Kia over-the-air update SA617
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to upgrade the Motor Control Unit ‘MCU’ system software on certain 2025MY Carnival HEV (KA4 HEV) vehicles produced from June 27, 2024, through March 19, 2025. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Jun 18, 2025, received Jun 19, 2025, about the electrical system — 2 documents under this number: OTA_SA617, TSB_ELE386. 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: MCU DTC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA617) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Motor Control Unit ‘MCU’ system software on certain 2025MY Carnival HEV (KA4 HEV) vehicles produced from June 27, 2024, through March 19, 2025. The affected vehicles may exhibit an intermittent Malfunction Indicator Lamp ‘MIL’ illuminated on the instrument cluster with DTC P0C7300. The DTC is caused by a software logic error within the Integrated Thermal Management Module ‘ITM’, which controls the coolant flow rate according to the coolant temperature.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTA_SA617 | Over-the-air update | Jun 18, 2025 | 11019656 | PDF, 119 KB |
| TSB_ELE386 | Service bulletin | Jun 12, 2025 | 11019906 | PDF, 422 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 197 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 145 of them name Electrical System, Engine — 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.
Car would not accelerate past 30 or 31 MPH no matter how hard gas pedal was engaged. The RPMs increase, acknowledging the gas, but the speed stays the same. Stopping the vehicle and putting in park doesn’t fix it. This is particularly dangerous when going from city street to highway or interstate driving.
2025 Kia Carnival · Engine · filed with NHTSA Feb 21, 2025 · ODI 11644227
When driving my van to work in the morning, I would get an alert on my screen that says to check the driver assistance system. Then I turned on to the freeway on ramp and my car lost all power, not letting me drive faster than 30 mph.
2025 Kia Carnival · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 18, 2025 · ODI 11648981
In depth: 2025 Kia Carnival 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 group32 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Carnival 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WTY048 | Warranty extension | Aug 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: HORN ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY048) - This bulletin provides information associated with the Warranty… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| PS807 | Service bulletin | Mar 5, 2026 | PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: CCU FUSE OPEN AFTER WIRING HARNESS REPLACEMENT - This Pitstop provides information regarding a condition on 2… |
| PS798 | Other | Jan 15, 2026 | PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: CCRC WITH DTC B281600 (PS798) - This Pitstop provides information regarding DTC B281600 stored on some 2025… |
| SC352 | Service campaign | Nov 13, 2025 | VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: HVAC SOFTWARE UPGRADE FOR PTC OPERATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC352) - This bulletin provides information to upgrad… |
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 SA617 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 SA617 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 SA617 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 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: built 27 Jun 2024 – 19 Mar 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.