Kia class action claims Carnival minivans have automatic sliding side door defect

Kia Carnival minivans class action overview: 

• Who: Two Kia Carnival minivan drivers are suing Kia America Inc.
• Why: The plaintiffs allege the minivans have faulty sliding doors.
• Where: The class action was filed in a Maryland federal court.

Kia has been hit with a new class action lawsuit alleging that its 2022-2023 Kia Carnival minivans have a serious defect with their automatic sliding side doors. 

Plaintiffs Rachel Langerhans and Andrew Langerhans filed the class action Kia Corp. and Kia America Inc. on Oct. 15 in a Maryland federal court, alleging violations of state and federal consumer laws.

According to the lawsuit, the doors can close with excessive force, posing a risk of injury, particularly to children, pets, or people unable to stop the door’s closing. 

This issue stems from a faulty pinch sensor that fails to detect obstacles and reverse the door’s closing action, the Kia class action alleges.

Kia misled Kia Carnival minivan consumers with its marketing, plaintiffs allege

Kia marketed the Carnival’s automatic sliding doors as a convenient feature designed for families and easy loading and unloading, especially when hands are full, the plaintiffs allege.

The company also boasted about the safety of the vehicles, emphasizing that its features are intended for use around children, the lawsuit states.

Despite these claims, the Kia class action lawsuit alleges that the automatic doors do not stop or reverse when an obstacle is in the way. Instead, the doors continue to close unless they encounter significant physical force, which many children, pets, or disabled individuals cannot exert. The complaint says that Kia owners reasonably expect these sliding doors to be safe and reliable.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation led Kia to issue a recall in April 2023, the plaintiffs say. However, the recall is criticized by the plaintiffs as being “inadequate,” as it only slowed the speed at which the doors closed and added a beeping sound, without addressing the core issue of the excessive force used by the doors. 

Kia acknowledged that the auto-reverse feature “may not activate in all situations” and that the doors could cause injuries to those unaware of their movement, the lawsuit says.

“The recall didn’t fix the problem—it just made the doors beep slower,” one driver complained online. The lawsuit claims that Kia’s failure to adequately resolve the defect forces owners to continue using unsafe vehicles or pay out of pocket for repairs.

As a result, the plaintiffs are suing on behalf of anyone who purchased a Kia Carnival minivan in the United States. They are suing for breach of warranty and unjust enrichment and are seeking certification of the class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.

Last month, Kia recalled certain 2024 model year EV9 GT-Line and Land vehicles due to a software issue that can result in insufficient brake pressure.

What do you think of the allegations made in this Kia Carnival minivans class action? Let us know in the comments. 

The plaintiff is represented by Nicholas A. Migliaccio and Mark D. Patronella of Migliaccio & Rathod LLP and Daniel C. Levin and Nicholas J. Elia of Levin Sedran & Berman. 

The Kia class action is Rachel Langerhans et al., v. Kia Corporation, Case No. 1:24-cv-02994 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.

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