2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid Problems
Compared with other Kia Carnival Hybrid years
Too new to compare
- Model years are compared once their first three years of complaints are in; the 2025 can be compared from 2028.
- Most reported problem: Intermittent loss of acceleration / reduced-power mode (42 complaints, median 9,500 mi).
Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated
- Complaints
- 71filed with NHTSA
- Median mileage
- 3,000miles, 5 complaints with mileage
- Recalls
- 0campaigns on record
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
- NHTSA crash rating
- —no overall rating published
- EPA fuel economy
- 33 mpgcombined, 1.6L 4-cyl · hybrid FWD · 34 city / 31 hwy
Sources: NHTSA records for the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid (complaints, recalls, investigations), EPA fuel economy. Report an error
What owners report
Complaints on this model year center on a hybrid system that intermittently limits acceleration, usually to roughly 30-35 mph, sometimes with a "Check Hybrid System" message and often resolved by restarting the vehicle. A second cluster involves electrical problems — dead 12-volt/24-volt batteries on nearly new vehicles, blank or flickering displays, and infotainment glitches. Most sampled reports came from vehicles with very low mileage, and several owners describe the acceleration issue happening in cold weather.
- Vehicle speed control
Intermittent loss of acceleration / reduced-power mode
- 42 complaints (59%)
- median 9,500 mi at 0.9 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
- 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
- filed 2025–2026
Owners describe the van suddenly refusing to accelerate beyond roughly 30-35 mph even with the pedal to the floor, sometimes after a stop or while merging onto a highway. Some see a "Check Hybrid System. Stop safely" message or a driver-assistance warning; in other cases no warning appears and no codes are stored. Turning the vehicle off and restarting usually restores normal operation, and several owners say dealers could not reproduce the problem. Reported at low mileage, often within the first few thousand miles, and several complaints tie it to cold weather (single digits to low 20s F).
What to check: Ask the seller or dealer whether any stored hybrid or motor-control codes were found and whether the MCU software service action (SA617) was applied. Test drive at highway speed, including a cold start, and note whether acceleration feels normal.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“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. …”
NHTSA complaint #11705121, filed 2025-12“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 complaint #11688400, filed 2025-09 - Electrical system
Battery goes dead / vehicle won't start
- 13 complaints (18%)
- median 600 mi at 0.9 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
- filed 2024–2026
Owners report the battery draining completely after the van sits for a few days, leaving it unable to start; some describe jump-starting and the problem returning. In a few cases the emergency key did not open the doors once the battery was flat, and one owner described the car shutting off while driving after a battery warning. Some report that the vehicle does not keep the auxiliary battery charged while idling. Reported on nearly new vehicles, often within the first weeks or months and at very low mileage.
What to check: Ask whether the battery has been replaced or tested and whether data-connectivity or charging-related software updates were applied. Check that the van starts readily after sitting several days.
2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #11635179, filed 2025-01“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.”
NHTSA complaint #11629402, filed 2024-12
Buying note. This model year is recent enough that complaint history is still thin, but the recurring themes — intermittent reduced power and battery drain — are worth confirming on a test drive and with service records. Ask for any hybrid software updates and check that the displays, power doors and battery behave normally before deciding.
Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.
NHTSA recorded 71 consumer complaints for the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid. 5 of the complaints include a mileage, and 100% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 3,000 miles. Of all complaints, 3 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 10 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 0 recall campaigns and 27 technical service bulletins for this model year.
Which parts are reported most
Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.
- Vehicle speed control28 39%
- Electrical system25 35%
- Engine21 30%
- Fuel system11 15%
- Other or unknown9 13%
- Brakes4 5.6%
- Air bags2 2.8%
- Seat belts2 2.8%
Also reported: Body and structure (2), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (2), Back-over prevention (rear camera) (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Seats (1).
Example complaints
Vehicle speed control: “I'm not sure which component caused the issue, but this happened a couple of times already, when I stepped on the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle didn't response at all. The first time, when I was turning into a parking lot, I had to let off the gas pedal, and try it again. …”
NHTSA complaint #11640771, filed 2025-02Electrical system: “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 complaint #11664744, filed 2025-06Engine: “My vehicle keeps throwing a code “check hybrid system” and slowing me down to 30mph, it will not accelerate. This is extremely dangerous. I can restart the car and it’s fine but this is a major safety issue considering it keeps happening”
NHTSA complaint #11762493, filed 2026-09Transmission and drivetrain: “While driving in the cold the hybrid vehicle will not go over 31 miles an hour. I was turning on to a road that is 45mph and unable to reach a safe speed with traffic. This has happened twice to me now. The dealer can not make it repeat the issue at this time and no warning lights come on.”
NHTSA complaint #11643993, filed 2025-02Mileage when problems were reported
100% of the 5 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 2,500 and 16,000 miles.
Complaints by year filed
This model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
Fuel economy and running cost
EPA ratings for each 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).
| Version | Engine | Transmission | City | Hwy | Comb. | Fuel / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival Hybrid FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl · hybrid | 6-speed automatic | 34 | 31 | 33 | $2,050 |
Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.
Recalls and investigations
NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid in the data used here. A recall can apply to some vehicles of a model year and not others, so check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Technical service bulletins
TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 27 on record; the latest 10 are shown.
- 11034103Jun 19, 2026Body and structure. IMPORTANT REMINDER: OWNER NOTIFICATION: CARNIVAL POWER SLIDING DOOR FEATURE (KA4PSD2 FLIGHT#105) - This document is the owner notification advising Kia's ongoing commitment to providing vehicle…
- 11033919Jun 16, 2026Seats. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: 2ND ROW SEAT (LH & RH) FOLDING TENSION SPRING REPLACEMENT (PI2602) - This bulletin provides information to enhance the second-row seatback…
- 11033834Jun 12, 2026Seats. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (PI2602) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign on certain 2022-2026 MY Carnival…
- 11033835Jun 10, 2026Seats. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (PI2602) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Product Improvement Campaign…
- 11033829Jun 9, 2026Seats. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (PI2602) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is conducting a Product…
- 11033827Jun 9, 2026Seats. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (PI2602) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to enhance…
- 11033217May 28, 2026Electrical system. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable…
- 11031940Apr 24, 2026Electrical system. RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413 Revision 1) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) logic of…
- 11031853Apr 17, 2026Body and structure. IMPORTANT REMINDER: OWNER NOTIFICATION (KA4PSD2) - This document is the owner notification advising Kia's ongoing commitment to providing vehicle owners with a superior ownership experience. We…
- 11031906Apr 14, 2026Electrical system. TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infotainment software updates and preparing USB for…
Other model years of the Kia Carnival Hybrid
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | Crash ★ | MPG | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 100 | 1 | — | 32 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2025 | 71 | 3,000 | 0 | — | 33 | Too new to compare | Too new |
All Kia Carnival Hybrid model years
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid?
Complaints on this model year center on a hybrid system that intermittently limits acceleration, usually to roughly 30-35 mph, sometimes with a "Check Hybrid System" message and often resolved by restarting the vehicle. The issues reported most often: Intermittent loss of acceleration / reduced-power mode; Battery goes dead / vehicle won't start.
How many NHTSA complaints does the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid have?
NHTSA recorded 71 consumer complaints for the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid as of Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
What part of the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid is reported most often?
Vehicle speed control is named most often, in 28 complaints (39% of the total), followed by electrical system with 25.
Has the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid been recalled?
NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year in the data used here. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What gas mileage does the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid get?
The EPA rates the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid (Carnival Hybrid, 1.6L 4-cyl · hybrid) at 33 mpg combined, 34 city and 31 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,050 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.
At what mileage are problems with the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid reported?
Among the 5 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 3,000 miles and the middle half falls between 2,500 and 16,000 miles; 100% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).
Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.