2025 Kia Carnival problems & reliability
125 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia Carnival, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Sep 23, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
6 complaints report injuries (8 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 82 | 66% |
| Unknown / Other | 19 | 15% |
| Engine → | 15 | 12% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 4% |
| Power Train | 5 | 4% |
| Seats | 4 | 3% |
| Structure | 4 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 2% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 21 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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.”
Seat Belts · filed Sep 19, 2026
“The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a strong fuel odor inside the vehicle. The contact's minor children were unable to ride in the vehicle due to the odor. Several dealers were contacted and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Sep 11, 2026
“On August 31, 2026, while traveling eastbound on I-14/US-190 in Killeen, Texas toward Temple, an original factory-installed Continental CrossContact RX 235/55 R19 101H tire on a 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid suffered a major failure at approximately 28,975 vehicle miles. A toddler was a passenger in the vehicle. Prior to…”
Tires · filed Sep 11, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
48 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia Carnival. The 10 most recent:
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…
PSD_REMINDER2_105 · Other · issued Jun 19, 2026
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…
OTA_ELE413_NOTES_R2 · Over The Air · issued Jun 18, 2026
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…
PI2602_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2026
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…
PI2602_OWNR · Other · issued Jun 12, 2026
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.
PI2602_QA · Other · issued Jun 10, 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…
PI2602_DPSM · Other · issued Jun 9, 2026
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…
PI2602_DP · Other · issued Jun 9, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the…
TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2026
RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413 Revision 1) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) logic of certain 2025 - 2026MY…
OTA_ELE413_NOTES_R1 · Over The Air · issued Apr 24, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OIL LEVEL PLUG (OLP) INSPECTION, AND OLP GASKET AND/OR ATF FILLER BOLT REPLACEMENT OR A/T REPLACEMENT (SC363) - This bulletin provides information to inspect the…
SC363_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2025 Kia Carnival has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2025 Kia Carnival?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.