Kia bulletin CA2511
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to replace the Integrated Thermal Management Module (ITM) and then upgrade the Engine Control Module ‘ECM’ system software on certain K5 (DL3a) vehicles, in the event the Multifunction… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 19, 2025, received Dec 1, 2025, about the engine — 1 document under this number: TSB_ENG260. It names 4 model years (2021–2024). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ITM REPLACEMENT AND ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (CA2511) - This bulletin provides information to replace the Integrated Thermal Management Module (ITM) and then upgrade the Engine Control Module ‘ECM’ system software on certain K5 (DL3a) vehicles, in the event the Multifunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is illuminated with DTC(s) P218100, P2181F0, and/or P2181F1 stored. This condition may occur due to degradation of the diaphragm inside the ITM. There are no drivability or other symptoms associated with this condition.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG260 | Service bulletin | Nov 19, 2025 | 11025760 | PDF, 752 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 250A47R0 | — | 1.5 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (7 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Kia’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 443 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 162 of them name Engine, Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
Beginning only about 6 months after I purchased the vehicle, the audio system intermittently screams at me, blasting at over 800 decibels road, engine noise and audio interference noises so that I cannot hear the radio, the telephone, turn it off or down, even when the audio infotainment system is not running.
2024 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 14, 2026 · ODI 11764128
On 11/29/2022 my car wouldn't start, just click and continued to try and start then the check ESC warning came on. I had to get it jump started from KIA Roadside assistance and drove vehicle to local KIA Dealership where they tested the battery and said it was a bad battery. They replaced the battery.
2022 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 27, 2022 · ODI 11498955
I bought this vehicle less than 60 days ago and there is transmission hesitation, hard engagement in lower gears, Rough jerking shifting along with acceleration lag. Erracric shifting and phantom braking. I have taken it into the dealership I bought it at at they are not seeing anything.
2024 Kia K5 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 28, 2026 · ODI 11760419
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group7 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia K5 under the same component group (engine), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2516 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P2B59F0 (CA2516) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade… |
| SA642 | Service bulletin | Mar 13, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: THETA III 2.5 GDI ECM SW LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA642) - This bulletin provides information to upgra… |
| DC26 | Service campaign | Feb 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin has been revised to include a… |
| TSB_ENG222_R8 | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| TSB_ENG222_R7 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| SC288_DP | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2024 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC288) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conduct… |
| TSB_ENG247 | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2023 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC24) - This bulletin provides information related… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Kia, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Kia CA2511 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the CA2511 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Kia warranty extension on file lists the ones Kia has filed.
Which vehicles does CA2511 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Kia K5, 2023 Kia K5, 2022 Kia K5, 2021 Kia K5. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2021-2024 K5 (DL3a) Theta III 2.5L T-GDI: built 14 Nov 2020 – 20 Dec 2023; K5 (DL3a): built 15 Nov 2020 – Dec 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.