Kia over-the-air update SA618 / SA626
What it saysRELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR SHIFT-BY-WIRE AND WIRELESS PHONE CHARGER (SA618-SA626) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Shift-By-Wire (SBW)… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Oct 1, 2025, received Oct 2, 2025, about the power train — 1 document under this number: OTA_SA618_SA626. It names 1 model year (2024). 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.
RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR SHIFT-BY-WIRE AND WIRELESS PHONE CHARGER (SA618-SA626) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update the Shift-By-Wire (SBW) and Wireless Phone Charger (WPC) logic of certain 2024 EV9 vehicles. This update is designed to improve shift control logic for smoother shifts into Reverse as well as the Digital Key 2 feature to better detect the NFC Card Key.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTA_SA618_SA626 | Over-the-air update | Oct 1, 2025 | 11023485 | PDF, 150 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 212 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 106 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 vehicle unexpectedly accelerates in multiple situations, all related to “iDrive” (one pedal driving), either failing to engage, or unexpectedly disengaging. It almost hit something while parking, and it started accelerating into oncoming traffic from a stop sign. I’ve driven the car for 60 miles.
2024 Kia EV9 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Sep 2, 2024 · ODI 11612143
The vehicle digital instrument cluster turned off and wouldn’t show speed or any other information. The central infotainment screen and the climate control screen worked while driving. The turn signals were not working while this was happening either.
2024 Kia EV9 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 15, 2024 · ODI 11614714
In depth: 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia EV9 under the same component group (power train), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA626 | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: SBW GEAR SELECTION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA626) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade th… |
| TSB_TRA046_R5 | Service bulletin | Apr 17, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/rev… |
| TSB_TRA046_R4 | Service bulletin | May 16, 2024 | This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush… |
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 SA618 / SA626 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 SA618 / SA626 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 SA618 / SA626 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2024 Kia EV9. 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 9 Feb 2023 – 10 Oct 2024; built 3 May 2023 – 6 Jan 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.