Kia bulletin CA2516
What it saysCUSTOMER ACTION: ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P2B59F0 (CA2516) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Engine Control Unit (ECU) software on certain 2024–2025MY vehicles equipped with 2.5 GDI or 2.5 T-GDI… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 1, 2026, about the engine — 1 document under this number: TSB_ENG264. It names 5 model years (2024–2025). 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 communicationTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P2B59F0 (CA2516) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Engine Control Unit (ECU) software on certain 2024–2025MY vehicles equipped with 2.5 GDI or 2.5 T-GDI Theta III engines listed in the table below. Affected vehicles may experience an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) accompanied with DTC P2B59F0 which can set while driving. There are no drivability issues related to this DTC.
Trouble codes it names: P2B59 all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG264 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2026 | 11030379 | PDF, 623 KB |
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 5 model years this bulletin names have filed 428 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 78 of them name Engine — 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.
While attempting to park the vehicle in an angled parking spot I was pressing the brake and slowing to a stop. Prior to stopping with my foot still on the brake the engine revved and the vehicle surged forward hitting the car in front of me. The emergency braking did not seem to activate nor di my foot on the brake slow the car.
2024 Kia Sportage · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 2, 2026 · ODI 11708271
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle decelerated and was coasted over to the side of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was decelerating.
2025 Kia Sorento · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 13, 2026 · ODI 11756660
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that during a routine oil change, the mechanic added an unknown oil additive to the vehicle. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power and drove sluggishly.
2024 Kia Sorento · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 26, 2025 · ODI 11683103
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 group24 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC365 | Emissions | Sep 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides the procedure to update the emissions‑related logic… |
| SC340 | Emissions | Apr 4, 2026 | VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS: ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REVISION 5) - This bulletin has been revised… |
| WTY026_QA | Service bulletin | Mar 18, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: OIL PRESSURE SWITCH (OPS) REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/re… |
| 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… |
| SC325 | Emissions | Feb 20, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: AEWP INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC325) - This bulletin has been revised t… |
| 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… |
| CA2508 | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ITM REPLACEMENT AND ECM & TCM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (CA2508) - This bulletin provides information to replace the Int… |
| SC320 | Emissions | Nov 20, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: EGR VALVE ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (SC320) - This bulletin has been revised to… |
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 CA2516 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 CA2516 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 CA2516 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2025 Kia K5, 2025 Kia Sorento, 2024 Kia Sorento, 2025 Kia Sportage, 2024 Kia Sportage. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.