2024 Kia Carnival Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: August 10, 2026 · Filed: October 1, 2026

NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complaint Vehicle: 2024 Kia Carnival Mileage at Failure: Approximately 74,000 miles Incident Date: [XXX] I am filing this complaint regarding a significant safety-related failure involving the power sliding door on my 2024 Kia Carnival. On [XXX], the driver side passenger power sliding door became completely inoperable due to a latch and actuator failure. Prior to service, the door was stuck in the closed position and could not be opened through normal operation. The vehicle was brought to Kia of Columbia, Connecticut, for evaluation. During diagnosis, the service technician was required to force the door open. Once opened, the door could no longer be closed. The dealership determined that the power sliding door motor actuator had failed and required replacement. When I arrived to pick up the vehicle on [XXX], the sliding door remained stuck in the open position and could not be latched or secured. Because the door could not be closed, the vehicle was not safe to operate on public roads and was effectively undrivable. The replacement actuator was ordered on September 21, 2026. The part did not arrive until September 29, 2026, and repairs could not be completed immediately upon arrival. The actuator was finally replaced and repairs completed on September 30, 2026. As a result, the vehicle remained unusable for approximately twelve days due to the inability to safely secure the sliding door. This failure presents multiple safety concerns: The vehicle could not be legally or safely driven because the sliding door would not close or latch. Occupants were exposed to an open side doorway if the vehicle were operated. In an emergency, passengers could be placed at risk due to door system malfunction. Failure of a critical door component rendered the vehicle unusable without warning. I am particularly concerned because Kia has previously recalled Carnival vehicles for safety defects involving power sliding door INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: September 29, 2026 · Filed: September 29, 2026

On XXX, the passenger-side power sliding door of my 2024 Kia Carnival EX closed on my [XXX] child’s torso/chest while she was exiting the vehicle and did not stop or reverse before trapping her. I had walked toward the house and reached the garage when I heard an extremely loud scream of pain. I immediately ran back to the vehicle. When I reached her, I personally observed that her torso/stomach was still pinned against the vehicle by the closed power sliding door. She could not move herself away. I had to press the power door button to open the door and release her. She immediately had pain and visible linear red pressure/abrasion marks on her chest/rib area, followed by bruising. She reported increased pain with certain arm/upper-body movements and discomfort in the injured area with a deep breath. Photographs were taken immediately afterward. This occurred during normal use while she was exiting. She was not intentionally obstructing or testing the door. I had previous concerns about these doors and routinely warned my children not to activate them until everyone was clear. Approximately two weeks earlier, a separate accidental obstruction occurred with the OPPOSITE (driver-side) power sliding door. A book accidentally fell into that door’s path without the adult closing the door realizing it. When we later reopened the door, we discovered the book crushed/trapped inside the fully closed door. This was not an intentional test. There were no warning lights or messages. The vehicle has not been repaired or inspected since this injury, and I will not intentionally reproduce the incident because of the risk of injury. The vehicle is available for inspection. I am concerned because two separate obstruction incidents have now occurred involving BOTH power sliding doors, and the latest resulted in my child remaining physically trapped until I manually activated the door to release her. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: September 14, 2026 · Filed: September 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle jerked violently and experienced a loss of motive power, with reduced power. Several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the warning lights were no longer illuminated. The contact continued to drive the vehicle, and the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was awaiting diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,320.

Incident: September 10, 2026 · Filed: September 10, 2026

My 2024 Kia Carnival smells strongly like gasoline after about 15–20 minutes of driving. The smell gets worse at idle, worse the longer I drive, and seems even stronger with the A/C on. Two dealerships in Las Vegas have told me this is “normal.” Meanwhile, I can’t park it in my garage because the smell fills my house. I’ve had headaches and nausea, and my kids have complained of headaches and stomach aches too.

Incident: September 6, 2026 · Filed: September 7, 2026

I was cleaning my van and my 2 year old daughter closed the opposite door and the sensors did not stop the door and she got her fingers smashed into the door and potentially broke her fingers, took her to the ER and we are to repeat X-rays in 7 to 10 days.

Incident: August 26, 2026 · Filed: September 2, 2026

On 8/25/2026 I dropped the vehicle at Plaza Kia, 2699 Nostrand Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11210 (Kia Repair Facility #7119189) for four open recalls: PI2501, PI2602, SC320, and SC368. Brakes were functioning normally at drop-off. Per repair order [XXX] dated 8/26/2026, only PI2501 and PI2602 (second-row seat recalls) were performed; SC320 (EGR valve) and SC368 (high-pressure crossover fuel pipe) were not completed — parts on special order. The dealer's multi-point inspection sheet, printed 8/26/2026 12:36 PM, marked brake fluid level/condition and brake system components as OK/green. The technician time log on the RO shows 0.0 actual hours for that day. The brake lining inspection panels on the sheet are blank. The dealer returned the vehicle to my residence via valet on 8/26/2026. On first use, the brake pedal was extremely hard and stiff with the engine running; the vehicle would only slow with full-force pedal pressure. I nearly collided with a parked vehicle exiting the parking space. I parked and did not drive it further. A vacuum-assist test (pump pedal engine off, hold, start engine) showed the pedal sinking only slightly, and braking under drive felt like engine-off braking — partial or total loss of power assist. Kia Roadside Assistance towed the vehicle to Plaza Kia. Plaza Kia refused to tow it themselves. Plaza Kia has since diagnosed a brake master cylinder failure and stated parts are approximately two weeks out. Repair is under warranty; updated RO pending. Kia Consumer Affairs case #[XXX] has been opened. Summary: brake power-assist failure on a 2024 Carnival at ~33,000 miles, occurring in dealer custody or immediately upon return from recall service, on the same day the dealer's inspection cleared the brake system. No prior brake symptoms. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: August 4, 2025 · Filed: August 24, 2026

For the past year I have taken my vechicle in due to a strong vinegar smell that comes from the AC in the summer upon start up. They have been unable to remedy this issue. However they have said there is mold in the system. This posses a health issue due to poor air quality especially for small children in the vehicle.

Incident: June 23, 2026 · Filed: August 17, 2026

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 look at it but KIA seems like a dead end so far. Please help us. Thanks. BTW, the people at the dealership have been very good to us, we just believe engineers at a higher level need to solve this problem.

Incident: July 27, 2026 · Filed: August 14, 2026

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 vehicle safe to drive.

Incident: July 24, 2026 · Filed: July 30, 2026

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 solution was to siphon off 1/4 tank of brand new gas and told me not to fill past 3/4 fulls or smoke in the vehicle and they THINK it SHOULD be fine. Google disagrees with this and says once the cannister has had liquid fuel in it, it can cause more problems. They have no loaners to offer as there are too many KIA recalls and they have no ETA on the parts coming in. I have been offered no solutions that are safe besides hold on to the vehicle and maybe it will be ok.