— Kia Carnival power sliding door complaints have caused the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open a federal investigation after owners complained about injuries caused by the sliding doors.
One 2022 Kia Carnival owner told NHTSA the power sliding door sensor malfunctioned when the minivan had about 1,000 miles on it, causing an injury to the daughter when the sliding door suddenly closed as she was exiting the Carnival.
According to the minivan owner, the "vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an unknown failure. The dealer informed the contact that an unknown part needed to be replaced and deactivated the rear-powered sliding doors."
Another 2022 Kia Carnival owner said their daughter got her hand smashed in the door as the power sliding door didn't detect an object in the path.
The owner said they later tested the door by using their own arm but even the owner had their arm smashed, leaving "an awful bruise."
And another 2022 Kia Carnival owner complained:
"Sliding doors seem unsafe. They take a tremendous amount of force to stop the automatic door from closing. There is no safety mechanism to prevent a child from getting stuck and/or extremely hurt due if caught in sliding doors while closing. Seems like there should be a lesser resistance necessary to cause doors to open back up if encountering an object to prevent injury."
Carnival minivan owners complain the only way to reverse the direction of the power closing doors is by using "excessive force" even though the doors allegedly are equipped with an auto-reverse function to automatically reverse the direction of the closing door if it meets a certain amount of force from an object or person.
The 2022 Kia Carnival power sliding door investigation will determine if a safety defect exists and if the minivans should be recalled and repaired.