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EnginePart report

2025 Kia Carnival Engine Problems

Complaints
15about this part
Share
12%of 126 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

NHTSA recorded 15 complaints about the engine of the 2025 Kia Carnival, 12% of the 126 complaints for this model year.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was on the on-ramp getting on the highway and whenever I started to increase speed and try to get over into the next lane, I noticed the car all of a sudden jumped a little bit and then it started consistently jumping in the check engine light was flashing, and I couldn’t keep the car over what ended up being 50 mph anytime I tried to go over 50 mph. …”

NHTSA complaint #11733125, filed 2026-04

“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

“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

“On the motor, when off for more than a certain time prolonged, when is a cold start motor make a noise like it doesn’t have oil in it since new I let the dealer know but they say it’s normal and I don’t believe so. Also, the transmission have a problem since New it shifted weird sometimes, and the dealer says it’s normal”

NHTSA complaint #11733144, filed 2026-04

“Carnival was working fine then, without warning, I was unable to accelerate. Had entered highway and reached a maximum speed around 30 mph in a 55 mph zone. Pedal fully depressed and zero acceleration, dashboard read check hybrid system, stop safely . Tried changing driving modes to no effect. Lots of cars speeding past as I pulled to the side to restart the vehicle, then it worked again without issue. Happened one other time, similar circumstances and results.”

NHTSA complaint #11734666, filed 2026-04

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202613%
20251512%
2024811%
2023510%
20221612%

Other parts of the 2025 Kia Carnival

Electrical system
84 complaintsOther or unknown
22 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
5 complaintsSeats
4 complaintsBody and structure
4 complaintsVehicle speed control
4 complaintsForward collision avoidance
3 complaintsLane departure
3 complaintsAir bags
2 complaintsSeat belts
2 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2025 Kia Carnival

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology