NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 187 owner complaints for the 2025 Kia Carnival (including the hybrid).
1Safety recalls
187Owner complaints
3Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: fuel system. Most-described problem: a dead battery or battery drain (48 complaints, 26%). Most-reported area: electrical system (104 complaints, 56%). Includes the Carnival Hybrid. The Carnival replaced the Sedona for 2022.
1 safety recall for the 2025 Kia Carnival
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail.
Risk: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Carnival vehicles.
NHTSA listing: CARNIVAL. Kia campaign SC368.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
Owners have filed 187 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Carnival. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Dead battery or battery drain48 · 26%
Hesitation or slow acceleration22 · 12%
Loss of power or limp mode19 · 10%
Hybrid system warnings12 · 6%
Check engine light10 · 5%
Won't start8 · 4%
Stalling or shutting off while driving7 · 4%
Fuel smell or fuel leak5 · 3%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Electrical system104 · 56%
Engine36 · 19%
Speed control26 · 14%
Fuel and propulsion system18 · 10%
Powertrain17 · 9%
Body structure6 · 3%
Most named: body (5)
Exterior lighting5 · 3%
Unknown or other26 · 14%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Kia Carnival recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2025 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower.
Owner complaints
2025: 187 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Kia Carnival
Model year
Complaints
2022
135
2023
51
2024
73
2025
187
2026
47
Safety recalls
2025: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Kia Carnival
Model year
Recalls
2022
6
2023
4
2024
2
2025
1
2026
2
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Kia Carnival HEV PV FWD
Rollover risk 14.0%
Not rated
Not rated
Kia Carnival PV FWD
Rollover risk 14.0%
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2025 Carnival problems?
In the 187 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Kia Carnival, the problems described most are a dead battery or battery drain (48), hesitation or slow acceleration (22), and loss of power or limp mode (19). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
How do I check if my Carnival has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: CARNIVAL, CARNIVAL HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.