What breaks most · 2022 to 2026 model years
Kia Carnival problems by year
Owners have filed 398 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Carnival across model years 2022 to 2026. Two years stand out: 2022 for body and structure complaints and 2025 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2023.
- Years to check closely: 2022, 2025
- Fewest complaints: 2023
- Complaints on file
- 3982022 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2022133 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 90 fires · 60 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 9kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 15Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 133 | 4 | 6 | Unknown or other (34) | |
| 50 | 1 | 4 | Unknown or other (22) | |
| 70 | 2 | 2 | Unknown or other (23) | |
| 122 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (82) | |
| 23 | 2 | 2 | Unknown or other (10) |
What fails on the 2022 Kia Carnival
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or other | 26% |
34 | 1 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 24% |
32 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 17% |
22 | 1 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 12% |
16 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2022 Kia Carnival |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 11% |
14 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 8% |
11 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 6% |
8 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 5% |
7 | 0 | Shop all latches and locks parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Driver side sliding door closed COMPLETELY on daughter's finger causing significant damage and laceration down to the bone. Required extensive laceration repair.
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I was driving about 6:30ish in the morning and my whole dashboard went black and my head lights turned off couple seconds later it came back on while i am driving. I will be calling the dealership to see what can be checked.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Kia Carnival years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2022, 2025 carry the most filings on the Kia Carnival. The 2022 alone has 133 complaints, led by unknown or other.
What is the most common Kia Carnival problem?
On the 2022 model year, the most-reported component is unknown or other with 34 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Carnival problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Carnival complaints that include mileage is about 9,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.