Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Carnival, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Electrical system84
- Unknown or other20
- Engine15
- Fuel/propulsion system8
- Power train5
- Exterior lighting5
- Vehicle speed control4
- Seats4
- Structure4
- Lane departure3
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2025 Kia Carnival failed the safety check 0.23% of the time — 30% less often than the average 2025 passenger car (0.34%). Median odometer at inspection: 271 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
703 2025 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 2 variants; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Kia Carnival HEV PV FWD | — | 14.0 % |
| 2025 Kia Carnival PV FWD | — | 14.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard & Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- —
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 11.1 L/100 km (about 21 mpg US), CO₂ 260 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 12.9 | 8.8 | 11.1 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2025 Kia Carnival.
| 2026186 10 Apr 2026 | Fuel System Issue: On certain vehicles, the nuts for the crossover fuel pipe may not have been properly tightened. As a result, fuel could leak. Safety Risk: A fue… |
| 2024549 15 Aug 2024 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" a… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Carnival vehicles. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Kia told its dealers about the 2025 Kia Carnival: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010706 | OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR CENTRAL COMMUNICATION UNIT (SA593) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Central Communication Unit (CCU) logic of certain 2025 Carnival vehicles. This update is designed to help reduce auxiliary battery power consumption while the vehicle is turned off. |
| 11010701 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: CCU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA593) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Central Communication Unit (CCU) system on certain 2025MY Carnival (KA4) vehicles produced from April 15, 2024 through August 26, 2024 and Carnival HEV (KA4 HEV) vehicles produced from July 8, 2024 to September 23, 2024. The affected vehicles may experience a dark current draw from the 12V battery while the vehicle is parked, potentially resulting in low battery voltage and no-start condition. |
| 11009079 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a customer satisfaction campaign to replace the interior door trim color to Tuscan Umber on certain 2025 Kia Carnival vehicles (CS2401). |
| 11009078 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: DOOR TRIM ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (CS2401) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front and rear door trim assemblies on certain 2025MY Carnival (KA4) EX, SX, SXP vehicles produced from April 16, 2024 through May 24, 2024. Since the production of the subject vehicles, Kia has made a production change to the door trim color and is making that color available at no charge to those customers who elect to have the door trim color changed. |
| 11009074 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CCNC DEALER MODE, FACTORY AND NETWORK RESET - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to access the Dealer Mode function on 2024MY~ models listed on page 5 equipped with a Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) head unit, and to perform a Reset Network and/or Factory Reset to address customer concerns related to activation of Kia Connect or Kia Connect features that may have stopped working. |
| 11008037 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CCNC - DEALER MODE, FACTORY AND NETWORK RESET - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to access the Dealer Mode function on 2024MY~ models listed on page 5 equipped with a Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) head unit, and to perform a Reset Network and/or Factory Reset to address customer concerns related to activation of Kia Connect or Kia Connect features that may have stopped working. |
| 11000787 | This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)