2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Power Train (5) · Fuel/Propulsion System (3)
Safety recalls (1)
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2026-01-26 · campaign 26V046000 · 42,677 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Kia K4, 2025-2026 Sorento, Sorento Hybrid, Sorento Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage PHEV, K5, EV9, Carnival, and Carnival Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 101, "Controls and Displays" and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer, tire pressure, or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed March 26, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC361. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 9, 2026.
Service bulletins (24)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Structure:body 2026-06-19 · PSD_REMINDER2_105 · Other
important reminder: owner notification: carnival power sliding door feature (ka4psd2 flight#105) - this document is the owner notification advising kia's ongoing commitment to providing vehicle owners with a superior ownership experience. we would like to remind vehicle owners about the proper use o
Seats 2026-06-16 · PI2602_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: product improvement campaign: 2nd row seat (lh & rh) folding tension spring replacement (pi2602) - this bulletin provides information to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment during the operation on
Seats 2026-06-12 · PI2602_OWNR · Other
product improvement campaign: owner notification (pi2602) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign on certain 2022-2026 my carnival and certain 2025-2026 my carnival hybrid (hev) vehicles, equipped with manual (folding) second-row seats
Seats 2026-06-10 · PI2602_QA · Other
product improvement campaign: question and answer (pi2602) - this document is the question and answer guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the product improvement campaign pi2602.
Seats 2026-06-09 · PI2602_DPSM · Other
product improvement campaign: dealer parts and service manager memo (pi2602) - this document is the announcement to the dealer parts and service managers advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the m
Seats 2026-06-09 · PI2602_DP · Other
product improvement campaign: dealer principal memo (pi2602) - this document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment
Showing the 6 most recent of 24 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-20 · Power Train“while i was driving, the car's engine shut off, and i could no longer accelerate. the car went into neutral and the brakes felt harder to press; the steering wheel did, too. luckily, it happened after i turned into a mall parking lot. since the car came to a stop and i couldn't accelerate, i turned it off and back on. then i parked the car and turn…”
2026-10-11 · Power Train · 🔥 fire“on xxx my nearly new 2026 kia carnival hybrid sx prestige, with approximately 5,650 miles on the odometer, caught fire while i was driving in [xxx]. the fire originated in the engine compartment, where components of the hybrid electrical system, including the hybrid power control unit (hpcu)/inverter assembly, were subsequently found severely dama…”
2026-10-08 · Unknown Or Other“we rented a kia from budget in [xxx], they rented us a car with 19,000 miles on it. after driving it for a week and over 1000 miles we headed back to the airport. first the right front tire blows and it is completly bald with steel cables showing after two hours a tire store comes and fixes the tire. we get on the road and drive 20 miles and the le…”
2026-09-29 · Electrical System“2026 kia carnival hybrid sx. the digital instrument cluster intermittently flickers, goes blank, and displays “no signal” while driving, potentially causing loss of access to speed, gauges, warning indicators, and other safety information. the failures occur unpredictably. i initially noticed the issue after the vehicle had been parked in the sun…”
2026-08-25 · Seats“ac compressor has now failed twice and this will be the third compressor they are going to install. the car was completely shutting off at lights and having other electrical errors that they said was all related to the ac system. the part is now on back order with the company…”
2026-08-19 · Visibility/Wiper“while driving approximately 70 mph on the highway returning from door county, 20 miles north of manitowoc, on a clear day with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 70s and no other vehicles nearby, the panoramic sunroof glass spontaneously shattered with a loud noise. the middle portion of the glass was sucked outward/up and away from the vehicle. the …”
2026-08-18 · Electrical System · 100 mi“the contact owns a 2027 hyundai palisade. the contact stated that while initiating vehicle operation, the messages "check hybrid system" and "stop vehicle and check power supply" was displayed. the failure was a recurring failure. the dealer was contacted and received the same messages. the dealer stated that the failure was associated with the 12-…”
2026-08-14 · Electrical System“car will not start after being parked in my garage for 24 to 48 hours. the battery is drained and needs to be jumped. this has happened three times. i am sure that no fob is left in the car, no interior lights are on, no door is ajar, and nothing is plugged into any usb ports. …”
2026-08-07 · Power Train“i am writing to formally express my serious concern and disappointment regarding my kia carnival hybrid. shortly after purchasing the vehicle, with only approximately 6,000 miles on the odometer, the vehicle suddenly stopped operating while i was driving on the freeway. this created a dangerous situation for my family and other motorists. the vehi…”
2026-08-07 · Service Brakes“detailed information is in the attached pdf file, but in a nutshell, kia is covering a safety defect in their vehicles by claiming the process is “proprietary”. on several occasions we have lost propulsion, which means we had no control over our vehicle, and kia’s explanation is simply, “the vehicle is performing as intended “! these incidents al…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.