Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Alleged Kia Carnival Sliding Door Defect

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that 2022 and 2023 Kia Carnival minivans are plagued by a dangerous defect that causes the automatic sliding side doors to close with excessive force.

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The 23-page lawsuit accuses defendants Kia Corporation and Kia America of deceptively marketing the vehicles as safe despite knowing that the sliding doors’ auto-reverse feature does not function properly. The case claims the defect stems from an issue with the minivans’ pinch sensors, which, when working correctly, are supposed to detect obstructions in the path of a closing door and promptly stop and reverse the door’s closing action.

Instead, the complaint says, the Kia Carnival’s sliding doors only stop or reverse if they close on an obstacle or person possessing sufficient force to physically stop the door from shutting.

“The level of force required to prevent the class vehicles’ doors from closing is extremely high, higher than a child, pet, or person with a disability may be able to apply,” the suit stresses, noting that the apparent defect can and has resulted in serious injuries.

The lawsuit cites a number of complaints posted to an online forum by concerned Kia Carnival drivers, including one from a parent who says their three-year-old son was in the emergency room because his hand was “crushed in the door at the knuckles” and another from a consumer whose finger was apparently “cut to the bone” by the sliding door.

The case also includes a complaint submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from a driver who claims their minivan’s sliding door “did not retract upon encountering the resistance” of their wife, continued to close on the woman and injured her arm and shoulder.

According to the filing, Kia issued an “ineffective” recall of the affected vehicles in April 2023 that failed to provide a lasting fix for the alleged defect. The suit contends that the recall merely involved a software update that caused the door to shut at a slower speed and added warning chimes when the power sliding door began to open or close.

The updates did not affect the force with which the door closes or the force required to activate the pinch sensor, the case notes.

The Kia Carnival lawsuit alleges that customers would not have bought the minivans, or they would have paid substantially less for them, had they known of the dangerous sliding door defect.

The suit looks to represent anyone who purchased a 2022 or 2023 Kia Carnival vehicle in the United States.

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