What breaks most · 2025 to 2026 model years
Kia Carnival Hybrid problems by year
Owners have filed 79 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Kia Carnival Hybrid across model years 2025 to 2026. Two years stand out: 2025 for speed control and throttle complaints and 2026 for electrical system complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2025, 2026
- Complaints on file
- 792025 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 202558 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 11 fires · 2 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 2kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 1Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 1 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (22) | |
| 21 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (10) |
What fails on the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 38% |
22 | 0 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 34% |
20 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 33% |
19 | 0 | Shop all engine parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 21% |
12 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 16% |
9 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
7 | 0 | — |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 3% |
2 | 1 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 3% |
2 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid |
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.
-
Cold winter day, the car would not accelerate past 30-35 MPH. The engine would rev but would not be able to get past about 35 MPH.
-
Ac compressor has now failed twice and this will be the third compressor they are going to install. The car was completely shutting off at lights and having other electrical errors that they said was all related to the ac system. The part is now on back order with the company
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 Hybrid years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2025, 2026 carry the most filings on the Kia Carnival Hybrid. The 2025 alone has 58 complaints, led by speed control and throttle.
What is the most common Kia Carnival Hybrid problem?
On the 2025 model year, the most-reported component is speed control and throttle with 22 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Kia Carnival Hybrid problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Kia Carnival Hybrid complaints that include mileage is about 2,000 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.