2025 Kia Carnival Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon?
The 2025 Kia Carnival faces complaints about dead batteries, electrical drain, and sudden loss of acceleration. We examined NHTSA filings, owner reports, and technical bulletins to explain what’s behind these issues and how they continue to frustrate Carnival drivers.
Kia America states that the 2025 Kia Carnival is a world-class vehicle that delivers “the quality, reliability, and technology that consumers are looking for.” Consumers who own Carnivals with faulty batteries or malfunctions that result in a lack of acceleration cannot be blamed for disagreeing. Their frustration is increased by dealerships that are unable to assist in resolving these problems.
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Most Common Problems
The most common problems voiced in complaints about the 2025 Kia Carnival to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) relate to battery drain and lack of acceleration. These are the same issues that owners of the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid have also been complaining about. While most of the battery malfunctions are reported as electrical system problems, they also feature as unknown and other, or powertrain problems. Lack of acceleration complaints show up in more categories: engine, vehicle speed control, powertrain, and unknown and other.
Issues with faulty doors and door sensors also feature in multiple categories, including structure, electrical system problems, and unknown and other.
Other systems and components that have attracted complaints include the fuel/propulsion system, exterior lighting, airbags, seats, seat belts, forward collision avoidance, backover prevention, brakes, lane departure, and visibility/wiper.
2025 Kia Carnival Complaint Summary
Complaint Category
Number of Complaints
Electrical System
74
74
Engine
19
19
Vehicle Speed Control
19
19
Unknown Or Other
15
15
Power Train
14
14
Fuel/propulsion System
8
8
Structure:body
4
4
Exterior Lighting
3
3
Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings
3
3
Seats
3
3
Battery Drain and Dead Battery Problems
Lemberg Law launched a class action investigation into these problems last year. One of the biggest issues is that batteries commonly drain when they are parked and not in use. The other is that there is no resolution, with dealerships still puzzling over the problem in July 2025.
Frustratingly, there are only two manufacturer communications on file with the NHTSA about battery problems.
The first, dated November 7, 2024, is a technical service bulletin describing the procedure required to update the software logic of the Central Communication Unit (CCU) system on certain 2025MY Carnival (KA4) vehicles produced from April 15, 2024, through August 26, 2024. The problem, the bulletin states, is that “affected vehicles may experience a ‘dark current’ draw from the 12V battery while the vehicle is parked, potentially resulting in low battery voltage and no-start condition.”
The second, issued five days later, is an over-the-air software update for the central communication unit. The update was designed to help reduce auxiliary battery power consumption while the vehicle is turned off.
And that appears to be where the automaker’s concern ends.
Complaints tell an ongoing story of batteries draining, sometimes within only days or a couple of weeks of ownership. Dealers reportedly try to figure out why they drain when cars are switched off, but they can’t provide an answer. Some owners can’t even access their cars because the key fob doesn’t work.
An owner from Michigan states that he came up with an interim solution after his battery voltage kept dropping significantly after just 12 hours of sitting. “I’ve purchased a jump box and I now hook it up to a battery tender every night. So far, this has prevented a dead battery, but this shouldn’t have to be done with a vehicle that isn’t yet a month old.”
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NHTSA Complaints About Battery Drain
The reality is that from the start, dealers have been unable or reluctant to identify problems with dead or dying batteries.
The very first NHTSA complaint about the electrical system and battery issues came from an owner in Ohio on July 23, 2024. “The 2025 Kia Carnival appears to have some parasitic battery drain, leaving vehicles unable to start or use functions/features like remote start, AC, and others.” The complaint goes on, “It’s frustrating to have a new vehicle with constantly dead batteries.” However, the dealership “confirmed” that there was nothing wrong with the battery, so they didn’t need to replace it.
A year later, an owner wrote that he received an email via Kia Connect while his Carnival was in for a service during July 2025 that provided a 12-volt battery discharge warning. “Our mechanic agreed that the 12-volt battery should not be discharging that fast due to just not being driven.” The complaint doesn’t provide a follow-up.
In March 2025, an owner from Georgia wrote that the Kia Carnival’s battery would drain after they turned the vehicle off, and then they couldn’t restart. Their concern is that it can cause the vehicle to stall on the road. Kia Connect sent a message stating, “Our backend team has determined that a TSB ELE341 (Network Reset) is needed to refresh your vehicle’s connection to the Kia Connect servers. To resolve this, please contact your preferred official Kia dealership to schedule an appointment and mention TSB ELE341 for the network reset.” The owner took the vehicle to a Kia dealer’s service. They reset the network, but this didn’t resolve the problem.
The next response from Kia America was, “This is nothing that we can troubleshoot. You will have to wait for your appointment to have them handle the issue.”
Lack of Acceleration Problems
Like the battery issue, acceleration problems have been ongoing since the 2025 Kia Carnival was launched. Typically, owners report that they can’t increase speed beyond 30 or 31 mph.
An owner from Pennsylvania stated in January 2025 that it happened when she was “on an on-ramp to the highway with my baby in the car and I was flooring the gas, yet it still would not go past 31 mph. I put on my hazards and pulled off, and checked that the max speed setting was not on. I even tried setting the max speed to something higher, like 50 mph, and the screen confirmed this, but the car still did not go past 31 mph.
An interesting explanation emerged recently, when several complainants reported that their vehicles warned them they were exceeding the speed limit! At the same time, dealers aren’t able to assist with a cause or a solution.
In June 2025, an owner from Florida wrote that it was the second time in 10 weeks that his Carnival had failed to accelerate beyond 30 mph after pulling away from a traffic light. “The vehicle displayed a warning that The Speed Limit Was 30 mph and would not accelerate beyond that speed. The speed limit was not 30 mph.” He pulled over onto a side street and photographed the warning. However, the dealership was unable to determine the problem, saying “it could have some connection with the cruise control system.”
Another owner had the same experience in April 2025. The dealership he went to reset the computer for the transmission. However, it does not appear to have been effective.
An owner from Iowa thinks that cold weather might exacerbate the problem, which “is unsafe, especially on highways.” Not unusually, the dealership wasn’t able to reproduce the issue.
Problems with Doors
Issues relating to Carnival doors are varied, but all are hazardous in one way or another. There are doors that open on their own, doors that won’t lock, and door sensors that malfunction.
In a complaint filed as a structure problem, an owner from Georgia states that the “passenger sliding door pinch sensor did activate” — but not before a child’s hand was pinched in the door, almost drawing blood! “Quite a bit of force is needed to activate the sensor and cause the door to open back up. It needs to be more sensitive to avoid injury.”
Another complaint filed under structure states that side passenger doors do not stop when something is in the way when the automatic door closing feature is used. “We tried holding a hot dog and a large piece of celery in the way of the door as it closed. The sensor did not detect either item and broke them both in two. If this was a human limb, finger, neck, or other body part, great bodily harm would occur.”
In a complaint listed as unknown or other, an owner from Massachusetts maintains that the door doesn’t detect anybody when opening. “It needs physical force exerted against it, the size of an adult male to kick in. It is negligent. Kia was already sued for this in previous models- they know it’s an issue!” Her experience involved the door failing to stop when it came into contact with her baby’s stroller, with the baby in it.
She had her hand on the stroller and acted quickly, avoiding injury to her baby. “If the stroller had been facing the other way, I fear what would have happened. In addition, had it been my toddler standing there, she would have been crushed.”
What Should You Do If Your Kia Is a Lemon?
If your 2025 Kia Carnival has persistent problems affecting its safety, performance, or value, it could qualify as a lemon. Lemberg Law offers free case evaluations to help you understand your rights and next steps. Under federal and state lemon laws, Kia, not you, must cover all legal fees, so there’s no financial risk in pursuing a claim. Our team has successfully helped countless drivers secure buybacks, replacements, or cash settlements, and we may be able to do the same for you.
Get started today by filling out our online form or calling our Helpline for a quick, no-cost case review.
About the Author:
Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
