What 52 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Carnival Hev

On five separate occasions, while turning onto a high-speed roadway and attempting to accelerate to the flow of traffic, the vehicle suddenly lost the ability to accelerate. Despite pressing the accelerator, the vehicle would not exceed approximately 35 mph and then began to decelerate. During both incidents, a "Check Hybrid System" warning appeared, and I was forced to quickly pull over to the side of the high-speed road. The vehicle would only return to normal operation after it was turned off and restarted. This loss of power while merging into traffic created an extremely dangerous situation. Having three young children in the vehicle made the experience especially frightening, and I no longer have confidence that the vehicle can be relied upon to operate safely. Because this defect affects the vehicle's ability to accelerate safely in traffic, I am deeply concerned that it could result in a serious collision if it happens again. I took it into the dealership and the service center experienced the same issue. They thought they had resolved the issue and that it was a "one off" occurrence but it happened to me again just 3 weeks after the attempted repair. This time the engine light came on after the "Check Hybrid System" warning light.

NHTSA ODI 11749457

I live in [XXX]. On the way to [XXX], out of no where the car stopped accelerating. Was in eco mode at the time and dropped completely while trying to accelerate in the middle of the road. Pulled over completely turned off the car checked the engine nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Ran the diagnostics from the car and didn’t show any errors. Turned off again for a bit and turn on and everything was fine. Moved from eco to smart and turned around worked fine for about 5 m so we thought everything was on and tried to go back north to finish our trip and while on smart mode started to accelerate again and didn’t want to accelerate. Turned around and decided best to take it to dealership Monday. We have about another 1 hour to 2 hours to get home and it’s working fine in smart mode but it shouldn’t randomly drop acceleration at all in the middle of driving. Only at 16,487 miles. Doing it again only driving 33 m an hour and in smart mode. Not even going uphill just dropped acceleration while driving around town. About 15 m after. There’s still no error happening when it happens each time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11748283

The vehicle began shaking and having ABS problems when driving at ~30 mph after having driven for several miles without issue. The vehicle did not have any history of problems or recent symptoms and was just over one year old. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. The dealership reported a broken driver side front wheel speed sensor wire and attributed it to rodent damage without other evidence.

NHTSA ODI 11746822

Van made a loud pop noise and lost power. The HSG belt tensioner spring fell off it's seat loosing tension on the HSG belt. Was unsafe but luckily it happened before getting on the freeway, and coasted into a parking lot. Yes, it's at the dealership getting a replacement tensioner and belt. I believe so. No notification prior to failure, it was sudden.

NHTSA ODI 11744526

I am filing this complaint to report a recurring, life-threatening safety defect in my 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid involving the battery and hybrid propulsion system. This defect has occurred twice, and despite dealer repair attempts, it has not been resolved. On both occasions, while the vehicle was in operation, the hybrid system failed without warning. The vehicle displayed a hybrid system failure alert, lost the ability to accelerate normally, and became unable to maintain safe driving speeds. On the most recent occurrence, the sudden and unexpected loss of vehicle power created an immediate risk of collision. The vehicle’s failure while in traffic nearly resulted in a serious crash. I was driving with passengers at the time. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealership for repair following each incident. The same defect has now recurred after the first repair was completed, demonstrating that the underlying cause has not been identified or corrected. This defect substantially impairs the safety of the vehicle. The sudden loss of hybrid system function and propulsion while driving at road speed creates a direct and serious risk of accident, injury, or death to the vehicle’s occupants and to other drivers on the road. I am a [XXX] resident and am aware that this defect is not isolated to my vehicle. Numerous other 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid owners have filed similar NHTSA complaints regarding battery failure and sudden loss of acceleration. I urge the NHTSA to open a formal investigation into this defect and to require Kia Motors America to issue a safety recall. I am currently too frightened to operate this vehicle and request urgent attention to this matter. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11741345

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving in warm weather, heat from the exhaust pipe could be felt inside the cabin of the vehicle. As a result, the second row floor would become hot and cause discomfort to occupants seated in the second row. Upon investigation, the contact discovered TSB(Technical Service Bulletin) PI2501, which accurately described the failure the contact had experienced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they informed the contact that the TSB remedy was performed on the vehicle prior his ownership. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and was given the same information as the dealer. The contact was then given a case number and was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,5000.

NHTSA ODI 11735144

Despite being only 18 months old with under 26,000 miles, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure with no prior dashboard warnings. While driving at highway speeds, loud cracking noises occurred while the engine was running, though we were able to pull off safely. The incident resulted in a burning smell, fumes, and rapid battery drain; subsequent inspection revealed a sheared tensioner spring and a critical VDCU diagnostic code (P1A7795), indicating a "Check Generator Belt" error and a major hybrid power control system failure.

NHTSA ODI 11735023

4/6/2026 vehicle stalled in traffic multiple times, entered "Limp Mode", unable to accelerate after stopping or after deceleration. I had to press the gas to the floor to get the vehicle to move. While driving, if I had to brake or lay off the gas at all, the vehicle would not accelerate back to the original speed quickly. This put myself and my four children at risk of being rear-ended. I drove with the hazard lights on to Kia of Wesley Chapel Service center. The Battery Management System Warning displayed at the time of the stalling. The Kia Access App displayed the BMS Warning and code P0AA600 (High Voltage Isolation Fault). Initially, Kia of Wesley Chapel Service Advisor stated No warnings displayed and No historical or active codes found. I provided a screenshot of the Kia Access App showing the active BMS Warning and active P0AA600 code at 2:48PM on 4/8/2026. The Service Advisor maintained that they could not find any active or history codes. At 3:00PM the same day, the Kia Access App suddenly showed "No Issues Found". The code was obviously manually cleared. I filed a complaint with Kia Customer Care the same day (4/8/2026) and requested a Kia Technical Specialist be assigned to the case. On 4/12/2026, the original Kia Service Advisor stated "the history code has finally appeared which was the one presented in the screenshot but we cannot replace parts based off of a code that is no longer active unfortunately". He stated they would "keep driving and testing" to try and duplicate the issue. The Kia Access App shows the last trip was 4/7/2026 (the day after I dropped off the vehicle). Interestingly, the vehicle was not moved from the drive up lane at the Service Center until 10:40AM that day, after being dropped off at approximately 6PM the evening prior. I believe they could not get the car to move the evening of 4/6/2026. The vehicle remains at Kia of Wesley Chapel. I am sending the Motor Vehicle Defect Notification to Kia Corporate today.

NHTSA ODI 11732931

The vehicle shows a Driver Assistance System Warning randomly. Then the vehicle is unable to accelerate past ~30MPH. We almost got hit when this happened. The warning does not show up in notifications nor does it show up in diagnostics. It gets reverts back to normal when the vehicle is turned off then turned back on. It seems to reset.

NHTSA ODI 11719729

While driving the car it will stick in the electric mode and not go back into gas mode. You will only be able to go up to 30-35 miles an hour and in order to fix this issue as of right now all I could do was have to pull over to the side of the road put the car in park turn it off and turn it back on. I worry that this issue will be even worse if I was on the interstate and my car was getting stuck in electric mode and then it’s a safety issue, especially since I have kids in the car. I’m majority of the time being a minivan. I have seen other people post on forms about this issue and it not being fixed by Kia

NHTSA ODI 11718944

When driving my vehicle would not go over 31 MPH. Had to turn the vehicle off then restart to get it to clear.

NHTSA ODI 11714390

While driving around, the van will go into "limp mode" effecting my speed and acceleration. Then the battery will become drained and the car alarms me to "Check Hybrid System. Stop safely." It seems the hybrid system fails to switch from battery to engine when the battery gets too low, creating the alert. While the vehicle is still running, I will check the diagnostics on the dashboard and it shows no faults: "all systems normal." This is very dangerous as the vehicle can stop running at any moment and could leave me stranded in the middle of the road. I brought the vehicle into the dealership, but they were unable to recreate the problem. While the vehicle was at the dealership, they performed the HVAC control unit upgrade due to a recall. After receiving the vehicle back, this issue has persisted. I do not know if the dealership inspected the vehicle. No other company or entity has inspected the van. This issue first appeared in the first week of November 2025. The issue didn't happen again until 2 weeks later. Now the issue persists almost daily.

NHTSA ODI 11705121

Vehicle will randomly not engage into 3rd gear or go faster than 31 mph. The engine temp will increase as the RPMs continue to stay elevated since the vehicle isn’t engaging 3rd gear.

NHTSA ODI 11702972

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating while depressing the accelerator pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was able to duplicate the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed, and the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11697908

The car fails to accelerate sporadically, occurred multiple times in a 2 day period. First time was getting on an on ramp to the highway, I got up to 55 MPH then couldn’t accelerate anymore even with my foot on the gas. I dropped down to 32 MPH and had to merge onto the highway at that speed. I had a semi fly up behind me and swerve around me because I was going so slow, I’m thankful there wasn’t an accident, I had 6 passengers and it could’ve been a very bad situation. It finally gave some acceleration but even then later gave out when driving on the highway. I went from 70 to 53 MPH before I could accelerate again. Other times it happens I was on a road going 35 MPH and it wouldn’t accelerate anymore, dropped down to 26 MPH. I can only coast and pressing the gas just revs the engine, going up to 4000 RPM. It only happens when already driving, not from a dead stop (at least so far). This has happened in all 3 driving modes, Eco (happened the most in this mode), Sport and Smart mode. This has to be addressed and fixed, I’m nervous to drive the car or have my family ride in it. There were no warning lights showing and the diagnostics are stating normal. I’m taking it to a dealership today. The one detail I noticed that happened consistently was the car seemed to be stuck in a mode not being able to determine if it’s in charging, electric or hybrid mode and tries to combine them. There’s a graphic on the display that shows the power either coming from the battery to the front wheels OR from the front wheels to the battery, never arrows both ways. When this happened, there were arrows going both ways from the batteries to the front wheels and from the front wheels to the battery at the same time. Finally when I could accelerate again, the arrows were going one direction. Please report this and make Kia fix this terrible safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11693029

When the vehicle is idling, the battery refuses to charge, therefore, the car suddenly dies and makes it unsafe to pull over and dyes while driving, very dangerous and transmission doesn’t shift properly.

NHTSA ODI 11691088

The car gave alert of "hybrid system failure" and showed a picture of a drained battery. After about 20 seconds, we were unable to drive over 30 mph. After about 30 more seconds, the car shut off and had to be jumped to work again. Luckily we were pulling over into a parking lot when it shut off, but were blocking the entrance. This is the 4th time this has happened in a couple of months since we bought the car.

NHTSA ODI 11688400

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle failed to start due to the 24-Volt battery failure. The vehicle was jump-started and operated normally, but the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the contact indicated that the emergency key failed to open the doors of the vehicle after the battery malfunction. A locksmith was called to the scene to open the doors. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 600.

NHTSA ODI 11685733

While driving, the vehicle intermittently fails to accelerate when the accelerator is pressed; it will only coast at about 30 mph. At the same time, the hybrid battery indicator shows a low charge that continues to drop rather than recharge. The “Check Hybrid System – Stop Safely” warning also comes on. This recurring loss of propulsion creates a significant safety risk because we cannot reach or maintain normal traffic speeds. We have taken the van to our local Kia dealership about this situation on two separate occasions; the first time it was reported no faults found bc they couldn’t replicate the problem. I was told there was a recall and it should fix the problem. The second time I was able to capture video of it happening multiple times to show the service technician. I was told it was something about the air intake system not being properly positioned. Now that the car is out of the shop, about two weeks later I’m experiencing issues where I’m unable to switch gears properly on multiple occasions as well. It’s been one thing after the next since I’ve gotten this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11683819

The hybrid car intermittently switches into EV mode after coming to a complete stop (e.g., at a traffic signal or after briefly stopping to pick up my child). When this happens, the vehicle does not accelerate properly once back on the road and feels stuck in EV mode, unable to accelerate beyond ~45 mph. This creates a safety concern when merging or crossing intersections.

NHTSA ODI 11683507

While driving at random times, there is no acceleration while pressing the gas pedal. The battery shows low charge and gradually goes down instead of up. Sometimes the “check hybrid system stop safely” warning light comes on. Our safety was put at risk because it has happened while trying to merge on to the freeway or when there is no shoulder or area to stop safely. Since we can only glide no more than 30 mph we can easily cause an accident if we are not able to exit the road safely. We have taken the van in for inspection to two different Kia dealers and they are not able to find anything wrong. We were stranded 2 hours from home and had to take an uber because the van would not accelerate fast enough to drive on the freeway. The check hybrid system light has turned on at least 3 times but the dealership says there is no record of any warning lights turning on. We took a picture of the light while it was on the last time. This problem has occurred over 8 times putting our lives at risk.

NHTSA ODI 11679979

UNKNOWN. While driving, an alert will pop up "Consider taking a break." It is very distracting and actually startles me to the point of almost having had an accident several times. It will pop up several times while driving at random intervals. I have tried to disable it, but cannot. I called the KIA hotline and they said for me to not drive the vehicle, but also, they would not purchase the vehicle back from me. They did not offer any other solutions beyond that. I have talked with the dealership and they do not have a solution. They did not mention this feature when purchasing. I would not have bought the vehicle if I had known about it ahead of time. I would like for the Kia company to allow users to disable this distracting feature.

NHTSA ODI 11679528

Sometimes when I start the engine the sliding doors does a quick open and closes. Told the dealership about it and they couldn’t fix the problem. It’s annoying but I Didn’t really have an issue until my [XXX] old got hit on the head by the sliding door. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11673997

2025 KIA Carnival Hybrid gets stuck in electric mode. This cause rapid draining of the electric vehicle battery, reduced maximum speed, and reduced acceleration. This has occurred while merging onto the highway. I had to pull over to the highway on ramp shoulder, turn the vehicle off and back, and then merge back until the highway. I have a video of it happening while picking up my kids from school, but it is too large to upload here.

NHTSA ODI 11664744

The Kia Carnival Hybrid wouldn't allow me to accelerate, topping out at 30/31 MPH despite me fully pressing down on the accelerator. It has happened twice now (a few days apart) and can only be resolved by turning the car off and then back on. Compared to similar complaints logged on the NHTSA website, the difference is that this happened when it was roughly 50-60 degrees outside--not during extremely low temperatures as the other examples have described.

NHTSA ODI 11659865