We’ve got some good news and some bad news for Kia Carnival owners. The good news is that their vans can be updated to remedy a safety concern related to the safety of second-row occupants. The bad news is that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) still doesn’t rate the vehicle highly.
Separate from the mid-cycle refresh that we are expecting in 2025, Kia has reworked the second-row seats in the 2024 Carnival to strengthen the rails that attach the rear seats to the floor.
The automaker decided to make the change in response to an IIHS crash test. In the minivan’s initial side impact test, the left side second-row captain’s chair broke loose from the floor and tipped sideways, taking the dummy with it.
Read: Minivans Are Big On Space, But Not Safety, IIHS Finds
“Such a detachment would create an obvious danger to a person sitting in that seat in a real crash,” the IIHS wrote in a statement. “The unmoored seat and passenger could also be a hazard to other occupants.”
The safety organization reached out to Kia with this information, and the automaker decided to make changes to the Carnival to address the concern. In addition to equipping the 2024 model with the stronger rails, it has reached out to owners of older models, advising them to allow their local dealer to install the new parts on their vehicle (at no charge). In addition, it has directed dealerships to install the rails whenever Carnival owners come in for any reason.
That’s all good news for owners, because in subsequent IIHS testing, the second-row seat did not break loose or fall over. However, the Carnival’s results have only gone from unacceptable to barely acceptable.
The organization still gave the minivan its lowest rating, “Poor.” It claims that the safety cage did not hold up well during a crash, and its measurements showed that there was still a high risk of injury to the driver’s pelvis and the rear passenger’s chest.
It is not yet clear if Kia will make further changes for the more thoroughly updated 2025 model year vehicle.