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severe 11 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $1,500 · see body across all vehicles →
Body accounts for 24% of all owner complaints filed against this vehicle, across 3 categories tracked.
A power sliding door that does not auto-reverse can close on an occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering body on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to install steel reinforcement plates on the second-row seat outer rails in certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles equipped with sliding and removable second-row seats (excluding SX-Prestige equipped with the second-row lounge seats). Customers receiving this letter have already had this product improvement campaign performed. Since then, there have been additional improvements to the mounting bolts used for the installation of the steel reinforcement plates. Kia is requesting that customers contact an authorized Kia dealer to replace t
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: INSTALLATION OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT PLATES FOR 2ND ROW SEAT OUTER RAILS (PI2301) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to install steel reinforcement plates on the second-row seat outer rails in certain 2022-2024MY Carnival (KA4) vehicles (excluding SX-Prestige with the second-row lounge seats) produced from January 4, 2021 through August 21, 2023. This campaign is to reinforce the mounting points of the 2nd-row seat to the floor and minimize potential seat rail detachment, should a certain rare crash event occur
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: INSTALLATION OF STEEL REINFORCEMENT PLATES FOR 2ND ROW SEAT OUTER RAILS (PI2301) - PI2301 TEMPORARILY ON HOLD PENDING UPDATED PARTS.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to install steel reinforcement plates on the second-row seat outer rails in certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles equipped with sliding and removable second-row seats (excluding SX-Prestige equipped with the second-row lounge seats). This is an update following a notice that was issued in August 2023. Kia is currently experiencing an unexpected parts supply issue which is expected to continue until the first week of October 2023. Kia is requesting that customers wait until after the first week of October before contacting an autho
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO - This document is the announcement to the Dealer Principals that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to install steel reinforcement plates on the second-row seat outer rails in certain 2022-2024 MY Kia Carnival vehicles equipped with sliding and removable second-row seats (excluding SX-Prestige equipped with the second-row lounge seats). This is an update following a notice that was issued to Kia dealers in August 2023. Kia is currently experiencing an unexpected parts supply issue which is expected to continue until the first week of October 2023. Since the remedy is not going to be available during this period, Kia is reques
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The 2023 Carnival's power sliding doors are the dominant complaint here. Multiple owners describe the sensor as insufficiently sensitive — the door travels 2 to 3 inches and applies substantial crushing force before the safety reversal engages. Children's fingers and limbs are too narrow to trigger the sensor; one owner's 4-year-old suffered deep lacerations and needed emergency imaging to rule out fracture. Another child's thumb swelled to three times normal size. A third owner notes their child had to press the door-open button from inside the closing door to escape. Several owners say they have to push with considerable force to make the door reverse, and it still slams their arm or body against the frame first.
One owner reports their passenger sliding door intermittently sticks open or closed, trapping their 3-year-old's finger. The passenger window on another Carnival shattered without impact or visible damage during normal highway driving; the dealership attributed it to heat.
Less critical but present: a fuel door that will not open in locked or unlocked states (one owner reports a 3-month failure with complaints from other Carnival owners online), and a power tailgate that attempted to close on an owner's head during loading.
Same Kia Carnival body reports on nearby years: 2022
The power side-door closing mechanism applies heavy force and travels 2-3 inches before the safety sensor engages to stop or reverse. The sensor fails to detect objects or body parts in its path, allowing the door to close with crushing force on fingers, hands, arms, and body parts. Multiple owners report the sensor requires 'considerable force' to trigger reversal, and children's appendages are too narrow to activate safety mechanisms before full closure.
When: Occurs during normal door closing operation; one incident documented January 11, 2023
Symptoms owners cite: Door closes with excessive force before safety reversal engages; Door travels 2-3 inches after contact before sensor stops it; Sensor fails to detect light contact from children's limbs; Door causes crushing injuries to fingers, hands, thumbs, and body; Heavy adult force required to trigger reversal; Door crushes toys and objects without stopping
Repairs/costs cited: One owner mentions dealership service center made an adjustment from the manufacturer that reportedly makes auto stop/reverse more sensitive; another owner's child required emergency room evaluation for hand lacerations and imaging to rule out fracture
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No recall or technical service bulletin reported at time of complaint; some dealers reportedly have performed sensitivity adjustment per manufacturer direction
The passenger side sliding door periodically becomes stuck in the open or closed position, preventing normal operation. One owner reports their 3-year-old's finger was trapped in the closed door and could not be immediately opened due to the door malfunction.
When: Periodic / intermittent occurrence
Symptoms owners cite: Door periodically gets stuck trying to open; Door periodically gets stuck trying to close; Door traps child's finger in closed position; Door difficult to manually open when stuck
Repairs/costs cited: Child's finger trapped; required pulling manual handle to open
The passenger sliding door window shattered without impact, chip, or other visible cause while vehicle was being driven at 35 mph. Dealership and insurance agent attributed failure to heat, though owner reports this is not a typical heat-related failure mode for automotive glass.
When: During normal driving at 35 mph; timing relates to warm weather conditions in owner's area
Symptoms owners cite: Passenger sliding door window shattered without impact or visible damage; No chip or crack visible before failure; Sudden loud POP sound; Sharp glass fragments present
Repairs/costs cited: Child in car seat near window sustained only minor scratch
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealership suggested heat-related cause
The fuel door fails to open in both locked and unlocked vehicle states. One owner reports the failure has persisted for 3 months, and indicates this is a common problem reported by other Carnival owners.
When: Ongoing failure over 3-month period; present regardless of vehicle lock state
Symptoms owners cite: Fuel door will not open when vehicle is locked; Fuel door will not open when vehicle is unlocked; Unable to access fuel filler to refuel vehicle
The power tailgate attempted to close on the owner's head while they were loading cargo into the trunk. The owner had a key present but the spouse walked away with their key, creating an uncontrolled closure event.
When: During trunk loading operation when key holder moved away from vehicle
Symptoms owners cite: Tailgate attempted to close unexpectedly on occupant; Closure occurred while owner was actively using trunk
Synthesized from 11 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
Passenger side sliding door periodically gets stuck trying to open or close. My 3 year olds finger got stuck in the closed position of the sliding door and we could not get the door open immediately because of the faulty door periodically getting stuck.
The power sliding door does not reverse when an object is in its path. The door closed on my sons body. He was okay we were able to pull the handle to make it open again but it did not stop on its own. Another instance the door did not stop closing when a toy went into the door. The door just crunched the toy and shut while beeping.
After working out at my gym, my daughters and I were driving on a side street near at around 35MPH. With no warning, a large POP happened and our passenger sliding door window shattered. Thankfully, nothing but a scratch happened to my [XXX] that was in her car seat closest to the window that shattered. I called our local KIA dealership and my insurance agent and both mentioned that it could be…
Daughter presses the button on the inside of the van. She didn't move her hand soon enough out of the way for the door to close. The door closed on her hand, she had to press the button open from the door closing on her thumb. She came balling her eyes out to me. Her thumb swelled 3 x's as big. The sensor should be way more sensitive like a garage door opener.
It's a meaningful issue. 11 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $1,500.
Based on the 11 complaints filed, body issues most often appear around 77,000 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
Independent shops typically charge around $1,500 for body repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Yes — 1 active recall(s) cover body issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.