Kia bulletin PS791
What it saysPITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: DCU IDENTIFICATION AND DAIGNOSTIC AID - This Pitstop provides information on identifying the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) in Kia vehicles equipped with Connected Car Navigation Cockpit… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Aug 22, 2025, received Sep 2, 2025, about the electrical system. It names 7 model years (2024–2025). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationPITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: DCU IDENTIFICATION AND DAIGNOSTIC AID - This Pitstop provides information on identifying the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) in Kia vehicles equipped with Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) and ccNC Lite head units, as well as a diagnostic aid when diagnosing Kia Connect concerns. When diagnosing non-operational Kia Connect concerns, under no circumstance should the DCU be swapped with a known good DCU from another vehicle. Doing so may result in inoperative Kia Connect services on either vehicle and may require the replacement of the known good DCU. If a DCU needs to be replaced, the recommendation is to always order a replacement unit (with the correct P/N) to ensure proper Kia Connect services operations using the newly installed/replaced DCU.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS791 | Other | Aug 22, 2025 | 11022347 | PDF, 202 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 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 605 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 237 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.
The digital instrument panel (including infotainment screen) has occasionally turned off and back on. An article showed Kia and Hyundai were going to have a recall at the end of March for this problem, but noted only 2025 K4 vehicles built after Aug 4, 2025 were involved, while the door frame shows my vehicle built 7/2025.
2025 Kia K4 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 3, 2026 · ODI 11715310
First of all, what I am about to write put my husband and I in great danger. Driving on a two way, busy, rural highway, traveling approximately 65 mph, my Kia suddenly displayed a warning to pull over immediately and something about the battery. I barely had time to pull on to a narrow shoulder before it completely died.
2024 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 6, 2026 · ODI 11769453
Purchased new KIA Carnival in May 2024. In August 2024 ALL of the warning lights came on and started cycling through to check every system. The warnings were the only thing that worked on the instrument cluster. All of the analog instruments stopped working: the speedometer, the tachometer, the fuel gauge, etc..
2024 Kia Carnival · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 2, 2025 · ODI 11645778
In depth: 2024 Kia EV6 electrical problems → · 2024 Kia EV9 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 group145 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA656 | Service bulletin | Sep 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (SA656) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front… |
| SC330 | Service campaign | Sep 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH REPAIR (SC330) - This bulletin provides information to repair… |
| PI2606 | Other | Sep 4, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 12-volt battery… |
| PI2605 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2605) - This bulletin provides information regarding a Ba… |
| PI2601B | Other | Sep 1, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (PI2601B) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Se… |
| TSB_CLI049_R2 | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. N… |
| WTY048 | Warranty extension | Aug 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: HORN ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY048) - This bulletin provides information associated with the Warranty… |
| TSB_ELE426 | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system… |
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 PS791 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 PS791 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 PS791 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2024 Kia Carnival, 2024 Kia EV6, 2024 Kia EV9, 2025 Kia K4, 2024 Kia K5, 2024 Kia Sorento and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.