34 of the
538 complaints filed about the KIA Carnival
are about the fuel system —
6% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2022.
Recall SC368 was performed. After the recall repair, I began smelling gasoline. The dealer has diagnosed a separate fuel-system issue requiring multiple parts including replacement of the fuel tank. More details: My vehicle underwent a safety recall for a fuel leak/fire risk. Following that repair, I developed a strong gasoline odor. My Kia dealer has now identified a separate fuel-system problem that requires replacement of multiple components, including the fuel tank. The dealer has informed me that multiple Carnivals in Arizona are experiencing the same problem and that a replacement fuel tank is currently unavailable nationwide. I do not have a repair date and I do not consider the vehicle safe to drive.
NHTSA complaint #11756998 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fuel evap canister leak was suspected due to very strong gas smell inside vehicle. Dealership had to change out entire fuel tank to deal with whatever was leaking. Got the car back, and the next day, the smell was back. Dealership told us not to worry about the smell, that it was normal. Drove one more time and smell was so strong that it made two adults dizzy and nauseous within five minutes. Nausea lasted multiple hours. Parked and had it towed to dealer. After multiple days, still waiting to hear back, service apartment claims they're waiting for research from Kia. Vehicle has been too dangerous to drive so sitting at dealership for nearly 30 days now, total. No warning lights or messages ever came on to notify us of the problem.
NHTSA complaint #11755249 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle, causing the contact’s six children to become dizzy from the odor. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V232000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the remedy failed to fix the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the dealer might offer a buyback of the vehicle. The manufacturer opened a case. The failure mileage was 58,425.
NHTSA complaint #11754708 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This specific van has 2 open recalls already: 1 on a rear seat issue and 1 on a fuel pipe issue which is why i submitted to KIA dealer in the first place after smelling gas inside the cabin of my car while driving for 3 days until the dealer opened. While at the dealer they found a manufacture defect of the gas tank expanding in the heat and releasing liquid fuel into the charcoal cannister meant to catch fumes. The fumes then go into the cabin of the car and smell and make passengers sick as well as create a fire safety hazard on the vehicle. After discovering this they have informed me that the parts for this defect as well as the fuel pipe recall are on national backorder and the solution was to siphon off 1/4 tank of brand new gas and told me not to fill past 3/4 fulls or smoke in the vehicle and they THINK it SHOULD be fine. Google disagrees with this and says once the cannister has had liquid fuel in it, it can cause more problems. They have no loaners to offer as there are too many KIA recalls and they have no ETA on the parts coming in. I have been offered no solutions that are safe besides hold on to the vehicle and maybe it will be ok.
NHTSA complaint #11753746 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle's passenger cabin continually has a strong odor smell after longer drives or after the vehicle idles for a longer duration in time. The vehicle was brought to Horne, KIA in Gilbert, AZ twice in June for same. Both times the service department stated they could not duplicate the problem and could not ascertain that it has anything to do with recall SC368. The problem continues at time of this writing (07/14/2026). The strong fuel odor is causing headaches to family and young children. The problem could not be reproduced but matches the SC368 recall. KIA Customer Service was contacted today, and they advised the only thing they can do is trust their authorized service department that there are no concerns (Horne KIA). I requested the matter be escalated, but my request was denied.
NHTSA complaint #11750451 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am writing to formally complain about the delay in repairing my vehicle under an active recall involving the fuel system/crossover fuel pump. I have been informed that the required part is on backorder and that the repair may not be available until the end of July. My concern is that I am experiencing strong fuel fumes in and around the vehicle. The odor is severe enough that it is causing headaches, and I do not feel it is safe for me or my children to ride in the vehicle. Given that this recall involves a fuel-related component, I am extremely concerned about both the health effects of continued exposure to the fumes and the potential risk of fire. At this time, I do not believe the vehicle is safe to operate. I am requesting that Kia provide an immediate solution, including one or more of the following: A loaner vehicle until the recall repair can be completed; Rental vehicle reimbursement; Expedited repair assistance; or Any other reasonable accommodation that ensures my family's safety.
NHTSA complaint #11743703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We purchased this vehicle toward the end of 2024. Within the first 10 months, there were two major recall issues with this vehicle. The recalls were for the 2nd row seating becoming detached from the frame of the vehicle and the other recall was for the computer logic board having the chance of dying and/or frying. These recalls were less than 10 months since date of purchase. There is now another National Recall on this vehicle that was initiated on April 10, 2026. We are a non profit organization and this vehicle is part of our necessary fleet. We called the dealership and was told to bring it in. We brought it in the following week and was told they were not notified yet of a recall. We were told to call back in like 2-3 weeks. We then called back three weeks later and were scheduled to bring the car in for repair. When we arrived at the dealership, we were told "Oh we don't have the parts to fix this. Call back in a few weeks." We waited another three weeks and called back and were scheduled to bring the car in for repair. Now today (June 11, 2026) I went to the dealership and was told once again..."Oh we don't have the parts. Call back in like a month." Now, this recall states that the car should not be driven as the fuel leak is a high chance for a fire. We are desperately trying to have this taken back to the dealership as a lemon car because after we bought this car there have now been three emergent recalls on this car. We paid a lot of money to be able to use this vehicles for our non profit work and over an 18 month period, the car has been out of service for well over 6 months. Dealership seems unable or unwilling to help us. Dealership is: Mark Kia 3333 N 89th St. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
NHTSA complaint #11743531 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fuel leak at pipe connection between the fuel pipe and fuel rail. Nuts securing the high-pressure crossover fuel pipe to the fuel rail loosened, leaking raw fuel, leading to risk of fire. This has been reported and confirmed by Ron Bouchard Kia, of Lancaster, MA, USA. It is a part of Kia Recall SC368 (NHTSA ID: 26V232). We noticed the vehicle was leaking a substance in April 2025. After receiving recall notice in April 2026, we brought the vehicle in to be check on XXX. We were informed on XXX by phone that our vehicle was affected and fell under this recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11742041 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Carnival. The contact received the recall letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V320000 ( NA) The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.
NHTSA complaint #11737633 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Carnival. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V320000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
NHTSA complaint #11734515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting a safety defect involving my 2023 Kia Carnival SX Prestige. On June 6, 2025, I brought the vehicle to Yonkers Kia Service Center because of a strong gasoline odor. The dealership told me the fuel tank was swollen and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle remained at the dealership from June 6, 2025 through October 17, 2025. Kia later indicated that the fuel tank, canister, and vent valve had been replaced. When the vehicle was returned to me on October 17, 2025, it still smelled like gas. Within 24–48 hours, the same or related safety issues returned, including strong fuel odor, loss of engine power, check engine light, abnormal fuel consumption, and later a visible fuel leak, which I documented on video. Because the vehicle did not feel safe, I stopped driving it on October 19, 2025. In March 2026, the vehicle was towed back to Kia for renewed diagnosis. Kia later reported that one fuel injector was leaking and performed additional repairs. My VIN now shows open unrepaired Recall SC368 / NHTSA Recall 26V232. That recall states that the high-pressure cross-over fuel pipe nuts may loosen over time, resulting in a fuel leak and fire risk. The recall warning signs include fuel smell and/or check engine light, which directly overlap with the exact symptoms I repeatedly experienced and reported. I am reporting that this vehicle had repeat fuel-related safety failures, a prior extended repair attempt that did not resolve the issue, and was previously returned to me in what I believe was an unsafe condition.
NHTSA complaint #11734511 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was on the on-ramp getting on the highway and whenever I started to increase speed and try to get over into the next lane, I noticed the car all of a sudden jumped a little bit and then it started consistently jumping in the check engine light was flashing, and I couldn’t keep the car over what ended up being 50 mph anytime I tried to go over 50 mph. The car jumped in was shaking pretty pretty aggressively I was able to finally make it to a gas station at the very next highway stop and after I shut the car off and turn it back on it seems like it was OK, but I’m still very scared to drive it. I then took it to the dealership to have them check for any store or pending codes because after we had stopped and turned the car back on it no longer had the check engine light on, and the dealership was not able to locate any stored codes in the system to see what it happened nor were they able to replicate the issue that we had found. Is a rec out on my vehicle, but no remedy is available and notices will not be sent for another month and a half at this point I am extremely uncomfortable driving my vehicle as I have young children and anything with a fire hazard is not safe.
NHTSA complaint #11733125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Kia has a recall (Campaign SC 368) on a fuel pipe that may be defective causing a gas leak leading to fire. I called the dealer I bought the vehicle from to request an inspection of the part. I was told Kia will not send letters out until June 2 so dealers are under no obligation to inspect the impacted area before then. Why should a family have to wait six weeks or more on such a critical issue for it even to be visually inspected. Kia's direction is simply to be on the lookout for gas smell and park the vehicle outside. The length of time that they are going to be taking shows a lack of concern for safety, especially since the initial step simply requires inspection of the part. Does the NHTSA have any plans to require car manufacturers to handle all recall matters in a more expedient manner?
NHTSA complaint #11732656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The fuel pipe in my 2024 Kia Carnival has been identified by Kia as part of Safety Recall SC368 due to a fire risk. The component is available for inspection at the dealership where the vehicle is currently located. My safety and the safety of my family — including young children in car seats — was put at risk because the vehicle carries a known fire hazard related to the fuel pipe, yet no remedy is available until June 2026 at the earliest, according to Kia Customer Care. Kia confirmed the recall and the fire risk but has not provided adequate alternative transportation, leaving a family with young children without a safe vehicle for an extended period. The problem has been confirmed by Kia Customer Care, who verified that my vehicle is included in recall SC368. The dealership also confirmed the recall exists but stated the remedy is not yet available. However, when I contacted NHTSA by phone to file a complaint, the representative stated they could not find my vehicle in their recall database, directly contradicting Kia's confirmation. This discrepancy between Kia's internal records and NHTSA's database is concerning and may prevent other affected owners from being aware of the safety risk. The vehicle has been surrendered to the dealership via tow due to the fire risk. It has not yet been inspected or diagnosed by the dealership service department. I have requested written confirmation that the vehicle is safe to drive before accepting it back. I was notified via a CARFAX alert and the risk was identified/confirmed by the manufacturer.
NHTSA complaint #11731536 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I reported a fuel smell in the cabin of my vehicle in June 2024. It was dismissed because they could not recreate the smell. I reported it again and they said that is just how the vehicle purges fuel. I reported it again and drove it right to the dealer when it smelled and multiple mechanics at KIA confirmed they smelled it. Reported it again in September 2024, then tried to deal with it, and reported it again in June and July 2025. In July they confirmed I had raw fuel in my evaporator canister. I also had misfire notifications on my dashboard which were dismissed as they could not determine where the misfire was coming from. The misfire stopped after they replaced my fuel canister but the smell never fully went away. I received an email follow up in July 2025 and I reported the smell was not as strong, but still occurring intermittently. They closed the case. I reported and had 2 open cases with KIA, and noted that I was feeling lightheaded and nauseous, as well as 2 of my 3 kids at the time.
NHTSA complaint #11731411 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine light turns on every couple months. The Kia either stops accelerating and goes into “limp mode” or gives code for misfiring cylinders. Took to dealership several times, they did nothing but reset battery so light goes off. Unsafe when driving my family around and has turned into an unreliable vehicle. SO frustrating for a new vehicle to have these issues.
NHTSA complaint #11729561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My engine smells like fire and fuel my can will not start or do anything. There was smoke coming out of it. The van has had several issues since buying it. Now it’s completely disabled I heard a popping noise as I was driving and then it died and has not started since.
NHTSA complaint #11723675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Carnival. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormally strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two separate dealers, where the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was given a diagnostic fee from the dealers, but declined to pay for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
NHTSA complaint #11719892 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Was driving to work this morning and the first time I tried to get accelerate, I was unable to get above 31 MPH no matter how hard I pushed the pedal. Had to stop and restart. Not sure if it is due to the -1 degree weather this morning?
NHTSA complaint #11712026 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.