2025 Kia CARNIVAL HYBRID: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
60 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
2,500 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2025 model year. Data snapshot: . 3 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 23 of 60 complaints (38.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical and battery issues | 18 | 30.0% |
| Braking behavior | 6 | 10.0% |
| Engine operation | 2 | 3.3% |
| Transmission and shifting | 1 | 1.7% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 23 |
| Electrical System | 20 |
| Engine | 20 |
| Power Train | 12 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 9 |
| Unknown Or Other | 7 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 2 |
| Service Brakes | 2 |
Vehicle Speed Control: 23; Electrical System: 20; Engine: 20; Power Train: 12; Fuel/Propulsion System: 9; Unknown Or Other: 7; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking: 2; Service Brakes: 2
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 3 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 3; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (3). 57 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 38 |
| 2026 | 19 |
2024: 3; 2025: 38; 2026: 19
Pattern summary
Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 18 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 6 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 2 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11624531 · 2024-11-11 (November 11, 2024)
Battery died without cause
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11624531 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11629402 · 2024-12-07 (December 7, 2024)
The vehicle is brand new. We drove it home from the dealership and parked it in the garage, and after just a few days, the battery was totally dead and unresponsive.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11629402 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11633005 · 2024-12-29 (December 29, 2024)
Being a new vehicle the 2nd row seats do not easily slide forward and back. My wife was attempting to move the 2nd row seat forward using the mechanism on the outside of the seat. The back of the seat and the seat moved forward suddenly, striking her in the forehead. The mechanism that holds the 2nd row seat belt is made of a very hard plastic. This hard plastic is what made contact with my wife's forehead, knocked her glasses off and left a swollen lump. The seat belt mechanism and/or plastic material needs to be re-engineered. This could…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11633005 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11635179 · 2025-01-10 (January 10, 2025)
The vehicle(2025 Kia Carnival HEV) is brand new, just over one month old. We parked it in the garage, and after just 4 days of not driving, the battery was totally dead. We were not able to start the van. The battery was 4.5v when measured with a digital volt meter.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11635179 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11637026 · 2025-01-20 (January 20, 2025)
I was driving on a secondary road that has a 45 MPH speed limit when the vehicle decelerated to 31 MPH on its own. I could not make it go faster with any application of the accelerator. This lasted for about 5 minutes. I called the dealer service and they said it was probably a "glitch" and they could not investigate unless I left the vehicle with them until they could reproduce it. One unusual fact is that it was very cold the morning it happened, 9 degrees fahrenheit. I believe this could be very dangerous, particularly if hit happens on a hi…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11637026 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11637284 · 2025-01-21 (January 21, 2025)
The following has happened 4-5 times now on our Kia Carnival 2025 SXP Hybrid: After turning on the car, the car can be driven but does not allow the driver to increase the speed beyond ~30 miles per hour. No warning indicators or messages are displayed when this occurs. Turning the vehicle off and then on again temporarily resolves the issue. One of the times it occurred, I went straight from a 25 mph city street onto a highway onramp that didn't have a safe place to pull off. When I got on the onramp, I discovered that the issue was happening…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11637284 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11637799 · 2025-01-22 (January 22, 2025)
Today I had an issue with my 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige where it would not allow me to accelerate past 31 mph. I was on an on-ramp to the highway with my baby in the car and I was flooring the gas, yet it still would not go past 31 mph. I put on my hazards and pulled off, and checked that the max speed setting was not on. I even tried setting the max speed to something higher like 50 mph, and the screen confirmed this, but the car still did not go past 31 mph. Luckily I figured out that cruise control still works past this speed limit…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11637799 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11637801 · 2025-01-22 (January 22, 2025)
On a day which had a high temperature of 16F our Kia Carnival Hybrid SXP, after not being used most of the day, when driving would not exceed 31 miles per hour. The engine would not rev loudly or give any indication of an error but would not go over 31 mph even with the gas pedal fully depressed. After pulling over and turning the car off and on the problem did not repeat.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11637801 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
0 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
No recall campaigns are recorded in this snapshot.