2025 Kia Carnival Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2025 Kia Carnival most often describe electrical trouble, above all a 12-volt battery that drains when the van sits, sometimes within days of purchase. Many complaints say the dealer replaced or recharged the battery without finding a cause. A smaller group describes warning lights, a dashboard or infotainment screen going dark, and moments where the vehicle would not accelerate past roughly 30-50 mph.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   12-volt battery drains while parked

   • 55 complaints (44%)
   • typically at 0.0 yrs old
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe finding the van completely dead after sitting overnight or for a few days, needing a jump start or tow. Several say it happened within the first weeks of ownership at very low mileage, and that the dealer recharged or replaced the battery without identifying the draw. Some mention low-battery alerts in the connected app and carrying a jump pack as a precaution. Reported very early in ownership, often within the first month and under a few hundred to a few thousand miles, and sometimes only when parked at home overnight.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any battery-drain diagnosis or software update was performed, and check for an added jump pack or charger in the vehicle. Have the battery load-tested and ask the seller how long the van can sit before going dead.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a dead brand new car after not driving it for 3 days. And, the dealer is unable to tell me how to get into it because the key fob does not have a physical key in it. This appears to be a slow battery draining issue that is being reported heavily online it appears on Reddit, Facebook and multiple forums related to the 2025 Kia Carnival EX and SXP.”

   NHTSA complaint #11606474, filed 2024-08

   “I purchased my 25 Carnival on July 8 and by the third week my battery died overnight. I was able to jumpstart the car but since the incidence, I wake up to a dead battery every morning. A lot of Carnival owners (especially SX and SXP) are experiencing similar parasitic battery drain and dealerships are clueless while KIA has refused to acknowledge the problem exist.”

   NHTSA complaint #11606526, filed 2024-08
2. 2
   Engine

   Loss of power or no acceleration past about 30-50 mph

   • 13 complaints (10%)
   • median 4,200 mi at 0.9 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe the van suddenly refusing to accelerate beyond roughly 30-50 mph, sometimes with a flashing check engine light, shuddering, or a speed-limit warning on the screen. Several say restarting cleared it temporarily. Complaints mention dealers running diagnostics without finding a stored cause, or replacing parts such as a battery solenoid. Reported across low-mileage vehicles, in some cases within the first weeks or months of ownership, and sometimes in cold weather.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the engine control module emissions update (campaign SC333) was completed, and take a test drive that includes a highway on-ramp to check for hesitation or limp behavior.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “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.”

   NHTSA complaint #11669584, filed 2025-06

   “We have been having persistent safety issues with this vehicle. The issues have ranged from unsecured gas cap to loss of power. We’ve also had severe transmission issues where the car will not shift out of first gear. This happened on the Garden State Parkway and nearly caused an accident as the car wasn’t able to go above 27 mph safely.”

   NHTSA complaint #11740593, filed 2026-05
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Dashboard, lighting or screen goes dark while driving

   • 12 complaints (10%)
   • typically at 1.0 yrs old
   • filed 2024–2026

   Complaints describe the instrument cluster, headlights or infotainment screen shutting off briefly while driving and then coming back on, or the main screen freezing and staying dark. Some owners say the dealer could not reproduce or diagnose the event. A few report a Body Domain Controller replacement. Reported at varied mileage, from near-new to roughly 35,000 miles, often at highway speed.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether infotainment or data-connectivity software updates were applied, and note any stored fault codes for body or communication modules during a pre-purchase scan.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving about 6:30ish in the morning and my whole dashboard went black and my head lights turned off couple seconds later it came back on while i am driving. I will be calling the dealership to see what can be checked.”

   NHTSA complaint #11689323, filed 2025-09

   “While driving at highway speeds the exterior and interior lighting/electrial system shut down completely. My headlights shut off, as well as all electrical/lighting inside the vehicle for approximately 1 minute before turning back on as if I had turned the car off and restarted it. I have a low tire pressure warning that comes on when the car is started, and it came on again as if my car had just started, while I was still driving. This poses a safety risk to myself and other drivers depending on the headlights for visibility. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11627633, filed 2024-11
4. 4
   Fuel system

   Strong fuel odor inside the cabin

   • 5 complaints (4%)
   • median 6,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2026

   Owners describe a persistent gasoline smell inside the van after longer drives or idling, sometimes strong enough to cause headaches or nausea. Complaints mention the dealer replacing a fuel tank or evap components, the smell returning, and in some cases the dealer stating the odor could not be reproduced. One complaint references an open fuel-system recall letter. Reported at low mileage, including around 6,000 miles, and after longer drives or extended idling.

   Recall 26V2320002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm whether recall 26V232000 (fuel pipe connection) has been performed, and check for a fuel smell around the engine bay and under the vehicle after a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Fuel evap canister leak was suspected due to very strong gas smell inside vehicle. Dealership had to change out entire fuel tank to deal with whatever was leaking. Got the car back, and the next day, the smell was back. Dealership told us not to worry about the smell, that it was normal. Drove one more time and smell was so strong that it made two adults dizzy and nauseous within five minutes. Nausea lasted multiple hours. Parked and had it towed to dealer. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11755249, filed 2026-08

   “The vehicle's passenger cabin continually has a strong odor smell after longer drives or after the vehicle idles for a longer duration in time. The vehicle was brought to Horne, KIA in Gilbert, AZ twice in June for same. Both times the service department stated they could not duplicate the problem and could not ascertain that it has anything to do with recall SC368. The problem continues at time of this writing (07/14/2026). The strong fuel odor is causing headaches to family and young children. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11750451, filed 2026-07
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Power sliding door and rear seat belt concerns

   • 8 complaints (6%)
   • median 46,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Complaints describe the power sliding door closing with enough force that the pinch sensor reacted only after a hand was caught, and a rear door that would not lock after delivery. Others report rear seat belts sticking or retracting tightly, and a second-row seatback that folded forward unexpectedly. Dealers addressed some cases as repairs, with limited explanation in others. Reported on new and low-mileage vehicles, including within the first weeks of ownership and up to around 46,000 miles.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle the power sliding doors and check that the pinch sensor reverses the door under light resistance, and pull each rear seat belt fully out and let it retract to check for sticking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The passenger sliding door pinch sensor did activate; but not before child’s hand was pinched in door and it almost drew blood. Door closes forcefully I have noticed compared to other minivan experiences I have with automatic doors. Quite a bit of force is needed to activate the sensor and cause the door to open back up. It needs to be more sensitive to avoid injury.”

   NHTSA complaint #11674907, filed 2025-07

   “Purchased brand new, went home to put car seats in and that's when we discovered the rear sliding door did not lock. Took the vehicle in on the 7th, took until the 23rd for it to be fixed . Picked up the vehicle came home and the car now does not lock again. Kia customer care team has been little to no help and it was suppose to be escalated to the Kia escalation team but we have yet to hear from them.”

   NHTSA complaint #11610666, filed 2024-08

Buying note. This model year is recent enough that most complaints center on electrical behavior and battery drain, so ask for records of software updates, battery service and the fuel-pipe recall before buying. A pre-purchase scan for stored fault codes and a long test drive covering highway speeds and a period of parking are the most useful checks.

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.