2025 Kia CARNIVAL problems and owner complaints

Brand new 2025 Kia Carnival models are experiencing major electrical failure right off the lot, which is my experience. Kia will not acknowledge the issue but there is parasitic draw issues with the vehicle and mine is rendered unable to drive and dealer service departments won’t accept my vehicle for repair.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11603952 at NHTSA ↗

Battery is dying repeatedly due to electric system failure. Dealership mechanics suspect a parasitic drain but have not been able to identify the cause. There are many other 2025 Kia Carnival owners reporting the same issue. Our car has been at the dealer multiple times for 17 days (so far) without a cause identified.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11603968 at NHTSA ↗

On April 22, 2025 my Kia Carnival Ex would not accelerate more than 30 mph after pulling away from a traffic light. A warning appeared on the dash display saying The Speed Limit Was 30 mph and the Kia Carnival would not go beyond 30 mph. The Speed limit was Not 30 mph. I took the vehicle to the Boniface-Hiers Kia dealership on April 24, 2025. They could not find a problem but did re-set the computer for the transmission. I was very fortunate not to have been rear ended by another vehicle.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11657370 at NHTSA ↗

When I was trying to accelerate over 30 MPH I got a driver assistance warning 10 warning lights came on so I pulled over and once I put the car into park it would no longer shift into drive.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11680625 at NHTSA ↗

The vehicle's battery drain after turning off and cannot restart. It can cause to stall the vehicle on road. Kia Connect sent "Our backend team has determined that a TSB ELE341 (Network Reset) is needed to refresh your vehicle’s connection to the Kia Connect servers. To resolve this, please contact your preferred official Kia dealership to schedule an appointment and mention TSB ELE341 for the network reset." Took the vehicle to a Kia dealer's service; they reset, but problem remains. I just received from Kia"Dear [XXX] , This is nothing that …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11648181 at NHTSA ↗

12v Battery died 2 times first on 12/26 then on 1/25. We had to call in roadside assistance for jump start. This was reported to Kia Dublin and Kia Manteca in California. Kia Dublin ran the diagnostics and couldnt find anything. Kia Manteca later found the battery logs showing issues. But said it could have been related to the HVAC recall which is now fixed. But the problem re-occured. This is a brand new vehicle less than 1 year old, still unders warranty. Have reported this to Kia customer care as well. Kia Customer Care Case#XXX So far,…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11713360 at NHTSA ↗

On July 19, 2024, my 2025 Kia Carnival SXP experienced a significant battery drainage issue, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The cause is currently unknown, but it seems to involve a parasitic electrical draw that drained the battery while the car was parked and turned off. This issue occurred despite no prior warning or indication of battery problems. Compounding the situation, the door locks, including the mechanical lock, were disabled, preventing access to the vehicle. Kia roadside assistance sent a locksmith, who had to jump-start the v…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11607738 at NHTSA ↗

On [XXX], I was in a busy parking garage holding my [XXX] child on my hip and pushing the stroller, with my [XXX] safely procured inside, as I approached my Kia Carnival 2025 to load the children and depart. To avoid active traffic while allowing enough room for the automatic doors to open safely, I moved as close to the Kia Carnival as possible with my [XXX] and infant in the stroller, engaging the safety breaks of the stroller. Due to the tight space, I underestimated the length the door needed to fully open by approximately 3 inches; this…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11639618 at NHTSA ↗

Kia has a recall (Campaign SC 368) on a fuel pipe that may be defective causing a gas leak leading to fire. I called the dealer I bought the vehicle from to request an inspection of the part. I was told Kia will not send letters out until June 2 so dealers are under no obligation to inspect the impacted area before then. Why should a family have to wait six weeks or more on such a critical issue for it even to be visually inspected. Kia's direction is simply to be on the lookout for gas smell and park the vehicle outside. The length of tim…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11732656 at NHTSA ↗

We purchased this vehicle toward the end of 2024. Within the first 10 months, there were two major recall issues with this vehicle. The recalls were for the 2nd row seating becoming detached from the frame of the vehicle and the other recall was for the computer logic board having the chance of dying and/or frying. These recalls were less than 10 months since date of purchase. There is now another National Recall on this vehicle that was initiated on April 10, 2026. We are a non profit organization and this vehicle is part of our necessary f…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11743531 at NHTSA ↗

I was turning onto a main thoroughfare fare, and the van was slow to accelerate, Engine light briefly blinked, then went off, and then when I was on the interstate I had to pull over the van was running rough. Once I went back on the road, the steering wheel was shuddering and finally the engine smoothed out. This has happened more two other times to me.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11669584 at NHTSA ↗