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Kia · NHTSA safety record

2022 Kia Carnival

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 136 safety complaints about the 2022 Kia Carnival with the US government. Of those, 4 describe a crash, 34 people were injured and no death is recorded. 6 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the body structure, named in 34 complaints, 25% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 2,438 miles, the median across the 16 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers May 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

136 complaints on file

136

Complaints

4

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

34

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints rose 40% year on year: 21 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 15 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 35 · 26%
STRUCTURE 34 · 25%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23 · 17%
ENGINE 16 · 12%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 14 · 10%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 11 · 8%
VISIBILITY 8 · 6%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 7 · 5%
POWER TRAIN 7 · 5%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 4%
SEATS 4 · 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 4 · 3%
0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 136.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 43.

48 36 24 12
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2022 Kia Carnival. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

6 on file

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

26V232000 · April 10, 2026

The defect
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.
The risk
A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
The 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.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 141,032 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

24V025000 · January 18, 2024

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
The risk
A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 101,049 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

23V236000 · March 31, 2023

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling all 2022 and certain 2023 Carnival vehicles. The auto-reverse feature for the power sliding doors (PSD) may not activate in all situations.
The risk
A power sliding door that does not auto-reverse can close on an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will update the power sliding door control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC266.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 51,568 vehicles across all model years covered

TRAILER HITCHES

23V179000 · March 17, 2023

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Carnival vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
The risk
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and verify whether the vehicle is equipped with a Genuine Kia accessory trailer tow hitch assembly. If equipped, dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 16, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC265.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 3,555 vehicles across all model years covered

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:ELECTRONIC LOCK/LATCH ACTUATOR

21V908000 · November 19, 2021

The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Carnival vehicles. The remote controller assembly for the passenger-side power sliding door may malfunction, preventing the passenger-side sliding door from securely latching.
The risk
A power sliding door that fails to latch may open while moving, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the passenger-side power sliding door release actuator's drum and holder inside the remote controller assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC221.

Kia Motors America · up to 2,956 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

21V277000 · April 21, 2021

The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Carnival vehicles. The plastic fuel rail tube may have been damaged.
The risk
A damaged fuel rail tube may leak fuel, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the multi-port injection fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began April 30, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC211.

Kia Motors America · up to 2,744 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Power Sliding Door Auto Reverse Failure

PE22004

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened April 10, 2022 · closed June 13, 2023 · led to recall 23V236000

the body structure

On April 10, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) after receiving 5 consumer complaints alleging the Power Sliding Doors (PSD) auto-reverse function failed to work properly in the model year (MY) 2022 Kia Carnival minivan vehicles.At that time, ODI was aware of 3 complaints alleging injuries to consumer?s arm, hand or shoulder caused by the closing PSD.Additionally, consumers alleged being trapped against the closing door while it was traversing in the closing direction.The initial complaints also alleged excessive force is needed to reverse the direction of the closing door.At this time, ODI is aware of 26 complaints and 11 injuries on the MY 2022 Carnival vehicles.In its August 2022 responses to ODI's Information Request on the PE, Kia provided 36 customer complaints, 21 field reports, and 5 related warranty claims.Kia also provided ODI with 21 reports of alleged injuries, however, Kia stated that it was able to confirm only 9 injuries.Typically, these injuries are attributed to fingers and arms.The Kia Carnival automatic stop and reversal system is designed to automatically reverse the direction of the closing PSD if it meets resistance from an object or person.It relies on resistance sensing technology which requires a minimum input force or pressure to trigger activation.The primary sensing components used to regulate the auto-reverse system activation are the anti-pinch sensor and the PSD motor torque systems.Following several discussions with ODI during this investigation, on March 31, 2023, Kia filed a safety recall (NHTSA No. 23V-236) of 51,568 MY 2022 and 2023 Kia Carnival vehicles (produced through February 22, 2023) to reduce the risk of injury from the closing PSD.The remedy will be to reprogram the PSD control module with an updated software that provides two warning chimes when the door begins to close or open (to alert the vehicle users the door is about to move).Also, the updated software will change the door speed to move more slowly as the door approaches its latching point.In view of the recall action being taken by Kia, ODI is closing this PE.The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances.The ODI complaints cited above can be viewed at www.NHTSA.gov under the following ODI identification numbers: 11423165, 11442133, 11447955, 11448290, 11450964, 11458125, 11461462, 11466619, 11466623, 11468938, 11469661, 11471224, 11471232, 11472272, 11487649, 11487671, 11489378, 11489577, 11491053, 11498214, 11501337, 11507176, 11507880, 11509037, 11512506, and 11516428.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · towed

With very low miles on our Carnival, I had just left a stop sign and someone ran their stop sign at high speed and tboned my vehicle in the driver's side. I woke up from being unconscious while still in driver seat and my car was still limping down the road not far from the intersection. Pretty serious head, back and other injuries and was taken via ambulance to the hospital. The problem is that despite a high speed impact into the side of my vehicle, NOT ONE of the airbags deployed! I am confident that my injuries, that now seem permanent, would have been MUCH less if the airbags had deployed as designed. The car was totalled by Insurance. I do have pictures of it.

NHTSA complaint 11505365. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

3 injured

The back tailgate door, when opened, will go up to desired height set in car settings, then slam back down 1/4 to 1/2 of the total height. Turning off auto open and close it continues to do so. When manually pushing the door to the open position, it will continue the problem. We have had numerous incidents of heads being hit by the door, arms and hands have also been hit. We took the car to the dealership and they said the door actuator would be over $2000 to fix. It seems like this is a similar issue to the side door actuators that had to be replaced via recall.

NHTSA complaint 11648679. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

2 injured

These doors need a sensor to reverse the sliding doors upon resistance. It has smashed me and my young children multiple times. The update did not solve this issue and it’s a major safety issue. My 4 year old and 1 year old both had their hand smashed in the automatic sliding doors.

NHTSA complaint 11535594. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured

air condition system was putting refrigerant into cab over the summer making us sick. We could not tell ,because there was no smell. I was in car with a/c on and got a blast of refrigerant in my face were in I almost pasted out. I turned of a/c and opened windows. My being a retired mechanic helped me to control the situation, but average person probably would have passed out and recked the car. I was treated for exposer to a chemical and my wife was too. I can not tell if a/c is fixed, as there is no smell or visibale way to tell.08

NHTSA complaint 11638495. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On June 20, 2026, the instrument cluster in my 2022 Kia Carnival became completely inoperative. The failure prevents me from viewing vehicle speed, fuel level, gear position, warning indicators, mileage, and other information normally displayed by the cluster. Because the cluster is the driver's primary source for operating and warning information, I believe the complete loss of the display creates a safety risk while driving. An authorized Kia dealership confirmed the failure on August 17, 2026. The dealer documented the complaint as “cluster inop” and “unable to get miles.” The technician found no diagnostic trouble codes and checked the fuse, wiring harness, and connectors, all of which

NHTSA complaint 11767623, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The power sliding door actuator motor drive cables on my 2022 Kia Carnival snapped on both the passenger and driver sides. The doors are stuck shut, even in manual mode, creating a safety hazard for passengers since the only way to exit in an accident would be through the rear hatch or the front doors. The Kia dealer said they couldn’t open the doors without removing the interior sliding door panels, which would require damaging them because the doors are stuck shut. There were no warning signs before either cable broke. I have also researched online and it seems many Kia Carnival Owners are having the same sort of issue.

NHTSA complaint 11766039. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The rear latch on both sliding doors rusts and the buildup prevents the door from closing eventually because the latch mechanism stays up. There is a video on this from a Kia master tech.

NHTSA complaint 11764494. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The power sliding door on my Kia Carnival has repeatedly failed to reopen when an occupant was caught in the doorway. On multiple occasions, my young child has become trapped by the sliding door after it began closing. Instead of consistently detecting the obstruction and reversing as expected, the door continued to close and pinned my child until an adult intervened. This creates a serious safety hazard because children can become trapped or injured by the power sliding door. The issue has happened several times, making me concerned that the anti-pinch/obstacle detection system is not functioning properly or consistently. The problem appears intermittent but has occurred often enough that

NHTSA complaint 11754169, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

80,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V908000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages, Structure); however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the rear passenger’s side power sliding door failed to latch securely. The contact used force while pushing the rear passenger’s side sliding door from the outside to latch the sliding door properly. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that it was unrelated to the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA complaint 11753013. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
SC368 CROSS OVER FUEL PIPE recall incomplete by kia of des moines

NHTSA complaint 11748281. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Carnival

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 26 2 —
2025 124 1 —
2024 74 2 —
2023 51 4 —

Other 2022 Kia models

Telluride 324 EV6 277 Sorento 189 K5 128 Soul 88 Seltos 73 Sportage 46 Niro 31

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Kia on this site — 181 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst