2023 Kia Carnival: owner complaints and recalls

Owners have filed 46 complaints about the 2023 Kia Carnival and NHTSA has issued 4 recall campaigns. The most-reported system is unknown or other, named in 20 of them.

46
Complaints
4
Recalls
1
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
7
Injuries
130.4
Severity index

Severity index 130.4 - High. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 130.4p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2023 Kia Carnival sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 80 2023 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2023 Kia Carnival ranks 13 of 80 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 84% of its model-year peers. See the full 2023 ranking.

What actually fails

Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 20 complaints (43.5%)20 43%StructureStructure: 12 complaints (26.1%)12 26%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 6 complaints (13.0%)6 13%EngineEngine: 4 complaints (8.7%)4 9%Latches/Locks/LinkagesLatches/Locks/Linkages: 2 complaints (4.3%)2 4%Chest ClipChest Clip: 2 complaints (4.3%)2 4%BuckleBuckle: 2 complaints (4.3%)2 4%HarnessHarness: 2 complaints (4.3%)2 4%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2043.5%
STRUCTURE1226.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM613.0%
ENGINE48.7%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES24.3%
Chest Clip24.3%
Buckle24.3%
Harness24.3%

Complaints filed per year

09182022: 32023: 182024: 82025: 102026: 7 (partial year)222318242526
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20223
202318
20248
202510
2026 (year to date)7
Complaint volume is rising - the last three years carry 12.0x the filings of the three before them, which usually signals a wear-related defect surfacing with age.

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
23V17900017/03/2023TRAILER HITCHESKia 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 c
23V23600031/03/2023STRUCTURE:BODY:DOORKia 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.
24V02500018/01/2024STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARSKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Sportage and 2022-2024 Carnival vehicles. The roof molding may loosen and detach.
26V23200010/04/2026FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGSKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Carnival vehicles. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.