Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
68
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
10
Injuries
0
Deaths
Owners of the 2024 Kia Carnival have filed 68
safety complaints with NHTSA
between June 2023 and August 2026.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 16 of them
(24%). The typical failure was reported at 5,250 miles, the median
across the 6 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
NHTSA has issued 2 recalls covering this
vehicle.
Recalls (2)
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
What owners report
Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add
up to more than 68.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 21 31%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 24%
ENGINE 7 10%
STEERING 7 10%
SEATS 6 9%
STRUCTURE 6 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 4%
AIR BAGS 2 3%
POWER TRAIN 2 3%
SEAT BELTS 2 3%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 3%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2024 at 24.
2023 to 2026, the last of them a part year
In owners' own words
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2 injured
We have a 2024 kia carnival lx trim. The power sliding door pose a serious safety risk. My [XXX] daughter was getting out of the vehicle and decided to try and climb back in as the door was closing. The door did not detect her body at all and continued to close her head in the door. She was left with a black eye and a smashed blood shot thumb from trying to get her head out of the door. A few days later I was strapping my children into their carseats and was getting ready to step out of the vehicle when my husband turned the vehicle on. The power sliding door stopped closing and started re-opening then closing again. I thought I had enough time to step out but didn't the door closed with my …
NHTSA complaint 11664731, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
1 injured · crash · towed
Driver was approaching the end of [XXX] and attempted to turn left onto the ramp to [XXX] but without prior warning the brakes and the steering wheel failed and he couldn’t turn or stop the car which resulted in the vehicle hitting the guardrail. The driver endured injuries on his hand, and overall emotional trauma. My insurance company refused to check the cars computer to prove that the car indeed failed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint 11588543. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
AIR BAGS
1 injured · crash · towed
Car hit a ditch at over 40MPH and rolled over on its side and no airbags deployed
NHTSA complaint 11599345. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SEATS
1 injured · 500 miles
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that the vehicle was designed with a manual and an automatic control system that allowed the seats the move forward. The contact stated that he activated the automatic control button on the left side of the second-row driver's side seat to move the seat forward. The contact stated that the backrest of the seat lowered, and the seat moved forward abruptly within a second and struck the right side of his forehead. The contact sustained a bruise. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was …
NHTSA complaint 11558716, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
On our 2024 KIA Carnival, which my wife is the primary driver, the blind spot warning on the passenger side does not work all the time. Driver side is 100% okay. She drives on I40 and hwy111 to and from work daily, and when passing on the left, she looks for the red triangle to let her know it is clear to get back in the right lane. It only works about 50% of the time and the dealership has worked on it three times unsuccessfully, so we put in a complaint to KIA corporate in June and they have been very unresponsive. We keep the vehicle clean, so it is not that. She just wants it to be reliable for safety reasons and it is not. It probably just takes a different set of engineering eyes to …
NHTSA complaint 11757456, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recall SC368 was performed. After the recall repair, I began smelling gasoline. The dealer has diagnosed a separate fuel-system issue requiring multiple parts including replacement of the fuel tank. More details: My vehicle underwent a safety recall for a fuel leak/fire risk. Following that repair, I developed a strong gasoline odor. My Kia dealer has now identified a separate fuel-system problem that requires replacement of multiple components, including the fuel tank. The dealer has informed me that multiple Carnivals in Arizona are experiencing the same problem and that a replacement fuel tank is currently unavailable nationwide. I do not have a repair date and I do not consider the …
NHTSA complaint 11756998, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
This specific van has 2 open recalls already: 1 on a rear seat issue and 1 on a fuel pipe issue which is why i submitted to KIA dealer in the first place after smelling gas inside the cabin of my car while driving for 3 days until the dealer opened. While at the dealer they found a manufacture defect of the gas tank expanding in the heat and releasing liquid fuel into the charcoal cannister meant to catch fumes. The fumes then go into the cabin of the car and smell and make passengers sick as well as create a fire safety hazard on the vehicle. After discovering this they have informed me that the parts for this defect as well as the fuel pipe recall are on national backorder and the …
NHTSA complaint 11753746, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Incident description: While driving, the vehicle’s dashboard illuminated all warning lights (ABS, traction control, battery, check engine, forward safety system) and the engine revved to approximately 8,000 RPM with unintended rapid acceleration. Driver had to apply hard braking to maintain control and avoid a collision. A nearly identical event occurred approximately one month earlier while driving on the highway, at which point the vehicle suddenly braked hard on its own. The vehicle has been at the dealership for repair a combined 38 days across two visits. The dealer initially attributed the first event to a failed alternator voltage regulator, replaced it, but the same warning codes …
NHTSA complaint 11752011, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SERVICE BRAKES
While stopped, the brake pedal drops to the floor and the vehicle begins to roll forward. I went to the dealership and told them what happened, they told me there is no recall on this, and it is a "normal part of driving". This is not a normal part of any braking system. The pedal should not drop to the floor while stopped with your foot on the pedal. No warning system lights that came on. This happens frequently. You have to start pumping the brake repeatedly to get the vehicle to stop. It will eventually raise off the floor.
NHTSA complaint 11749099. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
1 injured · 35,815 miles
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while her husband was loading the child into the car seat. The rear button for the door was depressed by the child. The husband became stuck in between the sliding doors. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to his previously injured rotary cuff, but medical attention was not provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 35,815.
NHTSA complaint 11736945. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
What each state asks for
, read from the statutes.
Where these numbers come from
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file
, published August 20, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API
, most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file
, published 2026-08-19.
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.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst