Kia over-the-air update SA609
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to upgrade the Airbag Control Unit ‘ACU’ system software on certain 2025MY K5 (DL3) vehicles produced from February 20, 2024 to October 25, 2024. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated May 8, 2025, received Apr 25, 2025, about the air bags — 2 documents under this number: OTA_SA609, TSB_ELE376. It names 1 model year (2025). An over-the-air update is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
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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: ACU OPERATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA609) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Airbag Control Unit ‘ACU’ system software on certain 2025MY K5 (DL3) vehicles produced from February 20, 2024 to October 25, 2024. In rare cases when the driver restarts the vehicle within 1.5 seconds after turning the ignition ‘OFF’, the affected vehicles may exhibit the “ESC/Forward Collision Avoidance System” warning light(s) illuminating for up the three (3) minutes with DTC(s) C128387 and/or C164286 stored. During this time, Electronic Stability Control ‘ESC’, Forward Collision—Avoidance Assist ‘FCA’ and Lane Keeping Assist ‘LKA’ functions are inoperable
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTA_SA609 | Over-the-air update | May 8, 2025 | 11018159 | PDF, 112 KB |
| TSB_ELE376 | Service bulletin | Apr 24, 2025 | 11017242 | PDF, 417 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 54 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 12 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.
While driving in the dark this morning with my eight year old in the backseat, my headlights shut off, my entire dash including my speedometer, warning lights, radio, heat, heated seat and steering wheel, lost electricity
2025 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 13, 2026 · ODI 11710809
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.
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 SA609 a recall?
No. A over-the-air update 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 SA609 repair free?
A over-the-air update is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does SA609 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Kia K5. 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: built 20 Feb 2024 – 25 Oct 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.