Kia bulletin CS2305_TSB_R4
What it saysCUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2305) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 6, 2024, received Apr 22, 2023, about the electrical system — 6 documents under this number: CS2305_TSB_R5, CS2305_TSB_R3, CS2305_TSB_R2, CS2305_TSB_R1 and 2 more. It names 6 model years (2016–2021). 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 SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2305) - 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 2014-2018MY Forte (YD), 2017-2018MY Forte (YDm), and 2019-2021MY Forte (BDm) vehicles produced within the dates outlined in page 13, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS2305_TSB_R5 | Service bulletin | Jun 6, 2024 | 11001596 | PDF, 1,251 KB |
| CS2305_TSB_R4 | Service bulletin | Nov 2, 2023 | 10245167 | PDF, 1,267 KB |
| CS2305_TSB_R3 | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2023 | 10239715 | PDF, 1,267 KB |
| CS2305_TSB_R2 | Service bulletin | May 19, 2023 | 10236651 | PDF, 1,265 KB |
| CS2305_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Apr 27, 2023 | 10235406 | PDF, 1,262 KB |
| CS2305_TSB | Service bulletin | Apr 13, 2023 | 10234597 | PDF, 1,261 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.
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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 6 model years this bulletin names have filed 876 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 128 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 2017 Kia Forte, the 21 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 32,850 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I have trouble with my car starting every time get ready to start it I would have to get someone to jump start my car off every time ike yesterday when I got ready to go to work it didn't start it make a clicking noise ike it's the battery but I really can't tell what is causing this problem I have taken my care to Kia dealership they…
2018 Kia Forte · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 22, 2020 · ODI 11325535
I went hunting and went to go back to my car at the end of the evening. My car was parked on a grass lane by a woods with the key out of the egnition. When I got to the car it was dark so I did not notice anything at first, but when I went to unlock my door and my keyless entry would not work.
2016 Kia Forte · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 25, 2018 · ODI 11113694
On march 1, vehicle had been parked for 10 min on a cold day after being driven for a few hours and 'engine oveheated' came up on the display. Vehicle was towed the following day to cable dahmer Kia where they said the cause was an electrical glitch and that the car was fine.
2017 Kia Forte · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 5, 2018 · ODI 11124665
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 group19 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Forte 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE422 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service proc… |
| TSB_ELE417 | Service bulletin | Apr 14, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infot… |
| 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… |
| SA569 | Service bulletin | Jan 9, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5WSOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - This bulletin has been revised to include addit… |
| TSB_ELE347_R1 | Service bulletin | Dec 19, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New… |
| SA582 | Service bulletin | Dec 2, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) (SA582) - This bulletin provides informatio… |
| TSB_ELE303_R3 | Service bulletin | Nov 15, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional info… |
| TSB_ELE347 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information to update the software on Display… |
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 CS2305_TSB_R4 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 CS2305_TSB_R4 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 CS2305_TSB_R4 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 6 model years: 2021 Kia Forte, 2020 Kia Forte, 2019 Kia Forte, 2018 Kia Forte, 2017 Kia Forte, 2016 Kia Forte. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.