2023 KIA CARNIVAL — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
55
Owner Complaints
3
Recalls
27
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL
The 2023 KIA CARNIVAL has received a total of 55 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS, TRAILER HITCHES. 27 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Unknown Or Other (19 complaints), Structurebody (10 complaints), and Electrical System (6 complaints).
Recalls for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL
NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL, potentially affecting up to 360,357 vehicles.
Recall 24V025000 — STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
| 101,049 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
Consequence: A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.
View full details →Recall 24V025000 — STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
| 101,049 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
Consequence: A detached roof molding can create a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the roof molding and replace or secure it as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC292.
View full details →Recall 23V179000 — TRAILER HITCHES
| 3,555 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Carnival vehicles equipped with a tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Consequence: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside and away from structures until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and verify whether the vehicle is equipped with a Genuine Kia accessory trailer tow hitch assembly. If equipped, dealers will...
View full details →Recall 23V236000 — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
| 51,568 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling all 2022 and certain 2023 Carnival vehicles. The auto-reverse feature for the power sliding doors (PSD) may not activate in all situations.
Consequence: A power sliding door that does not auto-reverse can close on an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the power sliding door control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC266.
View full details →Recall 23V236000 — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
| 51,568 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling all 2022 and certain 2023 Carnival vehicles. The auto-reverse feature for the power sliding doors (PSD) may not activate in all situations.
Consequence: A power sliding door that does not auto-reverse can close on an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the power sliding door control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC266.
View full details →Recall 23V236000 — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
| 51,568 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling all 2022 and certain 2023 Carnival vehicles. The auto-reverse feature for the power sliding doors (PSD) may not activate in all situations.
Consequence: A power sliding door that does not auto-reverse can close on an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the power sliding door control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC266.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL
55 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chest Clip Buckle Harness | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Lane Keep Steering Assist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatchemergency Mechanical Release | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Beltsrearotherretractor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steeringcolumn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structurebodydoor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywiper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that during freezing weather, the button was depressed to open the driver's side rear sliding door, and the door automatically opened; however, the motor reached a point of resistance and attempted to close the sliding door. Due to the failure of the cable in the door snapped behind the glass window. The contact manually opened the sliding door and used excessive force to close the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed that the door cable had snapped. The contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty; however, the dealer reached out to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer later agreed to partial assistance with the repair. The contact paid for the remaining cost of the repair. The manufacturer was contacted about the repair and provided a case number. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 63,476.
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that during freezing weather, the button was depressed to open the driver's side rear sliding door, and the door automatically opened; however, the motor reached a point of resistance and attempted to close the sliding door. Due to the failure of the cable in the door snapped behind the glass window. The contact manually opened the sliding door and used excessive force to close the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed that the door cable had snapped. The contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty; however, the dealer reached out to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer later agreed to partial assistance with the repair. The contact paid for the remaining cost of the repair. The manufacturer was contacted about the repair and provided a case number. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 63,476.
ABS was activating inappropriately creating a grinding/pulsating noise while I was attempting to stop at a light. The vehicle did slow down but despite the completely dry road service and sufficient stopping distance, the vehicle never came to a stop and ran into the vehicle in front of me. The vehicle is currently in the autobody shop to be repaired as it is not drivable (leaking fluids). I will be contacting my insurance company and an independent service center shortly to have it inspected. I will also be contacting Kia America, Inc.. There were no warning lamps or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Strong fuel smell that comes and goes. Dealership replaced fuel injection related parts after finding a leak. Problem is still present.
Passenger side sliding door periodically gets stuck trying to open or close. My 3 year olds finger got stuck in the closed position of the sliding door and we could not get the door open immediately because of the faulty door periodically getting stuck.
Safety Rating for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL
Kia America, Inc. has issued 27 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
PS788 — STRUCTURE:BODY
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: FUEL FILLER DOOR ACTUATOR REPLACEMENT - This Pitstop provides information regarding the replacement of the fuel filler door actuator and wiring harness on 2022-2024MY Carnival (KA4) vehicles. When replacing a faulty fuel filler door actuator, ensure to order the corresponding replacement part number (shown below) for the...
PSD_REMINDER2 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
IMPORTANT REMINDER: CARNIVAL POWER SLIDING DOOR FEATURE: OWNER NOTIFICATION (KA4PSD2) - This document is the owner notification advising Kia's ongoing to providing you with a superior ownership experience, we’d like to remind you about the proper use of the power sliding door and its automatic stop and reversal feature in...
PI2501_DP — SEATS
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (PI2501) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting an important Product Improvement Campaign to install covers onto the 2nd row seat rails in all 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles and certain 2025 MY Carnival vehicles manufactured...
SC290_DP — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC290) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conducting g a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign on certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles equipped with Lambda 3.5L engines manufactured from January 4, 2021 to November 6, 2023 to...
SC290_STKR — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SC290_STKR: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL/STICKER
TSB_FUE062_R2 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ECM LOGIC UPDATE FOR DTC P2118 AND THROTTLE BODY FREEZING (SA514) - 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 the procedure to update the software...
TSB_FUE062_R1 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ECM LOGIC UPDATE FOR DTC P2118 AND THROTTLE BODY FREEZING (SA514) - 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 the procedure to update the software...
TSB_FUE062_R1 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: ECM LOGIC UPDATE FOR DTC P2118 AND THROTTLE BODY FREEZING (SA514) - 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 the procedure to update the software...
PI2301A_OWNR — STRUCTURE
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to install steel reinforcement plates on the second-row seat outer rails in certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles equipped with sliding and removable second-row seats (excluding SX-Prestige equipped with...
PI2301_OWNR_UPD — SEATS
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to install steel reinforcement plates on the second-row seat outer rails in certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles equipped with sliding and removable second-row seats (excluding SX-Prestige equipped...
Showing 10 of 27 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2023 KIA CARNIVAL
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the KIA CARNIVAL
- 2022 KIA CARNIVAL — 164 complaints
- 2023 KIA CARNIVAL (current)
- 2024 KIA CARNIVAL — 75 complaints
- 2025 KIA CARNIVAL — 126 complaints
- 2026 KIA CARNIVAL — 13 complaints
Other KIA Models
- KIA SORENTO — 13,451 total complaints
- KIA OPTIMA — 10,045 total complaints
- KIA SOUL — 7,147 total complaints
- KIA SPORTAGE — 6,540 total complaints
- KIA FORTE — 3,450 total complaints
- KIA SEDONA — 3,334 total complaints
- KIA SEPHIA — 3,080 total complaints
- KIA TELLURIDE — 2,109 total complaints