Kia bulletin PI2002B
What it saysNU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information related to a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to install the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS)… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 24, 2026, received Sep 3, 2020, about the engine — 13 documents under this number: PI2002B_OWNR_701, PI2002B_OWNR_601, PI2002B_OWNR_501, PI2002B_OWNR_401 and 9 more. It names 1 model year (2016). 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.
TSB - PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI2002B) - NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information related to a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to install the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) in order to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. This update is for some 2014-2016MY Soul (PS) vehicles produced from July 21, 2013 through August 11, 2016 equipped with Nu 2.0L GDI engines. The KSDS detects vibrations indicating the onset of excessive connecting rod bearing wear. It is designed to alert the driver at an early stage of bearing wear before the occurrence of severe engine damage, including engine failure. If vibrations caused by bearing wear start to occur, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) will blink continuously, and the vehicle will be placed in Limp Home Mode. This will reduce further damage to the engine and ensure that the vehicle occupants are not exposed to the risk of a more severe engine failure. At that time, Diagnostic Trouble Code (“DTC”) P1326, specific to the KSDS, will be recorded in the ECU. The vehicle can continue to be operated for a limited time in Limp Home Mode, but it will accelerate slowly and have a reduced maximum speed. Also, engine RPMs will be limited to approximately 1800-2000 RPM.
Trouble codes it names: P1326
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI2002B_OWNR_701 | Other | Feb 24, 2026 | 11029041 | PDF, 206 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR_601 | Other | Jun 18, 2025 | 11019655 | PDF, 186 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR_501 | Other | Oct 19, 2024 | 11009077 | PDF, 221 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR_401 | Service bulletin | Jan 26, 2024 | 10250313 | PDF, 202 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR_202 | Service bulletin | Sep 10, 2021 | 10201431 | PDF, 335 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR_301 | Service bulletin | Sep 10, 2021 | 10201430 | PDF, 358 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR_U1 | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2021 | 10189540 | PDF, 149 KB |
| PI2002B_QA_U1 | Service bulletin | Mar 22, 2021 | 10189541 | PDF, 115 KB |
| PI2002B_TSB_R2 | Service bulletin | Jan 21, 2021 | 10186030 | PDF, 716 KB |
| PI2002B_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Oct 28, 2020 | 10181984 | PDF, 719 KB |
| PI2002B_OWNR | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2020 | 10179254 | PDF, 418 KB |
| PI2002B_TSB | Service bulletin | Aug 27, 2020 | 10181836 | PDF, 832 KB |
| PI2002B_QA | Service bulletin | Aug 27, 2020 | 10179253 | PDF, 168 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.
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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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 826 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 729 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.
On the 2016 Kia Soul, the 327 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 91,283 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was on the charging port, the vehicle failed to hold the charge and only displayed an 83 percent charge.
2016 Kia Soul · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 18, 2023 · ODI 11545156
Transmission started slipping while driving. Then transmission slipped while going 45 and engine red lined then died. Would not restart
2016 Kia Soul · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 13, 2018 · ODI 11093561
In depth: 2016 Kia Soul engine problems → · 2016 Kia Soul 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 engine
Source: same model, same component group10 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Soul 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG263 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolv… |
| PI2107 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2107) - This bulletin has been rev… |
| SC176Y | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SC176Y) - This bull… |
| SC336YZ | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Repl… |
| 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… |
| PI2107Y/Z | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326… |
| SC209A | Service bulletin | Jun 17, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC 1327 (SC209Y) - This bulleti… |
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 PI2002B 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 PI2002B 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 PI2002B cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2016 Kia Soul. 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: 2014-2016 MY Kia Soul: built 21 Jul 2013 – 11 Aug 2016 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.