2025 Kia CARNIVAL
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2025 Kia CARNIVAL has 158 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.0x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is electrical problems (50% of all complaints), specifically: brand new 2025 kia carnival models are experiencing major electrical failure right off the lot, which is my experience. kia will not acknowledge the issue but there is parasitic draw issues with the vehicle and mine is rendered unable to drive and dealer service departments won’t accept my vehicle.
158
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
2.0x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
ELECTRICAL
79 complaints- • Brand new 2025 Kia Carnival models are experiencing major electrical failure right off the lot, which is my experience. Kia will not acknowledge the issue but there is parasitic draw issues with the vehicle and mine is rendered unable to drive and dealer service departments won’t accept my vehicle
- • Battery is dying repeatedly due to electric system failure. Dealership mechanics suspect a parasitic drain but have not been able to identify the cause. There are many other 2025 Kia Carnival owners reporting the same issue. Our car has been at the dealer multiple times for 17 days (so far) without
- • 07/23/2024 13:48:24 Dealership confirmed battery is fine and did not need to replace it. I'm going to delete the Kia Access app and see if that has any affect on the battery drain. This needs to be fixed ASAP. 07/23/2024 05:25:47 The 2025 Kia Carnival appears to have some parasitic battery drain, l
“Brand new 2025 Kia Carnival models are experiencing major electrical failure right off the lot, which is my experience. Kia will not acknowledge the issue but there is parasitic draw issues with the vehicle and mine is rendered unable to drive and dealer service departments won’t accept my vehicle”
— NHTSA complaint filing
OTHER
19 complaints- • At around 200 miles, I could no longer gain access to my vehicle via via both keys and the Kia app. My vehicle has been sitting at the dealership for 20 days without a resolution and little communication from Kia
- • On [XXX], I was in a busy parking garage holding my [XXX] child on my hip and pushing the stroller, with my [XXX] safely procured inside, as I approached my Kia Carnival 2025 to load the children and depart. To avoid active traffic while allowing enough room for the automatic doors to open safely,
- • Carnival came with DVD players for kids in the back seat. It contains a volume control that can be controlled by the child. The child at any point can blast the stereo insanely high which can distract the driver and could cause an accident. This needs to be recalled immediately. There is no reason f
“At around 200 miles, I could no longer gain access to my vehicle via via both keys and the Kia app. My vehicle has been sitting at the dealership for 20 days without a resolution and little communication from Kia”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ENGINE
15 complaints- • After a week of owning the car the battery died over night. Was jumped by roadside and died later that day and jumped again. After the 2nd jump, the AC and air bags didn’t work. Then the check engine light came on. Kia has had my brand new carnival since July 26 with no fix.
- • Started about a couple weeks ago. Just bought my car and my battery drained 3 nights in a row. Had to jump start it Found out some fan run, when car is off, hours after it has been parked.
- • I'm getting an alert in the car app that says low battery and will not perform any lock/unlock/start, etc features. It says the battery level is under 40%.
“After a week of owning the car the battery died over night. Was jumped by roadside and died later that day and jumped again. After the 2nd jump, the AC and air bags didn’t work. Then the check engine light came on. Kia has had my brand new carnival since July 26 with no fix.”
— NHTSA complaint filing
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS
9 complaints- • On July 19, 2024, my 2025 Kia Carnival SXP experienced a significant battery drainage issue, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The cause is currently unknown, but it seems to involve a parasitic electrical draw that drained the battery while the car was parked and turned off. This issue occurred des
- • On July 19, 2024, my 2025 Kia Carnival SXP experienced a significant battery drainage issue, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The cause is currently unknown, but it seems to involve a parasitic electrical draw that drained the battery while the car was parked and turned off. This issue occurred des
- • The "consider taking a break" feature pops up every 5 minutes when I am driving and it is beyond distracting and leads me to believe I have something wrong with my vehicle. There is no way to turn it off. Please demand that Hyundai/Kia issue a software update so I can turn this off. Thnaks!
“On July 19, 2024, my 2025 Kia Carnival SXP experienced a significant battery drainage issue, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The cause is currently unknown, but it seems to involve a parasitic electrical draw that drained the battery while the car was parked and turned off. This issue occurred des”
— NHTSA complaint filing
FUEL SYSTEM
7 complaints- • While I was driving on a highway, my vehicles "check engine" and "batter" lights were illuminated and a warning came across the car screen that said something along the lines of "Battery Management System Failure" and then "Powertrain failure". The car was not able to accelerate by pressing the gas
- • I was turning onto a main thoroughfare fare, and the van was slow to accelerate, Engine light briefly blinked, then went off, and then when I was on the interstate I had to pull over the van was running rough. Once I went back on the road, the steering wheel was shuddering and finally the engine s
- • 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?
“While I was driving on a highway, my vehicles "check engine" and "batter" lights were illuminated and a warning came across the car screen that said something along the lines of "Battery Management System Failure" and then "Powertrain failure". The car was not able to accelerate by pressing the gas ”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 158 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐ELECTRICAL: Brand new 2025 Kia Carnival models are experiencing major electrical failure right off the lot, which is my experience. Kia will not acknowledge the issue but there is parasitic draw issues with the vehicle and mine is rendered unable to drive and dealer service departments won’t accept my vehicle
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐OTHER: At around 200 miles, I could no longer gain access to my vehicle via via both keys and the Kia app. My vehicle has been sitting at the dealership for 20 days without a resolution and little communication from Kia
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐ENGINE: After a week of owning the car the battery died over night. Was jumped by roadside and died later that day and jumped again. After the 2nd jump, the AC and air bags didn’t work. Then the check engine light came on. Kia has had my brand new carnival since July 26 with no fix.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: On July 19, 2024, my 2025 Kia Carnival SXP experienced a significant battery drainage issue, rendering the vehicle inoperable. The cause is currently unknown, but it seems to involve a parasitic electrical draw that drained the battery while the car was parked and turned off. This issue occurred des
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Kia CARNIVAL — Year Comparison
How does 2025 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
Full years-to-avoid analysis →NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 158
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 0
- Crash reports
- 0
- Injury reports
- 4
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
See recalls for YOUR 2025 Kia CARNIVAL