What 46 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 Kia Carnival

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the driver’s side roof molding ejected from the vehicle. The contact immediately stopped the vehicle but was unable to locate the molding. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V025000 (STRUCTURE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11742271

The contact owns a 2023 KIA Carnival. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V320000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11741634

Our Carnival had the SC266 recall repair done on July 3rd, 2023, at 3074 miles. Then our [XXX] daughter was injured as a result of the safety function not working and the door closed without any chimes. [XXX] (my spouse) is a cardiac nurse at our local hospital, and I have combat medical training, so we took care of the minor injury. Her small hand was spared the devastation a larger one would suffer. The dealership is pretending it’s unreproducible (even though I supplied them with video evidence to the contrary), and Kia Corporate (case # XXX) doesn’t appear any more likely to help. I reported the injury when it occurred on January 13th, 2026, to the dealership. They said they were sorry and would look into it. Nothing happened. I call, and they say they can’t fix it. I call again after I see the XXX v. XXX, et al., case was allowed to proceed, and I produce videos confirming the safety issue with sticks. They bring it in and claim in their exact words in the paperwork, “Found Doors to chime when an “abstruction” was present in the doorway and vehicle doors to stop when detecting an object. Started T/L case for documentation purposes.” In private, they tell me, “We cannot stop the force of the closing or fix it” and do not allow me to reproduce the safety issue for them to witness. I file a complaint with Corporate, and they tell me the dealership is saying it’s fine. I send the videos, and they say they will look into it. No resolution. Today, I produced a second set of videos to show the devastation the safety issue causes and the lack of response from the sensor, chimes, or the reopening of the door from an obstruction using bananas after the dealership declared it not reproducible. My special needs [XXX] daughter was harmed as pictured. The van itself is unsafe for children, which is the only reason anyone (including me) would purchase it. My children could be harmed again, but we cannot afford the burden of another car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11737829

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers, where the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was given a diagnostic fee from the dealers, but declined to pay for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

NHTSA ODI 11719892

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that during freezing weather, the button was depressed to open the driver's side rear sliding door, and the door automatically opened; however, the motor reached a point of resistance and attempted to close the sliding door. Due to the failure of the cable in the door snapped behind the glass window. The contact manually opened the sliding door and used excessive force to close the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed that the door cable had snapped. The contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty; however, the dealer reached out to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer later agreed to partial assistance with the repair. The contact paid for the remaining cost of the repair. The manufacturer was contacted about the repair and provided a case number. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 63,476.

NHTSA ODI 11717587

ABS was activating inappropriately creating a grinding/pulsating noise while I was attempting to stop at a light. The vehicle did slow down but despite the completely dry road service and sufficient stopping distance, the vehicle never came to a stop and ran into the vehicle in front of me. The vehicle is currently in the autobody shop to be repaired as it is not drivable (leaking fluids). I will be contacting my insurance company and an independent service center shortly to have it inspected. I will also be contacting Kia America, Inc.. There were no warning lamps or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11715948

Strong fuel smell that comes and goes. Dealership replaced fuel injection related parts after finding a leak. Problem is still present.

NHTSA ODI 11712335

Passenger side sliding door periodically gets stuck trying to open or close. My 3 year olds finger got stuck in the closed position of the sliding door and we could not get the door open immediately because of the faulty door periodically getting stuck.

NHTSA ODI 11695330

Gas/pump door actuator failed. Unable to open and put gas in car. This car is only 1.5 years old.

NHTSA ODI 11693824

On August 23, 2025, I purchased a certified pre-owned Kia Carnival. Within hours, the vehicle had a severe fuel leak that produced a strong gasoline odor. Driving it made me sick, and I feared for the safety of my three children in the vehicle. A Kia technician later confirmed a crossover fuel line leak so severe that he became ill while inspecting it and feared the vehicle could explode. Even after repair, the gas odor persisted. This vehicle was sold to me in unsafe condition, and I believe this may represent a larger safety issue that needs investigation.

NHTSA ODI 11685602

The power sliding door does not reverse when an object is in its path. The door closed on my sons body. He was okay we were able to pull the handle to make it open again but it did not stop on its own. Another instance the door did not stop closing when a toy went into the door. The door just crunched the toy and shut while beeping.

NHTSA ODI 11683764

My [XXX] son locked himself and his [XXX] brother in the car today. The scenario which is repeatable is if the cars start button is pushed to turn on accessory power the key fob will no longer unlock the doors. My father had the key fob outside of the car, while my son scrambled up front and pushed both the start button on the car and the door lock button. Again at this point the key fob is outside the car and will not unlock the doors. The daycare had to call 911 because two children were locked inside the car. This is an unacceptable situation for a minivan. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I have not yet brought the vehicle to a dealer, there are no warning lights on the vehicle and the key fob is working and has power. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11682287

After working out at my gym, my daughters and I were driving on a side street near at around 35MPH. With no warning, a large POP happened and our passenger sliding door window shattered. Thankfully, nothing but a scratch happened to my [XXX] that was in her car seat closest to the window that shattered. I called our local KIA dealership and my insurance agent and both mentioned that it could be because of the heat we are having in our area. This concerns me because the Carnival is a “MPV” aka family car and this happened without a chip or anything in the glass and terrified both of my girls. I have never heard of a window solely shattering bc of heat. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11676838

Gas door outside cover would not open which makes it impossible to pump gas. Dealership removed door to enable the ability to pump gas. This then disables the safety feature that keeps the van door from sliding open which a rear passenger may mistakenly open the door and the gas pump hose would be knocked off. if Dealership opens the door to the gas area, and leaves the door to the gas cover ajar slightly to enable the ability to pump gas, this causes an issue if the door is mistakenly opened by a rear passenger, there is no clearance and the door to the gas area would be ripped off. One incident Dec 2023, another incident May 2025

NHTSA ODI 11663526

Unknown as to what exactly happened, but my husband put my daughter in her car seat buckled her and was just fine. We arrived to our destination no more than 15 minutes later and her chest clip buckle had busted apart. I do have video of the chest clip and how it was apart, however, as soon as I get the new piece and I will not have it to show due to needing the car seat. I do have video of the incident right after I noticed it and other videos showing the parts and pieces. My daughter ended up having the pieces that you press together to unlock the magnetic chest clip apart in her mouth. The magnet circle was still in the chest clip keeping it closed and locked in place. However, it very easily could have came open and out and her eat the magnet. I have contacted the manufacturer and she let me know that other car seats have had the same problem, but there is no recall. She just said she will send me a replacement piece.

NHTSA ODI 11650351

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that the seat belt located in the rear middle row was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the seat belt failed to retract. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The dealer ordered the part, which was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11648937

The car seat harness fails to stay engaged in a safe and secure position. When tightened to the correct position it becomes loose. I contacted Nuna and they advised I should clean the harness adjuster button from debris but I did that and the harness is still coming loose. I don’t know how many times my children have been transported while wearing this faulty harness over time since purchasing our seats in 2021 but we are in our vehicle daily so my guess is upwards of 100’s of times. The manufacturer refuses to take accountability and recommends we wait indefinitely for a new car seat fabric cover, cleaning kit and instructions to alter the car seat for the purpose of cleaning the harness adjuster button ourselves.

NHTSA ODI 11642856

The windshield started cracking while the car was parked and continued cracking over the next week. The crack now runs from the center top, 3/4 of the way across the driver's side

NHTSA ODI 11622340

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that an unknown fluid was leaking from the left side of the steering column while driving at various speeds. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where the parts on the steering column were wiped down and the contact was instructed to return the vehicle to the dealer if the failure persisted. The failure returned and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. A diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced; however, the part for repair was on backorder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 11616158

My 2023 KIA Carnival has a windshield cracked even without hitting rock or anything. My vehicle was parked on the driveway overnight. I can prove that the damage occurred without the car moving. I have this issue on my dash cam too. The data is saved with date and time. Kia Findlay Las Vegas refuses repair. It's not an official recall about this problem. But Similar cases can be read on the Internet.

NHTSA ODI 11608607

The rails in the middle row where the seats connect to, get extremely hot to the point where it is very hot to touch. This is a safety issue that could potentially cause a fire and/or burn my children’s’ feet. It doesn’t matter if the car has been driven for a short period of time or on a long trip, regardless the rails get very hot

NHTSA ODI 11605645

We drove an hour then sat in the car while it was on for about 30 minutes. The gas tank was 14% full. We started driving again down a bit of a hill & got to a stop light. The car started beeping & said “engine off! Switch to N then start engine” We turned the car off and back on & it started working.

NHTSA ODI 11598816

Gas door does not open. It is faulty and won’t open when car is locked or unlocked. Unable to open to add fuel to vehicle. It has been giving issues for 3 months. This seems to be a VERY common problem with all KIA Carnivals.

NHTSA ODI 11595394

The metal rails on the floor where the seats slide are very hot and we are afraid it will run our children. It is more in the center near the second row.

NHTSA ODI 11592689

The driver’s side sliding door was closing and crushed my wife between the door and B pillar. It did not retract upon encountering the resistance of my wife’s body, and continued to close. She has bruising on her arm, and shoulder pain. When submitting this report on the NHTSA website, there is a recall for this exact issue. We have not had the vehicle examined as it is a holiday weekend, and the dealer is closed. Medical attention will be pursued if the pain and bruising does not subside.

NHTSA ODI 11590913