Kia bulletin CS2303_TSB_R3
What it saysCUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2303) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 5, 2024, received Mar 6, 2023, about the electrical system — 5 documents under this number: CS2303_TSB_R4, CS2303_TSB_R2, CS2303_TSB_R1, CS2303_TSB and 1 more. It names 5 model years (2016–2020). 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: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2303) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to upgrade the software logic of the Integrated Body Control Unit (IBU) or Body Control Module (BCM) system on certain 2011-2015MY Optima (TF), 2012-2015MY Optima (QF) and 2016-2020MY Optima (JF, JFa) vehicles produced within the dates outlined on page 10, which may not be equipped with an immobilizer. This logic upgrade will add anti-theft ignition start logic to the vehicle's system operation which activates when the vehicle is locked with the use of the key fob.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS2303_TSB_R4 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2024 | 11001594 | PDF, 991 KB |
| CS2303_TSB_R3 | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2023 | 10239713 | PDF, 1,008 KB |
| CS2303_TSB_R2 | Service bulletin | May 22, 2023 | 10236643 | PDF, 1,006 KB |
| CS2303_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Mar 10, 2023 | 10232943 | PDF, 1,003 KB |
| CS2303_TSB | Service bulletin | Feb 16, 2023 | 10232113 | PDF, 997 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the control module for the 2020 Optima →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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 1,680 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 220 of them name 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.
On the 2016 Kia Optima, the 37 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 66,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I've had this car going on three years sometimes not all the time I will go to start it and it will barely start so I took it to the dealership three times when I got my oil change and they checked the battery but they're saying the battery is good and the starting system the car will just be sitting in my garage and I try to start it it…
2019 Kia Optima · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 9, 2021 · ODI 11415708
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Optima PHEV. The contact's daughter stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the high systems temperature switching to hybrid mode message was displayed. The contact stated that there was a two-hour delay for a full charge. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired.
2018 Kia Optima · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 21, 2025 · ODI 11675096
The vehicle is incredibly easy to steal. A simple flat head screw driver in the hands of a child will steal this vehicle. My car was stolen from Daytona Beach Florida on July 8 2022 by 2 14 year and one 15 year old kids. No key, no fob needed, who knew it'd be so easy to steal? They learned it on TikTok.
2020 Kia Optima · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 19, 2022 · ODI 11474661
In depth: 2016 Kia Optima electrical problems →
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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group9 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Optima under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC367 | Emissions | Sep 11, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Electronic Control Modul… |
| SC269 | Service campaign | Jul 15, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY SAFETY PLUG FUSE INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC269) - This bull… |
| SA611 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem i… |
| TSB_ELE303_R2 | Service bulletin | Feb 9, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional info… |
| CS2310_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Aug 7, 2023 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: KIA GENUINE REMOTE START CONTROL MODULE UPGRADE FOR ANTI-THEFT LOGIC COMPATIBILITY… |
| CS2303C_OWNR2 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2023 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER RE-NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner re-notification advising that Kia has developed a softwar… |
| TSB_ELE209_R3 | Service bulletin | Aug 16, 2022 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE REMINDER SETTING RESET PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides the procedure to turn OFF the service reminder… |
| PS613_R1 | Service bulletin | Mar 30, 2022 | PITSTOP: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPLACEMENT AND MILEAGE SETTING WITH KDS - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New… |
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 CS2303_TSB_R3 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 CS2303_TSB_R3 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 CS2303_TSB_R3 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2020 Kia Optima, 2019 Kia Optima, 2018 Kia Optima, 2017 Kia Optima, 2016 Kia Optima. 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: Optima (TF): built 12 Aug 2010 – 23 Jul 2015; Optima (QF): built 12 Aug 2011 – 2 Oct 2015; Optima (JFa): built 28 Aug 2015 – 23 Jun 2020 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.