Kia recalls 50,000+ Carnival MPVs in the United States

The recall campaign encompasses 51,568 affected vehicles – nearly all units sold in 2022 and 2023. According to the NHTSA, there were nine confirmed incidents of people getting injured or even badly wounded by the sliding rear doors.

Most of those who ended up with their hands pinched by the door mechanisms were lucky to escape with just scratches and bruises, but two reports mention a broken thumb and even a broken arm.

The automaker conducted a mandatory internal investigation prior to the recall and failed to find any issues in the design of the doors. It also noted that the mechanisms and the safeguards used were basically the same as in the competing minivan models. Despite that, it was forced to announce a recall.

The affected owners will be requested to visit a service center where their cars will get a software update. The doors will emit warning signals when closing and additionally slow down when reaching the locking point.

It seems like the 2022 and 2023 Kia Carnival MPVs can’t catch a break lately: they are already targeted by another recall campaign that Kia expanded to 850,000 vehicles in March this year. The issue is no less severe as both Hyundai and Kia found that missing water insulation on certain electric parts in the trailer hitch area may cause their minivans to spontaneously burst in flames.