The 2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 42,677 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the fuel/propulsion system. Last updated July 20, 2026.
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…
Consequence
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.
Remedy
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…
Complaints by component
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
5
POWER TRAIN
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
ENGINE
3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
SERVICE BRAKES
1
Total complaints24
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“What component or system failed: the hybrid battery management system (bms) failed while driving. The dashboard displayed a battery management system error along with a lane assist warning. The vehicle then completely lost propulsion, no response from the accelerator pedal, while on an incline,…”
“While driving our 1 month old car we intermittently heard a loud clap sound, we assumed it was due to it being a hybrid vehicle. Well on wednesday we were merging on to the freeway at approx 20 mph when we heard an extremely loud bang and the 3rd window imploded. There was nothing that hit the…”
“I am reporting an intermittent but serious safety issue with my kia carnival involving the backup camera system. Since approximately may 2026, the rear backup camera has failed more than 10 times. When the issue occurs, the display will either: show a completely blank screen, flicker repeatedly,…”
“I am reporting an intermittent but serious safety issue with my kia carnival involving the backup camera system. Since approximately may 2026, the rear backup camera has failed more than 10 times. When the issue occurs, the display will either: show a completely blank screen, flicker repeatedly,…”
“I own a 2026 carnival prestige sx hybrid and having loss of propulsion problems. After much research, and absolutely no help from kia, I now think my problem is my foot, size 15, is too large to safely drive this vehicle. My shoe intermittently depresses the brake ever so slightly while I…”
“I own a 2026 carnival prestige sx hybrid and having loss of propulsion problems. After much research, and absolutely no help from kia, I now think my problem is my foot, size 15, is too large to safely drive this vehicle. My shoe intermittently depresses the brake ever so slightly while I…”
“I own a 2026 carnival prestige sx hybrid and having loss of propulsion problems. After much research, and absolutely no help from kia, I now think my problem is my foot, size 15, is too large to safely drive this vehicle. My shoe intermittently depresses the brake ever so slightly while I…”
“I had pickup my vehicle from the dealership where it had been since the 29th of may due to a previous incident exactly the same as what occurred this time. The vehicle had been returned to me as the service department could find nothing wrong from the may 29th incident. On my way home from the…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid as of
July 20, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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