2022 Kia Carnival Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2022 Kia Carnival most often describe power sliding doors that close on people or fail to latch, sometimes with injuries to children. A second recurring theme is the throttle losing response in cold weather, along with intermittent horn outages, cracked windshields, and a cluster of stalled-engine reports. Many complaints are filed at very low mileage, and several describe repeated dealer visits without a lasting fix.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Sliding doors close on people / do not reverse

   • 53 complaints (39%)
   • median 920 mi at 0.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 19 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe the power sliding doors continuing to close on hands, arms or bodies instead of reversing, and in some cases injuring children. Some report the doors failing to latch at all, opening on their own while driving, or the ajar warning staying on after repeated manual attempts to close them. Dealers are described as performing software updates, adjusting or lubricating latches, or replacing sensors and latch mechanisms, with some owners saying the problem returned afterward. Reported from very low mileage (under 1,000 miles in some cases) on up through 40,000 miles, often while loading children or cargo.

   Recall 23V236000Recall 21V9080005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test both sliding doors on a closed-door walkthrough: put an arm or a rolled towel in the path and see whether the door reverses, and check that it latches firmly with the ajar light off. Ask whether recall 23V236000 and 21V908000 work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The automatic doors will close even if a child or something is in the way. Kia has acknowledged that the sensor may not work, but this is a huge safety issue when dealing with small children. I was loading the car and pressed the button to close the door. Then, I realized I forgot something and placed my hand in front of the sensor to stop the doors from closing, but the sensor failed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11466623, filed 2022-05

   “My daughter was closing the left sliding door with her right hand using the button and her left hand was in the doorway. There is no worthwhile sensor in the car to detect her hand and thus the door crushed her hand. She now has a fractured left thumb due to the Kia Carnival. I have tried to see if the sensor would detect my entire hand and it didn’t! I am appalled that a car could be sold that has ZERO sensor”

   NHTSA complaint #11466619, filed 2022-05
2. 2
   Engine

   Cold-weather loss of power / throttle response

   • 20 complaints (15%)
   • median 1,875 mi at 0.5 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report the vehicle refusing to accelerate past roughly 10-20 mph in cold temperatures, with the check engine light on and error code P2118. Some describe the engine stalling while driving, shuddering on acceleration, or losing motive power without warning and then restarting. Dealers are reported to have been unable to reproduce or diagnose the condition in some cases; others describe moisture or ice in the throttle body. Mostly reported at low mileage, frequently in sub-freezing or extreme cold (from single-digit Fahrenheit to below -20C).

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the ECM emissions-logic campaign (SC290) was performed, and whether any throttle body service or code P2118 diagnosis is on record. A cold-start test drive before purchase is worth doing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This morning was the coldest morning this year (7F) and I could not accelerate the vehicle after turning it on. It won't go faster than 15mph or so and the engine warning sign popped up. The code said P211800. I have heard that there were many people complaining this issue and I had felt mine was safe from this issue, but the weather hasn't been that cold to cause the issue. I had to drive with the panic button on and all the other cars passed me and I felt I was in danger while driving back home.”

   NHTSA complaint #11448414, filed 2022-01

   “On three separate occasions when the temperature was below -20C, this brand-new vehicle stopped working due to ice in the throttle body. Vehicle had to be towed each time. The dealer service manager informed me that the new design no longer heats the throttle body, and condensation jams the mechanism. In my mind this is a safety risk because (1) the car stops working while driving in traffic and (2) it's a family vehicle, putting up to 8 passengers at severe risk of cold-related injuries when stranded. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11457083, filed 2022-03
3. 3
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield cracks or scratches easily

   • 21 complaints (15%)
   • median 20,000 mi at 1.3 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2025

   Owners report windshields cracking from small impacts or with no visible cause, sometimes spreading across the glass, and others say the glass scratches readily from ordinary wiper use. Several complaints mention difficulty getting a replacement windshield, with parts unavailable for weeks, and one notes the forward collision system acting up after a windshield replacement and recalibration. Reported from a few thousand miles up to around 20,000 miles, in mixed weather and road conditions.

   What to check: Inspect the windshield closely in raking light for chips, star cracks and wiper scratches, and confirm any windshield replacement included recalibration of the driver-assist camera.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Since we purchased the car in March 2021, none of the 12V or 115V outlets work in the car. It has been months since our dealership, City Kia, said they ordered the parts but we still have no ETA and on this site it says our vehicle has no outstanding recalls....which it does...the outlets. Dealership has been notified but no warning lights have gone off on the dash board. The outlets simply do not work. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11434952, filed 2021-09

   “My front windshield on my 2022 Kia Carnival has shattered in two places from a small hit. I have owned lots of cars and never had a windshield break in two places all the way across. There must be an issue or problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11672647, filed 2025-07
4. 4
   Electrical system

   Instrument cluster goes blank

   • 8 complaints (6%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 1.5 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Owners report the instrument cluster screen going dark or becoming intermittent, leaving no view of speed, fuel level, gear position or warning lights. In some accounts the failure became permanent, and one owner reported a dealer confirming the cluster failure. Another describes climate-control and gear indicator backlighting failing, making the controls hard to see at night. Appears across a wide mileage range, with several reports around 80,000 miles and some below 10,000.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the ignition on and confirm every gauge, indicator and backlight illuminates, and ask whether any cluster or infotainment software updates have been applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At roughly 9,000 miles we noticed that the lights illuminating the climate control buttons stopped working. We also noticed the gear shift indicators (P, R, N, D) were not lighting up either, and neither was the light that told you what gear you were in. At night it is impossible to see what gear you are in or what button to push to change anything on the climate control. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11447200, filed 2022-01

   “My 2022 Kia Carnival, approximately 80,000 miles, had intermittent dashboard warning lights and grinding brake noise for a few weeks. I brought the vehicle to Tasca Kia White Plains first time on 4/14/26 then again on 5/8/26. The dealership initially could not reproduce the issue, then later suspected an ABS sensor issue and ordered the part. On 5/12/26, before the repair was completed, I was driving downhill with my children in the vehicle when the brakes failed to respond properly. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11738446, filed 2026-05

Buying note. Check the power sliding doors carefully and confirm both door recalls and the horn warranty extension were completed, since those are the most frequently described problems. A cold-weather test drive and a scan for stored throttle or cluster codes would also be worth requesting before purchase.

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.