Kia bulletin SA596
What it saysThis bulletin provides the procedure to update the Motor Control Unit (MCU) software on certain 2025MY Sorento HEV (MQ4 HEV) vehicles equipped with 19” wheels and produced from March 4, 2024 through November 9, 2024. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 23, 2024, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: TSB_ELE364. It names 1 model year (2025). 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.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: MOTOR CONTROL UNIT (MCU) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA596) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the Motor Control Unit (MCU) software on certain 2025MY Sorento HEV (MQ4 HEV) vehicles equipped with 19” wheels and produced from March 4, 2024 through November 9, 2024. The affected vehicles may exhibit traction motor noise, an inoperable A/C, and illuminated warning lights with DTCs P0A3C, P0AF0, P1B77 stored due to intermittent traction motor operation when the hybrid system powers ‘OFF’ during the engine clutch calibration procedure.
Trouble codes it names: P0A3C P0AF0 P1B77
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE364 | Service bulletin | Dec 23, 2024 | 11012057 | PDF, 375 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 129 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 49 of them name Electrical System, Fuel/Propulsion 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.
I am writing to report a safety concern with my 2025 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid. On multiple occasions, after starting the vehicle, the instrument panel appears normal, but the vehicle does not enter the ready state. The ready indicator does not illuminate and the vehicle will not shift into drive or reverse.
2025 Kia Sorento · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and the message "Hybrid System Failure" was displayed.
2025 Kia Sorento · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Aug 7, 2026
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 group47 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Sorento 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_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… |
| ELE413 | Over-the-air update | Jun 18, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update t… |
| WTY031 | Warranty extension | Jun 16, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH REPAIR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sect… |
| 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… |
| WTY042 | Warranty extension | Mar 26, 2026 | WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS & SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (WTY042) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Servic… |
| TSB_ELE394 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated… |
| TSB_ELE413 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DCU COMMUNICATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to upgrade the Data Connectivity Unit… |
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 SA596 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 SA596 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.
Which vehicles does SA596 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Kia Sorento. 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: 2025MY Sorento HEV (MQ4 HE V): built 4 Mar 2024 – 9 Nov 2024; Sorento HEV (MQ4 HEV): built 4 Mar 2024 – 9 Nov 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.