Kia bulletin PS797
What it saysPITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a manufacturer communication dated Dec 9, 2025, received Dec 18, 2025, about the back over prevention. It names 117 model years (2016–2026). 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.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationPITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane film of the ultrasonic sensor is used for object detention and can be damaged by stone chips or foreign substances while driving. Damage to the cover of the ultrasonic sensor can also lead to damage to the internal circuit. As a result of this external damage, the PDW system may not receive the proper signal from the ultrasonic sensor. In some cases, the system may cause a false alarm, no alert, or phantom warnings by a “Warning Lamp’ to be displayed on the cluster. The ultrasonic sensor membrane film should be always inspected for external damage and if any part replacement should be treated as a general repair, not as a warranty claim repair for this concern. (Please note that this Pitstop only applies to models/trims that are equipped with the ultrasonic sensors.)
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PS797 | Other | Dec 9, 2025 | 11026698 | PDF, 351 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 themand 77 more on this site: 2024 Kia Niro, 2023 Kia Niro, 2022 Kia Niro, 2021 Kia Niro, 2020 Kia Niro, 2019 Kia Niro, 2018 Kia Niro, 2017 Kia Niro, 2020 Kia Optima, 2019 Kia Optima, 2018 Kia Optima, 2017 Kia Optima, 2016 Kia Optima, 2023 Kia Rio, 2022 Kia Rio, 2021 Kia Rio, 2020 Kia Rio, 2019 Kia Rio, 2018 Kia Rio, 2017 Kia Rio, 2016 Kia Rio, 2021 Kia Sedona, 2020 Kia Sedona, 2019 Kia Sedona, 2018 Kia Sedona, 2017 Kia Sedona, 2016 Kia Sedona, 2026 Kia Seltos, 2025 Kia Seltos, 2024 Kia Seltos, 2023 Kia Seltos, 2022 Kia Seltos, 2021 Kia Seltos, 2026 Kia Sorento, 2025 Kia Sorento, 2024 Kia Sorento, 2023 Kia Sorento, 2022 Kia Sorento, 2021 Kia Sorento, 2020 Kia Sorento, 2019 Kia Sorento, 2018 Kia Sorento, 2017 Kia Sorento, 2016 Kia Sorento, 2025 Kia Soul, 2024 Kia Soul, 2023 Kia Soul, 2022 Kia Soul, 2021 Kia Soul, 2020 Kia Soul, 2019 Kia Soul, 2018 Kia Soul, 2017 Kia Soul, 2016 Kia Soul, 2026 Kia Sportage, 2025 Kia Sportage, 2024 Kia Sportage, 2023 Kia Sportage, 2022 Kia Sportage, 2021 Kia Sportage, 2020 Kia Sportage, 2019 Kia Sportage, 2018 Kia Sportage, 2017 Kia Sportage, 2016 Kia Sportage, 2023 Kia Stinger, 2022 Kia Stinger, 2021 Kia Stinger, 2020 Kia Stinger, 2019 Kia Stinger, 2018 Kia Stinger, 2025 Kia Telluride, 2024 Kia Telluride, 2023 Kia Telluride, 2022 Kia Telluride, 2021 Kia Telluride, 2020 Kia Telluride.
A 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 117 model years this bulletin names have filed 16,383 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 6 of them name Back Over Prevention — 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 contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro EV. The contact stated that the rearview camera intermittently failed to display an image when the vehicle was shifted into reverse. The contact stated that reverse engaged normally, and the audible alert was sounded; however, the display screen periodically remained blank.
2020 Kia Niro · Back Over Prevention · filed with NHTSA Jun 22, 2026 · ODI 11745741
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Rio. The contact stated that the rearview camera would intermittently turn on while driving at various speeds. The contact also stated that while in reverse(R), the camera would intermittently display a blank or distorted image.
2022 Kia Rio · Back Over Prevention · filed with NHTSA Jun 9, 2025 · ODI 11665837
There was no accident the radio/backup camera shuts down completely on the inside of the car when the car is too hot inside
2019 Kia Rio · Back Over Prevention · filed with NHTSA Jun 14, 2026 · ODI 11744013
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 back over prevention
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against these Kia models under the same component group (back over prevention), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC350 | Service campaign | Nov 7, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN PDW OPERATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC350) - This bulletin SC350, superseded the previou… |
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 PS797 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 PS797 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 PS797 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 117 model years: 2020 Kia Cadenza, 2019 Kia Cadenza, 2018 Kia Cadenza, 2017 Kia Cadenza, 2016 Kia Cadenza, 2026 Kia Carnival and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.