2026 Kia Carnival HybridRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

“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 turned it off. After 30 mins I started the car again and drove back home. The instrument cluster showed all types of warnings and failures when the issue happened. Since I panicked when it happened, I did not think about taking photos. Tomorrow I plan on taking the car to the dealer. This is a new car, driven only around 3500 miles. I am afraid this will happen again, and in a worse situation, like on the freeway.”

“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 damaged. The incident occurred unexpectedly during normal vehicle operation and created an extremely dangerous situation. A vehicle fire while driving presents a serious risk of injury or death to the driver, passengers, and other road users. Following the incident, I sought emergency medical attention due to smoke inhalation. I was evaluated at an emergency department, including blood testing for carbon monoxide exposure. The vehicle was subsequently transported to an authorized Kia dealership. Kia America was notified of the incident and subsequently offered to repurchase the vehicle under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. However, the manufacturer has not provided me with a definitive technical explanation of what caused the fire. I am extremely concerned that this incident may involve a potentially…”

“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 vehicle had to be towed to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. No warning or message had appeared before the issue. The dealership retained the vehicle for approximately one week and informed us that a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) component had failed and needed to be replaced. After the repair was completed, we were assured that the issue had been resolved and that the vehicle was safe to drive. Unfortunately, after driving only about 50 additional miles, the exact same issue occurred again. The vehicle once again became inoperable, leaving us stranded and raising significant concerns about the reliability, safety, and quality of this vehicle. We towed the vehicle on 6/22/26 and Kia dealership had it till today 8/7/26 and corporate keep saying they working on it but unresponsive.”