The power sliding door on my Kia Carnival has repeatedly failed to reopen when an occupant was caught in the doorway. On multiple occasions, my young child has become trapped by the sliding door after it began closing. Instead of consistently detecting the obstruction and reversing as expected, the door continued to close and pinned my child until an adult intervened. This creates a serious safety hazard because children can become trapped or injured by the power sliding door. The issue has happened several times, making me concerned that the anti-pinch/obstacle detection system is not functioning properly or consistently. The problem appears intermittent but has occurred often enough that I no longer trust the safety feature. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this is a widespread safety defect affecting Kia Carnival sliding doors and understand other owners have reported similar incidents. I am concerned that a child could suffer a serious injury if this defect is not addressed.
NHTSA complaint #11754169 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Richmond, VA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am submitting this complaint regarding the failure of the Kia Connect telematics system and the cessation of critical navigation support for my vehicle. Despite opening a formal support case with Kia (Ticket #25923650), the following issues remain unresolved: Loss of Trip History (Since January 2026): The Trip History feature within the Kia Connect suite has been completely non-functional since January 2026. This prevents the tracking of vehicle usage, mileage, and driving behavior data, which are core features of the paid subscription service. Failure of Connected Routing & Software Obsolescence: The "Connected Routing" feature is no longer operational. Kia support has stated this is due to the vehicle requiring a navigation update; however, Kia has ceased providing all navigation and software updates for this model as of April 2025. Safety Concern: The lack of software support and the failure of "Connected Routing" forces the vehicle to rely on navigation data that is nearly a year out of date. This creates a safety risk when the vehicle provides incorrect guidance on one-way streets, closed roads, or altered traffic patterns. Furthermore, the persistent failure of these telematics services raises serious concerns about the reliability of the vehicle's emergency communication systems, such as Automatic Collision Notification and the SOS Emergency Assistance button, which utilize the same underlying cellular module and software framework. Corrective Action Requested: I am seeking a mandatory software update from Kia that restores full functionality to the Kia Connect suite (specifically Trip History and Connected Routing) or a final navigation map update to ensure the vehicle’s guidance systems remain safe and accurate for the remainder of the service's lifecycle.
NHTSA complaint #11723950 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
San Antonio, TX1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 someone is going in or out. It is a safety hazard and should function like a garage door. Stop when it senses something there. I almost lost my wrist today!!!
NHTSA complaint #11719347 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Walton, IN
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am unsure as for what is wrong with my car the dealership keeps saying its running rich and there is a recall on several 2022 Kia Carnivals that say it could be a faulty fuel rail tube. They have also said my map sensor is failing. My check engine light appeared a few days ago and has since been cleared and hasn't came back on, however it is just a matter of time. My children ride in this car as it is my daily driver and I have extremely head headaches. The dealership inspected the car and stated it did not smell like fuel however it definitely does.
NHTSA complaint #11709607 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kansas City, MO
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Fuel door will not open, there is no manual override, vehicle cannot be refueled and since there is no emergency release it caused me to be stranded at a gas station at night with my 4 kids which is a huge safety concern and should be taken seriously as this is a safety and drivability issue that I should not be held responsible to pay for when it is at no fault to me it is a design/system failure.
NHTSA complaint #11705444 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
St Augustine, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle: 2022 Kia Carnival Component: Liftgate — right-side support/strut (shoulder) failure Safety Issue: The right-hand side trunk strut/support has completely broken, causing the liftgate to drop unexpectedly. The trunk will not stay open and can fall abruptly during use. This creates a significant safety hazard for adults and children standing underneath, and while loading/unloading cargo. There was no prior warning or misuse. The failure is structural and sudden. Resulting Risk: Risk of head/neck injury, especially for children or anyone attempting to open or hold the liftgate. The sudden drop makes the rear of the vehicle unsafe to use. Request: Investigation into whether this is a defect affecting other 2022 Kia Carnival vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11701168 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Whitewright, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Left sliding door window (Drivers side) exploded while driving down the highway. Nobody was around us on a sunday afternoon at [XXX]. [XXX] We were on a flat road so no tension. There is no reason for it to have shattered (my daughter was sleeping laid back in the seat) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11682732 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Sewickley, PA1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The sensor on the sliding doors failed to detect that my daughter’s hand was in the way. She hit the button to close the door, carefully was getting herself down, and did not get her tiny hand out of the way in time. The door slid closed and latched on my daughter’s thumb. It was stuck in between the drivers door and the sliding door. Attached you will find a photo of her hand and the instant bruising that it caused. It was not just a finger tip. It was her entire thumb that was stuck. I took her to the emergency dept at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, to where she received X-rays. Thankfully her hand was as not fractured or broken. I posted this in my KIA carnival Facebook group and multiple families said that this is happening to their children as well.
NHTSA complaint #11656630 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Indian Harbour Beach, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving down the highway, and I heard what sounded like a seal breaking. I thought that someone had put one of the windows down on accident. After pulling up on all the buttons, I determined no window was open. When I got out of the car, the plastic molding on the driver side A pillar had flown off. I don’t know if this would have caused damage to another vehicle. I didn’t know until I was several miles down the road what had caused that sound. It does affect my car in that the wind catches in those holes and will push my car around.
NHTSA complaint #11650731 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Lufkin, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving spare tired became detached causing vehicle to have major damage to undercarriage. If speed was higher it would have caused a major accident with injury to passengers in vehicle and other vehicles.
NHTSA complaint #11644271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Anderson, CA2 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Saint Petersburg, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The rear sliding doors are unsafe. The sensors do not stop and reverse under pressure of an object in its path. Under a recall "PE22-004" they slowed down the doors and added 2 beep sounds, but that doesn't help when a child has their hand or arm in the path of a closing sliding door. The pressure required to stop the door is extremely unsafe. There needs to be replaced safety pinch sensors added. I tested this as an adult, 200 lbs, and takes an extreme amount of force to stop the door motor from closing on your body parts and will cause injury.
NHTSA complaint #11607240 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Palm Coast, FL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The power sliding door does not reverse or stop closing if something is in the way. Our child closed his arm in the door and it would not stop.
NHTSA complaint #11584300 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Toa Baja, PR
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Front windshield cracked for no apparent reason.
NHTSA complaint #11578796 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Newaygo, MI
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The air conditioning system is leaking water in the trunk of the car. It has caused mold to grow on the trunk cloth lining and the air filter in the rear panel was completely covered in mold. There was a visible stream of water pouring out from this filter housing when I removed the wall panel where the tire jack is. I had always noticed puddles of water under the vehicle during the summer, but the leak is coming from inside the vehicle, not off an exhaust pipe like I expected.
NHTSA complaint #11546385 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Colorado Springs, CO1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The right passenger sliding door failed to sense my daughter’s hand and it crushed her ring finger causing a cut, bleeding, and bruising. She is in a lot of pain from the injury and now terrified the door will malfunction again causing another injury. We don’t think this vehicle is safe to drive with our family anymore. Yes it’s available for inspection. Since it’s a holiday weekend I’ll have to wait until the nearest dealership is open to have it inspected. We were able to reproduce this failure ourselves. There was no warning.
NHTSA complaint #11542410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Saint Louis, MO
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear sliding doors DO NOT STOP when something is in the way. All my body weight could not stop the door. Yes I had the recall fixed which only slowed it down and added a beeping sound. The sensitivity of the doors NEEDS TO BE FIXED NOW BEFORE A CHILD IS SERIOUSLY HURT.
NHTSA complaint #11535402 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Beaufort, SC
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Got in car and drove less than a mile and exited car. Got back in and my windshield had a huge crack running from the lower drivers side up the window then across. Nothing hit the window though a nut or something could have fallen on it or a small rock when driving another day? Very concerning when I look online and others that own the 22 kia carnival have had this happen
NHTSA complaint #11525666 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Peoria, IL
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Kia issued a safety recall recognizing the power sliding doors on the Kia Carnival do not properly reverse when they encounter an object while closing. Their solution to the identified problem is to simply sound two beeps when the door closer and reduce the speed of closure. This is entirely unacceptable resolution to the problem. Adding two beeps will do nothing to protect my two year old son from having his hand mangled in the door. Now that Kia has accepted this is a safety issue, I full expect a remedy no short of fixing the problem and find the current "fix" entirely unacceptable.
NHTSA complaint #11521646 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Plainfield, IN1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sliding door closed on 21 month old daughters arm breaking it.
NHTSA complaint #11516428 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fort Meade, MD
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1. When accelerating (while driving on ECO Mode) the vehicle starts to shudder at times. When using Normal Mode, the vehicle will shudder while the brake pedal is being used at a red light. Front windshield cracks easily and paint easily chips with no sign of rocks hitting the vehicle. Called Kia Service to get the car looked at and they said they haven’t heard of such issues. 2. Doors are supposed to retract when closing if motion is occurring. A family member almost got her leg pinned by the door and our child almost got hurt on the shoulder because the door kept moving in closing mode when she was trying to get inside the car. Whatever sensor it has, it doesn’t work. 3. Roof Mold on driver’s side came off the roof while driving the speed limit on the highway never to be seen again. The passenger side almost went flying too. 4. iPhone XR does not work properly when synced to the car. It connects and disconnects out of nowhere. It becomes dangerous when using GPS. Vehicle system kept saying it needed a new software to be downloaded. Went to the site and downloaded multiple rimes, called the Customer Service about 3-4 times and last person I spoken to told me to ho straight to the Service Dept at the Kia dealership to get the software downloaded. No one at Kia knew how to download the software. After multiple attempts and Kia not “finding anything”, decided to spend extra money and get a new phone to resolve this issue. I have to have a software downloaded to the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11498214 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vinton, OH
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Around 17,000 -18,000 miles, the engine started to shutter like it wanted to die or wasn't getting enough fuel. While driving, it feels like it's trying to accelerate by itself even when cruise control is set. Even when it is just in nurtural it does it.. Still waiting to get the car into dealership to figure out the cause.
NHTSA complaint #11492030 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Keaau, HI
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There needs to be sensors on the sliding doors if an object is in the way of closing. These doors do not stop with even full adult resistance and child’s had was closed in the sliding doors. This is a common complaint for this vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11489577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fort Worth, TX
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2022 Kia carnival’ s windshield cracked for no reason. No visible sign of damage from external forces. Attempted to rectify with Kia, but sadly given the run around. It's a brand new car ( 8000 miles) .
NHTSA complaint #11478618 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Newaygo, MI
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I left the car while it was still running to check that my trailer lights were working. I had the key FOB in my pocket, but when I got to the car the doors were locked. I tried unlocking it with the key FOB but nothing would happen. My 2 year old son and 3 year old daughter were locked in the car! Luckily, my daughter was able to get to the door and open it from the inside. This should never be something that can happen. The door locking from the inside and the key not working, especially while it is running!
NHTSA complaint #11475713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Baltimore, MD1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Side sliding doors fail to automatically retract open when they encounter something in the way. Both doors present the same problem. Door failed to retract when child was in way, resulting in an injury.
NHTSA complaint #11472272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
South Bend, IN
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is either no sensor, or one that is too weak/defective, in the sliding doors to stop it if a person’s (particularly a child’s) fingers, hands, arms, or other body parts were in the way. Anything in the way would just get crushed by the door! This is not just my vehicle. All Carnivals seem to have a very weak or defective sensor and it’s a serious safety hazard, particularly considering it’s supposed to be a family vehicle! I have prevented injuries so far (thankfully) but have tested the door and it in fact will not stop if something is in the way.
NHTSA complaint #11471232 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Ardmore, PA1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My daughter was closing the left sliding door with her right hand using the button and her left hand was in the doorway. There is no worthwhile sensor in the car to detect her hand and thus the door crushed her hand. She now has a fractured left thumb due to the Kia Carnival. I have tried to see if the sensor would detect my entire hand and it didn’t! I am appalled that a car could be sold that has ZERO sensor
NHTSA complaint #11466619 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Mannford, OK1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My passenger doors do not appear to have a sensor and do not stop when someone or something is in the way. Could be very dangerous. My arm almost got stuck in it. Had it been a child, they may not have had the reflexes to get out in time. Also. If the door is accidentally opened when pumping gas, will it stop? Likely not.
NHTSA complaint #11450964 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Queen Creek, AZ1 injured
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The automatic doors are supposed to stop when they sense an interference but they don’t stop. My daughter got her hand smashed in ours. I thought maybe it was just where her hand ones but I used my own arm to test the door and it smashed by arm before re-opening. Left an awful bruise. I have heard many other carnival owners have had little hands smashed in their doors
NHTSA complaint #11448290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.