Kia bulletin PI2602
What it saysPRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: 2ND ROW SEAT (LH & RH) FOLDING TENSION SPRING REPLACEMENT (PI2602) - This bulletin provides information to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Jun 16, 2026, received Jun 15, 2026, about the seats — 5 documents under this number: PI2602_TSB, PI2602_OWNR, PI2602_QA, PI2602_DPSM and 1 more. It names 5 model years (2022–2026). A manufacturer communication 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.
Get the next Kia Carnival bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
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: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: 2ND ROW SEAT (LH & RH) FOLDING TENSION SPRING REPLACEMENT (PI2602) - This bulletin provides information to enhance the second-row seatback recliner mechanism to dampen the motion of the manual seatback angle adjustment during the operation on certain 2022-2026MY Carnival (KA4) produced from 1/4/2021 through 4/14/2026 and certain 2025-2026MY Carnival Hybrid (KA4 HEV) vehicles produced from 5/21/2024 through 4/8/2026. To aid in the manual adjustment of the outboard second-row seatback in the subject vehicles, the seats are equipped with recliner springs that work in conjunction with a user-controlled seatback angle lever or walk-in lever. This seatback motion is controlled by the user to achieve their desired seat position. To improve usability, Kia has developed a newly designed second-row seatback recliner spring that will dampen the motion of the manual second-row seatback angle adjustment. (Note: Only the second-row outboard seats are affected. The second-row center seat, if equipped, is excluded from this campaign.)
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI2602_TSB | Service bulletin | Jun 16, 2026 | 11033919 | PDF, 2,546 KB |
| PI2602_OWNR | Other | Jun 12, 2026 | 11033834 | PDF, 727 KB |
| PI2602_QA | Other | Jun 10, 2026 | 11033835 | PDF, 79 KB |
| PI2602_DPSM | Other | Jun 9, 2026 | 11033829 | PDF, 61 KB |
| PI2602_DP | Other | Jun 9, 2026 | 11033827 | PDF, 79 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.
Email me new Kia bulletins for the Carnival
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Kia files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 5 model years this bulletin names have filed 515 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 7 of them name Seats — 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.
The rails/tracks that the seats slide forward and back on get extremely hot while the car is on. The seat rails/tracks are exposed so the seats can slide and passengers have to step on them to get in and out. The amount of heat coming from the seat rails/tracks poses a burn risk, especially to children’s delicate feet
2024 Kia Carnival · Seats · filed with NHTSA Jul 29, 2024 · ODI 11605093
Subject: Formal Consumer Complaint: Alleged False Representation of Completed Vehicle Safety Repair I am filing a formal consumer protection complaint regarding a XXX Kia dealership's representation that a safety-related repair was completed on my vehicle.
2026 Kia Carnival · Seats · filed with NHTSA Oct 23, 2026 · ODI 11773340
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 seats
Source: same model, same component group4 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Carnival under the same component group (seats), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| PI2501 | Other | Mar 20, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: 2ND -ROW SEAT RAIL COVER INSTALLATION (PI2501) - This bulletin provides informatio… |
| PI2301_DPSM_UPD | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2023 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Man… |
| PI2301_DPSM | Service bulletin | Aug 8, 2023 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Mana… |
| PI2301_DP | Service bulletin | Aug 8, 2023 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conducting an i… |
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 PI2602 a recall?
No. A manufacturer communication 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 PI2602 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 PI2602 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 5 model years: 2026 Kia Carnival, 2025 Kia Carnival, 2024 Kia Carnival, 2023 Kia Carnival, 2022 Kia Carnival. 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: Carnival (KA4): built 4 Jan 2021 – 14 Apr 2026; 2025 -2026MY Carnival Hybrid (KA4 HEV): built 21 May 2024 – 8 Apr 2026; Carnival Hybrid (KA4 HEV): built 21 May 2024 – 8 Apr 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.