2022 Kia Carnival Problems & Owner Complaints

Unknown Or Other 34 1 crash 11 injury

“air condition system was putting refrigerant into cab over the summer making us sick. We could not tell ,because there was no smell. I was in car with a/c on and got a blast of refrigerant in my face were in I almost pasted out. I turned of a/c and opened windows. My being a retired mechanic helped me to control the situation, but average person probably would have passed out and recked the car. I was treated for exposer to a chemical and my wife was too. I can not tell if a/c is fixed, as there is no smell or visibale way to tell.08”
NHTSA complaint #11638495, 2024 · 2 injury(ies)

“Auto hold engaged on car and failed to hold car. Resulted in a crash to my front gate and damage to the car as well as gate. Would not brake when pumping on brake upon collision to front gate. Sensor is now malfunctioning and Kia is not taking responsibility. Most recently the front windshield has a crack that was not caused by anything. Car is parked and covered in my driveway.”
NHTSA complaint #11439291, 2021 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“The driver side passenger door will open by itself when the key fob is near. Today it injured me while pumping gas and almost knocked the gas tank door off and gas pump out. I locked my vehicle to go inside to pay for gas. When I came back to my car to open the gas tank door and inserted the gas pump, the sliding door opened and smashed my wrist in between it and the gas tank cover door. It almost knocked the tank door off but I was able to keep fighting it and pushing it back and it closed. I have deep indents in my wrist and it scuffed the gas tank cover. The sliding doors do not stop when s…”
NHTSA complaint #11719347, 2026 · 1 injury(ies)

Structure 32 12 injury

“These doors need a sensor to reverse the sliding doors upon resistance. It has smashed me and my young children multiple times. The update did not solve this issue and it’s a major safety issue. My 4 year old and 1 year old both had their hand smashed in the automatic sliding doors.”
NHTSA complaint #11535594, 2023 · 2 injury(ies)

“On [XXX], my kids were getting into the vehicle to go to a playdate. My [XXX] got in the car and into his seat. I was on the driver's side buckling my [XXX] in her car seat and my [XXX] was climbing into the door/her seat on the passenger side. The passenger side sliding door shut on my [XXX] 's hand. I immediately tried to open the door with the button next to the steering column and it would not respond. I then ran around to the other side of the car and used the button on the handle, but the door did not respond to open. I had to manually pull on the handle to force it open off of her ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11663748, 2024 · 1 injury(ies)

“The sliding doors do not reverse like they should. The sensors are not good. Yes Kia added the warning sounds but it isn’t good enough. My LO’s entire hand was shut in the door.”
NHTSA complaint #11611930, 2024 · 1 injury(ies)

Electrical System 22 1 crash 3 injury

“The back tailgate door, when opened, will go up to desired height set in car settings, then slam back down 1/4 to 1/2 of the total height. Turning off auto open and close it continues to do so. When manually pushing the door to the open position, it will continue the problem. We have had numerous incidents of heads being hit by the door, arms and hands have also been hit. We took the car to the dealership and they said the door actuator would be over $2000 to fix. It seems like this is a similar issue to the side door actuators that had to be replaced via recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11648679, 2025 · 3 injury(ies)

“My 2022 Kia Carnival, approximately 80,000 miles, had intermittent dashboard warning lights and grinding brake noise for a few weeks. I brought the vehicle to Tasca Kia White Plains first time on 4/14/26 then again on 5/8/26. The dealership initially could not reproduce the issue, then later suspected an ABS sensor issue and ordered the part. On 5/12/26, before the repair was completed, I was driving downhill with my children in the vehicle when the brakes failed to respond properly. I had to steer off the roadway and go over rocks/boulders to stop the vehicle. At that time, the brakes would…”
NHTSA complaint #11738446, 2026 · crash

“My engine smells like fire and fuel my can will not start or do anything. There was smoke coming out of it. The van has had several issues since buying it. Now it’s completely disabled I heard a popping noise as I was driving and then it died and has not started since.”
NHTSA complaint #11723675, 2026

Engine 16 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2020 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the rear driver's side automatic sliding door sensor malfunctioned, causing injury to the contact's daughter's shoulder when it closed while she was exiting the vehicle. No medical attention was received. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an unknown failure. The dealer informed the contact that an unknown part needed to be replaced and deactivated the rear-powered sliding doors. The…”
NHTSA complaint #11458125, 2021 · 1 injury(ies)

“Engine light turns on every couple months. The Kia either stops accelerating and goes into “limp mode” or gives code for misfiring cylinders. Took to dealership several times, they did nothing but reset battery so light goes off. Unsafe when driving my family around and has turned into an unreliable vehicle. SO frustrating for a new vehicle to have these issues.”
NHTSA complaint #11729561, 2026

“My engine smells like fire and fuel my can will not start or do anything. There was smoke coming out of it. The van has had several issues since buying it. Now it’s completely disabled I heard a popping noise as I was driving and then it died and has not started since.”
NHTSA complaint #11723675, 2026

Fuel/Propulsion System 14

“SC368 CROSS OVER FUEL PIPE recall incomplete by kia of des moines”
NHTSA complaint #11748281, 2026

“I am writing to formally complain about the delay in repairing my vehicle under an active recall involving the fuel system/crossover fuel pump. I have been informed that the required part is on backorder and that the repair may not be available until the end of July. My concern is that I am experiencing strong fuel fumes in and around the vehicle. The odor is severe enough that it is causing headaches, and I do not feel it is safe for me or my children to ride in the vehicle. Given that this recall involves a fuel-related component, I am extremely concerned about both the health effects of co…”
NHTSA complaint #11743703, 2026

“Fuel leak at pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail. Nuts securing the high-pressure crossover fuel pipe to the fuel rail loosened, leaking raw fuel, leading to risk of fire. This has been reported and confirmed by Ron Bouchard Kia, of Lancaster, MA, USA. It is a part of Kia Recall SC368 (NHTSA ID: 26V232). We noticed the vehicle was leaking a substance in April 2025. After receiving recall notice in April 2026, we brought the vehicle in to be check on XXX. We were informed on XXX by phone that our vehicle was affected and fell under this recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURS…”
NHTSA complaint #11742041, 2026

Visibility/Wiper 11

“My front windshield on my 2022 Kia Carnival has shattered in two places from a small hit. I have owned lots of cars and never had a windshield break in two places all the way across. There must be an issue or problem.”
NHTSA complaint #11672647, 2025

“The windshield cracked while driving. Nothing hit it, it just cracked. Was 8inches long and now covers half the windshield. Obvious defect in the windshield. It is availability to see or I can take a picture. Safety is compromised by a cracked windshield that could get worse and hurt us. It has not been inspected and no warning lights went off”
NHTSA complaint #11569364, 2024

“The rear side passenger window busted from the bottom. Only top half of window remained while driving down the road. No warnings. I only knew this was possible with car due to Facebook group and others having this happen to them. Big bomb sound no one else on road car is 2022 bought September 2021. Handling its 3rd winter in the state we got it.”
NHTSA complaint #11560389, 2023

Visibility 8

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed that the windshield was cracked from the passenger's side to the driver's side of the windshield. The vehicle was taken to an auto glass repair shop, where it was determined that the windshield needed to be replaced; however, the replacement windshield was not available. The windshield was replaced and was recalibrated after a month. The contact stated that after the repair, the Forward Collision Avoidance system was intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that while the…”
NHTSA complaint #11567490, 2023

“The rear side passenger window busted from the bottom. Only top half of window remained while driving down the road. No warnings. I only knew this was possible with car due to Facebook group and others having this happen to them. Big bomb sound no one else on road car is 2022 bought September 2021. Handling its 3rd winter in the state we got it.”
NHTSA complaint #11560389, 2023

“I have owned this 2022 Kia Carnival for about a year and half. Since owning this vehicle the front windshield glass has mysteriously gotten two separate cracks causing me to have to replace this glass twice. Initially when the cracks appear they are already 3-5 inches in length and continue to spread across the entire length of the glass without provocation. The glass seems to be pretty susceptible to these cracks because I have never owned a vehicle that this has occurred to so often and/or owned a vehicle where there would at least be a small crack that could be repaired without replacing th…”
NHTSA complaint #11489705, 2022

Latches/Locks/Linkages 7 3 injury

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while opening the passenger-side sliding door, she placed mangos on the seat with the key fob and her cell phone in her hand. The contact stated that the doors closed and she was pinned to the door.  There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to call her spouse and 911, and medical attention was provided at the emergency room. The contact was referred to her primary physician, where an MRI was provided, and it was determined that there was a rip in her shoulder. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it…”
NHTSA complaint #11593932, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while her daughter was inside the vehicle, the door closed on her rib cage and arm, but medical attention was not provided. Additionally, the taillights were inoperable. While driving, the vehicle stalled. While accelerating and making a turn, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the weather stripping sensor needed to be replaced. The bulb was broken, and a wiring harness replacement was needed. The system was reset. The ve…”
NHTSA complaint #11535422, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that both the driver's side and passenger side electronic sliding door had malfunctioned and would erroneously open and close. The contact indicated that while the daughter was retrieving items from the vehicle the passenger electronic side sliding door erroneously closed on her daughter and causing minor injuries to the arms and ribs which did not require medical treatment. The vehicle was later the taken to the dealer and serviced under a manufacturer's campaign to reprogram the door sensors. The door sensors were reprogrammed but the…”
NHTSA complaint #11539997, 2021 · 1 injury(ies)

Power Train 7

“Engine light turns on every couple months. The Kia either stops accelerating and goes into “limp mode” or gives code for misfiring cylinders. Took to dealership several times, they did nothing but reset battery so light goes off. Unsafe when driving my family around and has turned into an unreliable vehicle. SO frustrating for a new vehicle to have these issues.”
NHTSA complaint #11729561, 2026

“Dealer says recall sc211 doesn’t apply to this vehicle, however CEL is displaying (once again) with DTC “P0191 Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Range/Performance”. Kia dealer has does minimal investigation/diagnosis with no resolution.”
NHTSA complaint #11682506, 2025

“When traveling on the highway, the vehicle would not shift into a higher gear limiting the control of the vehicle to accelerate to the flow of traffic. The transmission would not shift for approximately 1/4 of a mile and was stuck at a max speed of ~35 mph and it would not accelerate. This loss of control almost caused an accident and put my family and self at extreme risk. Eventually the vehicle did finally shift gears allowing us to accelerate with the flow of traffic (60mph) This issue with a delay in shifting gears has intermittently happened on prior occasion when accelerating from a ful…”
NHTSA complaint #11680096, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 5 1 crash 1 injury

“Auto hold engaged on car and failed to hold car. Resulted in a crash to my front gate and damage to the car as well as gate. Would not brake when pumping on brake upon collision to front gate. Sensor is now malfunctioning and Kia is not taking responsibility. Most recently the front windshield has a crack that was not caused by anything. Car is parked and covered in my driveway.”
NHTSA complaint #11439291, 2021 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed that the windshield was cracked from the passenger's side to the driver's side of the windshield. The vehicle was taken to an auto glass repair shop, where it was determined that the windshield needed to be replaced; however, the replacement windshield was not available. The windshield was replaced and was recalibrated after a month. The contact stated that after the repair, the Forward Collision Avoidance system was intermittently inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that while the…”
NHTSA complaint #11567490, 2023

“Both situations have happened numerous times. The sliding doors do not stop or back off unless an adult size person pushes body force against them to open. My daughter got stuck in the door and she is 2.5. I have to push my entire body against the door to make it open back up. The second thing is the emergency braking system will automatically slam on the brakes after forcing for a long period of time, when I am on the highway. It happens on road trips after cruising for a while. And is not happening at an appropriate time.”
NHTSA complaint #11507176, 2022

Seats 4 3 injury

“The handle to release the back of the middle passenger seats is on the front inside lower part of the seat. This requires the passenger to lean in to pull and release. The seat then comes forward with such force that it slams the passenger in the head or face. This has happened several times in my vehicle leaving adults and teens in tears. It happened to me today striking me just under the nose. The impact caused me to black out for a second. I have a slightly swollen lip and am concerned that the root of my front tooth may be damaged. I’m convinced that the rate at which the seat comes forwar…”
NHTSA complaint #11487418, 2022 · 1 injury(ies)

“The middle seats seem to be spring loaded, when pushing them back into position the spring back with significant force if not "clicked" in. This resulted in a significant bruise after hitting me in the head.”
NHTSA complaint #11465687, 2022 · 1 injury(ies)

“2022 KIA CARNIVAL. THE OUTER MIDDLE SEATS IN THE 8 PASSENGER MODEL. I HAVE ACCIDENTALLY USED THE LEVER TO FOLD THE SEAT FOWARD WHEN I MEANT TO USE THE ONE THAT PULLS IT FOWARD ON THE TRACK. WHEN THE SEAT CAME FOWARD IT HIT ME IN THE HEAD SUCH FORCE I THOUGH I WAS GOING HAVE A CONCUSSION. I WAS LEFT WITH A MINOR HEADACHE AFTERWARD.THE SECOND TIME I THOUGHT IT BROKE MY NOSE. I CAN STILL FEEL IT AS I TYPE THIS. THIS IN MY OPINION WOULD CAUSE SEVER INJURY TO A SMALL CHILD OR ELDERLY PERSON IF THEY WERE TO DO THE SAME. TO ME THOSE SEATS ARE DANGEROUS IF NOT PREPARED WHEN FOLDING THE SE…”
NHTSA complaint #11416351, 2021 · 1 injury(ies)

Vehicle Speed Control 4

“When traveling on the highway, the vehicle would not shift into a higher gear limiting the control of the vehicle to accelerate to the flow of traffic. The transmission would not shift for approximately 1/4 of a mile and was stuck at a max speed of ~35 mph and it would not accelerate. This loss of control almost caused an accident and put my family and self at extreme risk. Eventually the vehicle did finally shift gears allowing us to accelerate with the flow of traffic (60mph) This issue with a delay in shifting gears has intermittently happened on prior occasion when accelerating from a ful…”
NHTSA complaint #11680096, 2025

“Car will not accelerate. Error code P211800. Engine control system. Throttle control. Temp outside was 19degrees F. Check engine light is on.”
NHTSA complaint #11456566, 2022

“The throttle body froze up and the Van went into "limp mode". I was driving on a semi-busy road and I could not go above 10mph. It would not let me shift either. Like it was not getting any gas to let me accelerate. The check engine light was on, I used a scan reader and the code came as P2118. Also when it went to the dealership the check engine light was still on. It was inspected by the dealership, but only deleted it and it was given back to us. Yes, the first symptom was the idle was rough and the exhaust was making a deep noise. *Dealership wrote that it had high rpms*, which I never sai…”
NHTSA complaint #11448472, 2022

Exterior Lighting 3 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while her daughter was inside the vehicle, the door closed on her rib cage and arm, but medical attention was not provided. Additionally, the taillights were inoperable. While driving, the vehicle stalled. While accelerating and making a turn, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the weather stripping sensor needed to be replaced. The bulb was broken, and a wiring harness replacement was needed. The system was reset. The ve…”
NHTSA complaint #11535422, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

“The rear turn signals are too low and small in the vehicle and people are unable to notice it. Almost ended up in crash few times.”
NHTSA complaint #11578699, 2024

“At roughly 9,000 miles we noticed that the lights illuminating the climate control buttons stopped working. We also noticed the gear shift indicators (P, R, N, D) were not lighting up either, and neither was the light that told you what gear you were in. At night it is impossible to see what gear you are in or what button to push to change anything on the climate control. My wife took the car to a car wash and when she tried to put the car in neutral, she put it in reverse because there was no indication as to what gear she was in and she couldn't see, putting her and others around her at risk…”
NHTSA complaint #11447200, 2021

Steering 3

“When trying to alert a vehicle that was merging into my lane but did not see me, my horn did not work. It randomly does not work at times. Every once in a while it will. This poses as a danger and safety risk to drivers and passengers of my 2022 Kia Carnival for instances as such where another driver may need to be alerted if they don’t have safety features for blind spots, backing up, etc. I would have gotten struck by the other vehicle if I hadn’t slammed on my brakes and swerve towards the side of the road. I was lucky there was room on the side of the road to swerve to. If my horn would ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11590758, 2024

“I repaired my front strut and in less than a year it is now “internally bent” is what the dealership told me. I now have 4 balled tires and 2 rear toe in tires and done 3 alignments in 1 year and I was told it’s my fault.”
NHTSA complaint #11513518, 2023

Air Bags 2 2 crash 4 injury

“With very low miles on our Carnival, I had just left a stop sign and someone ran their stop sign at high speed and tboned my vehicle in the driver's side. I woke up from being unconscious while still in driver seat and my car was still limping down the road not far from the intersection. Pretty serious head, back and other injuries and was taken via ambulance to the hospital. The problem is that despite a high speed impact into the side of my vehicle, NOT ONE of the airbags deployed! I am confident that my injuries, that now seem permanent, would have been MUCH less if the airbags had deplo…”
NHTSA complaint #11505365, 2022 · crash · 3 injury(ies)

“I was tboned on 3/10/2022 at high speed in the back driver's side 1/3 of the car by another who ran stop sign at high speed (I am guessing 50 or 60 mph). I have some amnesia about the impact now....but with large hematoma on left side of my head & concussion, my head must have hit the left side body/frame of the vehicle without the benefit of side curtain airbags that sure would have made this accident less traumatic to my body and brain. Currently the vehicle is being moved from an impound lot to State Farm' lot. We have not seen any warning lights or had any problems with this car up til n…”
NHTSA complaint #11456403, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Service Brakes 2 2 crash 1 injury

“Auto hold engaged on car and failed to hold car. Resulted in a crash to my front gate and damage to the car as well as gate. Would not brake when pumping on brake upon collision to front gate. Sensor is now malfunctioning and Kia is not taking responsibility. Most recently the front windshield has a crack that was not caused by anything. Car is parked and covered in my driveway.”
NHTSA complaint #11439291, 2021 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“My 2022 Kia Carnival, approximately 80,000 miles, had intermittent dashboard warning lights and grinding brake noise for a few weeks. I brought the vehicle to Tasca Kia White Plains first time on 4/14/26 then again on 5/8/26. The dealership initially could not reproduce the issue, then later suspected an ABS sensor issue and ordered the part. On 5/12/26, before the repair was completed, I was driving downhill with my children in the vehicle when the brakes failed to respond properly. I had to steer off the roadway and go over rocks/boulders to stop the vehicle. At that time, the brakes would…”
NHTSA complaint #11738446, 2026 · crash

Engine And Engine Cooling 1 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while her daughter was inside the vehicle, the door closed on her rib cage and arm, but medical attention was not provided. Additionally, the taillights were inoperable. While driving, the vehicle stalled. While accelerating and making a turn, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the weather stripping sensor needed to be replaced. The bulb was broken, and a wiring harness replacement was needed. The system was reset. The ve…”
NHTSA complaint #11535422, 2023 · 1 injury(ies)

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V320000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”
NHTSA complaint #11734515, 2026

Suspension 1

“I repaired my front strut and in less than a year it is now “internally bent” is what the dealership told me. I now have 4 balled tires and 2 rear toe in tires and done 3 alignments in 1 year and I was told it’s my fault.”
NHTSA complaint #11513518, 2023

Wheels 1

“I repaired my front strut and in less than a year it is now “internally bent” is what the dealership told me. I now have 4 balled tires and 2 rear toe in tires and done 3 alignments in 1 year and I was told it’s my fault.”
NHTSA complaint #11513518, 2023