2026 KIA CARNIVAL Complaints

I purchased a new 2026 Kia Carnival EX and noticed an unusually intense amount of heat coming from underneath the vehicle on the passenger side, particularly around the rear passenger door/second-row seating area. I first noticed the issue while the vehicle was parked and I was standing outside the open rear passenger door installing car seats and floor mats. The heat radiating from underneath the vehicle was intense enough that my feet and lower legs became extremely hot while standing next to the vehicle I also noticed that the seat/floor rails and other exposed metal components in and around the second-row passenger area became extremely hot to the touch. I could only keep my hand on some of these metal components briefly before the heat became too uncomfortable and I had to remove my hand. I am concerned about the safety of this condition because these hot surfaces are in an area routinely accessed by passengers, including children entering and exiting the second row. I am concerned about the potential for contact burns as well as whether the amount of heat being transferred into the floor, rails, and surrounding components could indicate an exhaust, emissions, heat-shielding, or other mechanical problem. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. At this time, the exact component or system responsible for the excessive heat has not been identified. The issue has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a Kia dealer or independent service center. I have contacted Kia service personnel regarding having the vehicle inspected. I was informed that if the vehicle is inspected and the dealership cannot reproduce or identify a problem, I may be responsible for an approximately $210 diagnostic charge. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or another independent party regarding this issue. There were no warning lights or dashboard messages indicating a problem before or when I noticed the heat

Ac compressor has now failed twice and this will be the third compressor they are going to install. The car was completely shutting off at lights and having other electrical errors that they said was all related to the ac system. The part is now on back order with the company

While driving approximately 70 mph on the highway returning from Door County, 20 miles north of Manitowoc, on a clear day with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s and no other vehicles nearby, the panoramic sunroof glass spontaneously shattered with a loud noise. The middle portion of the glass was sucked outward/up and away from the vehicle. The sunroof had not been used (or we are unsure if it was ever opened more than once or twice since acquiring the vehicle). Immediately afterward we heard significantly increased wind noise. We pulled over, went to a car wash, vacuumed all small glass pieces from the vehicle, and duct-taped around the inside seam to prevent any remaining shards from entering the cabin. The vehicle is only a few months old. No impact, debris, or external object was involved. Photos of the damaged roof and remaining frame have been uploaded.

The contact owns a 2027 Hyundai Palisade. The contact stated that while initiating vehicle operation, the messages "Check Hybrid System" and "Stop Vehicle and Check Power Supply" was displayed. The failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted and received the same messages. The dealer stated that the failure was associated with the 12-Volt battery in the vehicle that was low due to being in port for a while; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted and stated that the corporate office was working on the remedy, but there was no estimated date when the remedy would become available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

Car will not start after being parked in my garage for 24 to 48 hours. The battery is drained and needs to be jumped. This has happened three times. I am sure that no fob is left in the car, no interior lights are on, no door is ajar, and nothing is plugged into any USB ports.

I am writing to formally express my serious concern and disappointment regarding my Kia Carnival Hybrid. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle, with only approximately 6,000 miles on the odometer, the vehicle suddenly stopped operating while I was driving on the freeway. This created a dangerous situation for my family and other motorists. The vehicle had to be towed to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. No warning or message had appeared before the issue. The dealership retained the vehicle for approximately one week and informed us that a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) component had failed and needed to be replaced. After the repair was completed, we were assured that the issue had been resolved and that the vehicle was safe to drive. Unfortunately, after driving only about 50 additional miles, the exact same issue occurred again. The vehicle once again became inoperable, leaving us stranded and raising significant concerns about the reliability, safety, and quality of this vehicle. We towed the vehicle on 6/22/26 and Kia dealership had it till today 8/7/26 and corporate keep saying they working on it but unresponsive.

Detailed information is in the attached pdf file, but in a nutshell, Kia is covering a safety defect in their vehicles by claiming the process is “proprietary”. On several occasions we have lost propulsion, which means we had no control over our vehicle, and Kia’s explanation is simply, “the vehicle is performing as intended “! These incidents always happened at low speeds, just accelerating from a stop, but left us in a precarious situation as we were left in the middle of a busy intersection with no control over our vehicle! Propulsion would eventually return. After surviving several of these failures, I learned the proper thing was to let both pedals return to their idle position and then the vehicle would recover. This is a most difficult thing to accomplish when surrounded by angry drivers! The failures were identified by Google AI as a Brake Override System, also known as Brake Throttle Override. However, Kia already has a very functional Brake Over Accelerator process, so why would they have two similar functions? Kia knows the answer but is refusing to divulge any information regarding the intention or purpose of this mysterious process which makes our vehicle unsafe!

Distracting feature which is dangerous to the operator: The control for the radio volume is the same knob as the control for the air and heating. As a result when you go to turn down the radio or change the volume you often change the fan and temperature... and likewise when you go to change the temperature you inadvertantly change the volume on the radio which is difficult to change back. The constant switching between the Radio control and the temperature/fan control for the car is a huge distraction for a driver who needs to stay focused on the road Thankfully we have not been in an accident at this time, but the distraction is a concern with this vehicle and we felt should be reported for review.

The floor railings above the battery, that allow the second row seats to slide, get hot. Extremely hot to the touch. Burning my children’s feet. Not sure if it’s related but the a/c does not stay cold when driving long distance and the HV battery just died last month for no reason. Brand new car.

While driving on an interstate during a heavy summer thunderstorm, the vehicle suddenly displayed a warning stating, "There may be a problem with the Battery Management System," along with a "Check Hybrid System" message. At the same time, the check engine light illuminated and the hybrid system stopped functioning without any prior warning. Approximately 10–15 minutes before the incident, I had driven through approximately 4 inches of standing water on a surface street at a speed of about 25 mph. After entering the interstate and traveling at approximately 65 mph in heavy rain, the hybrid system suddenly disabled itself. Cruise control was not engaged at any point during the trip. Immediately after the warning appeared, the vehicle experienced a significant loss of power and entered what appeared to be a reduced-power (limp) mode. The gasoline engine continued to run, but acceleration was severely limited, making it difficult to maintain speed or accelerate with surrounding highway traffic. This occurred at night, during heavy rain, on a busy interstate.The unexpected reduction in power created a hazardous situation and increased the risk of being struck by other vehicles while attempting to merge or pull over. After I was able to safely stop and restart the vehicle, the "Check Hybrid System" and Battery Management System warning messages disappeared. The vehicle has approximately 6,000 miles and was purchased new. This vehicle is used to transport my family, including my wife and our three young children. I believe this presents a significant safety concern because the sudden loss of power occurred without warning while traveling at highway speed in adverse weather conditions. Even though the vehicle remained drivable, the reduced acceleration made it difficult to safely maintain traffic flow or move to the shoulder, increasing the risk of a collision. I request that this issue be investigated to determine whether there is a defect affecting the hybrid system.