NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 47 owner complaints for the 2026 Kia Carnival (including the hybrid).
2Safety recalls
47Owner complaints
3Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: fuel system and electrical system. Most-described problem: loss of power or limp mode (9 complaints, 19%). Most-reported area: electrical system (17 complaints, 36%). Includes the Carnival Hybrid. The Carnival replaced the Sedona for 2022.
2 safety recalls for the 2026 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.
Electrical system
Jan 26, 2026
instrument cluster/panel
Fails federal standard 101 (controls and displays)
Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles.
NHTSA listings: CARNIVAL, CARNIVAL HYBRID. Kia campaign SC361.
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 47 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 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
Loss of power or limp mode9 · 19%
Hesitation or slow acceleration5 · 11%
Check engine light5 · 11%
Dead battery or battery drain5 · 11%
Hybrid system warnings5 · 11%
Stalling or shutting off while driving3 · 6%
Several warning lights at once3 · 6%
Infotainment or touchscreen failures3 · 6%
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 system17 · 36%
Powertrain11 · 23%
Speed control8 · 17%
Engine5 · 11%
Fuel and propulsion system5 · 11%
Body structure4 · 9%
Most named: body (4)
Forward collision avoidance4 · 9%
Unknown or other15 · 32%
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 2026 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower.
Owner complaints
2026: 47 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
2026: 2 recallsTap 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 HYBRID PV HEV FWD
Rollover risk 14.0%
KIA CARNIVAL PV N/A FWD
Rollover risk 14.0%
Questions
What are the most common 2026 Carnival problems?
In the 47 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Kia Carnival, the problems described most are loss of power or limp mode (9), hesitation or slow acceleration (5), and the check engine light coming on (5). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2026 Kia Carnival safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2026 Kia Carnival earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
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.