representations to a consumer, and possible vehicle safety implications. I request that the XXX Attorney General's Office investigate whether the dealership engaged in deceptive or unfair business practices, including whether service documentation inaccurately represented work as completed. I can provide supporting repair orders, dealership communications, and documentation of the conflicting repair information. I am also pursuing a separate XXX Lemon Law matter involving this vehicle. This complaint specifically concerns the dealership's representations about the safety repair. I request written acknowledgment of this complaint and referral to the appropriate enforcement agency if necessary. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11773340

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

Child's arm was crushed in the sliding door when it failed to properly stop due to the sensor failing.

NHTSA ID

11770886

Incident

Sep 28, 2026

Driving ar 75mph my car began to decelerate. Depressing the accelerator only made the engine rev loudly but speed continued to drop. This is a significant safety risk. There was a check engine light and message to take the car to a Kia dealer. The car was towed to a dealer. The dealer was able to reproduce the condition. The dealer replaced 24356 2M000-solenoid-cvvt (valve timing control solenoid). On the way home from this dealer the problem reoccurred. First incident on 9/13/26. Vehicle retrieved from dealer and reoccurring problem on 10/9/2026.

NHTSA ID

11770497

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

The alert “consider taking a break” with the coffee cup symbol won’t stop going off. It goes off when I first start driving, it goes off every other minute sometimes, it does off for no reason all the time. It is so distracting. Today it was rainy and I’m sure is one reason it kept going off. It was also garbage day and someone put their garbage can on the road right on the line. The alert had gone off 15 times within my 20 minute drive after school drop off. It was making me angry and was super distracting. I was looking at the screen instead of the road as it started beeping again and didn’t see the garbage can. It smacked my side view mirror into the passenger window and shattered it completely. A minor thing, but is going to cost a ton. It’s frustrating to feel trapped into constantly being annoyed whenever I need to drive because there is no way to shut it off, but it literally goes off for no reason. It goes off so much I don’t take it seriously at all. It’s literally useless. And it’s not a little warning. The beeping is loud, the image covers a big portion of the screen, and it turns off my music and my gps prompts. It aggressively demands attention. It can’t keep doing this. I can’t be this distracted with my kids in the car. Every seat is full and I have to drive 30 minutes to one school and 10 minutes to the next school for drop off and pick up every single weekday twice a day. I need them to be safe, but that’s less possible when this alert is constantly going off and demanding attention the way it does. It’s a serious risk. It is reckless to put something so distracting in a vehicle that can cause death from an accident. I could understand if it went off after 4 hours of driving, but that’s not what’s happening. Multiple people have complained about it in social media. Something needs to be done to get this off of or vehicles. It’s unnecessary to suggest someone take a break. Especially after 5 min. That’s not a sensor warning about an actual problem.

NHTSA ID

11764959

Incident

Sep 17, 2026

Grill on bumper allows large objects to fly through hitting condenser. This is an issue, it happened to my vehicle and the identical loaner car we were given while our car was in the shop for repairs. I was told by the dealership to solve this problem carnival owners should follow other cars at a greater distance. Because I have children I already set my cruise control to follow other vehicles at a 4 car distance…. How much further should a carnival owner allow?

NHTSA ID

11764627

Incident

Jul 2, 2026

Battery shuts down overnight. To get the car to start you need to pop the hood the night before use a jump start and keep your manual key handy. All electronics shut down completely

NHTSA ID

11764623

Incident

Sep 12, 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.

RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR BDC AND UWB (SA663) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) logic of certain 2025-2027 Carnival and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. The connection and controller logic between Digital Key and Ultra Wideband-supported smartphone devices has been improved to reduce 12V battery consumption.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ULTRA-WIDE BAND SENSOR SOFTWARE UPDATE (SA663) - This bulletin provides information to improve the Digital Key 2 system logic on certain Digital Key 2-equipped 2025-2027MY Carnival (KA4) and 2025-2027MY Carnival Hybrid (KA4 HEV) vehicles listed in the table below. Under certain conditions, repeated Digital Key recognition may contribute to 12V auxiliary battery discharge. The improved software limits Digital Key recognition after repeated Welcome/Approach Unlock activations, when the user (or digital key) moves away from the welcome zone, or when the battery state of charge falls below a specified threshold. This condition may only affect customers using an Ultra-Wideband-capable smartphone.

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.

RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413 Revision 2) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) logic of certain 2025 - 2026MY Carnival, EV9, K5 and Sorento vehicles. This update is designed to improve the vehicle’s network communication performance.

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.)