2026 Kia CARNIVAL: complaints, problems and recalls

Driver assistance system. This system monitors vehicle variables and unnecessarily SOUNDS A WARNING to take a COFFEE BREAK!! Here is the issue. When driving I need critical warning information. It is distracting while driving to be alerted to a COFFEE BREAK warning. PLEASE direct KIA to enable drivers to TURN OFF this feature. Every 10 minutes I am getting a warning and the warning is completely unrelated to driver status or restfullness. Driver assistance systems should be able to have HUMAN control. This is an assistance system, not a …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11679632 at NHTSA ↗

URGENT SAFETY CONCERN/ISSUE On [XXX], while driving my 2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige, it lost all power without warning, leaving me unable to accelerate or control the vehicle. This created an unsafe situation as I was traveling at 40 mph when all power was lost. What happened to me was a serious safety hazard. The vehicle was brand new with only 1351 miles at the time. Several warning lights came on including the hybrid system warning light. The vehicle was not drivable; there was no power at all. I had to tow the vehicle to a Kia deal…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11687484 at NHTSA ↗

After purchasing vehicle (4Sep25) the following week's notice wet spots in drive way first assumed to be from A/C but not the it is November and A/C is off the wet spots are still showing up. Checked under the vehicle and noticed oil all around the PCV tube. Took vehicle to Allentown Kia. They confirmed there is a oil leak but the leak is from the oil pan gasket. The vehicle has 400 ish miles on it and was i believe a quart low on oil by the time I took it in for repairs.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11698804 at NHTSA ↗

Vehicle parked for 48 hours (Sunday 23 Nov evening) under carport, no keys near it. When approached on 26 Nov 10am , it was found with dead battery. Nothing was on when it was parked.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11701699 at NHTSA ↗

On Dec 12th the speedometer repeatedly showed very incorrect values, both displaying much faster than the vehicle was traveling and displaying zero when the vehicle had accelerated. We have not been able to replicate the issue. And it went away after shutting down and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone. From a safety perspective the speedometer accuracy is in question. Prior to this incident the screens had all shut themselves off. After the incidents the main screen (with the speedometer) rebooted itse…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11704869 at NHTSA ↗

System failure the warning lights on dash went crazy all of them flashing Speedometer wouldn’t work, lights won’t work, camera system won’t work, abs won’t work, tailgate won’t open, side doors won’t open, heat/ac controls stop working , windshield wipers stop working. They had 20 error codes the first time this happened Yes vehicle has been in shop 2 different times This happened the first time on November 24 shop had my car until November 28. Drove car for 9 days took car back in on dec 8 shop has had it still do not have as of 12-18-25 …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11706008 at NHTSA ↗

The car will not accelerate past 31 mph no matter the gas petal position, during cold mornings. Downhill or uphill, in any “drive mode” it will not go past 31 with the petal all the way down. Acceleration onto a highway is impossible. Stopping and restarting the entire vehicle seems to reset this and allow for speed over 31mph. This has happened 5-6 separate times when the temperature is below 35F.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11706341 at NHTSA ↗

I am submitting a safety complaint regarding unexpected and inappropriate automatic braking behavior at low speeds involving the parking sensors, rear cross-traffic alert, and/or automatic emergency braking system. While performing normal, low-speed maneuvers such as backing out of street parking spaces or parking in tight urban environments, the vehicle abruptly applies the brakes even when no imminent collision exists and when obstacles or traffic are clearly visible to the driver. In one frequent scenario, while exiting a parallel out of a…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11706687 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2026-01-26 (January 26, 2026)

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."

Consequence: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.

Reported: 2026-04-10 (April 10, 2026)

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Carnival vehicles. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail.

Consequence: A fuel leak increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten, or replace the fuel pipe as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 2, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC368. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on April 24, 2026.