Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2026 Kia Carnival, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Unknown or other13
- Electrical system8
- Power train4
- Vehicle speed control3
- Structure3
- Back over prevention2
- Forward collision avoidance2
- Lane departure2
- Seat belts1
- Engine1
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 2026 Kia Carnival failed the safety check 0.09% of the time — 45% less often than the average 2026 passenger car (0.16%). Median odometer at inspection: 18 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In New Zealand
663 2026 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 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 KIA CARNIVAL PV N/A FWD | ★★★★★ | 14.0 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard & Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
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 11.3 L/100 km (about 21 mpg US), CO₂ 266 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carnival · Minivan · Regular gasoline | 13.0 | 9.3 | 11.3 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2026 Kia Carnival.
| 2026032 26 Jan 2026 | Lights And Instruments Issue: On certain vehicles, a software problem could cause the instrument cluster display to go blank while driving. As a result, you may not be able to see c… |
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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
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