BMW 535XI vs KIA Carnival

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	BMW 535XI	KIA Carnival
Complaints on file	223	550
Model years covered	2007–2013	2022–2026
Worst model year	2008	2022
Best model year	2012	2026
Crashes reported	1	14
Fires reported	12	0
Injuries reported	6	66
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Engine & Cooling	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	8.5%	14.5%

BMW 535XI by year

1 123 26 44 23 6

07 08 10 11 12 13

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 31 13.9%

Electrical System 30 13.5%

Fuel & Propulsion 30 13.5%

Airbags 21 9.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 18 8.1%

Tires 18 8.1%

Lights 14 6.3%

Wheels 13 5.8%

KIA Carnival by year

180 65 99 170 36

22 23 24 25 26

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 133 24.2%

Other & Unspecified 110 20.0%

Body & Structure 56 10.2%

Engine & Cooling 47 8.5%

Fuel & Propulsion 36 6.5%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 28 5.1%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 26 4.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 19 3.5%