Kia bulletin SA618
What it saysSERVICE ACTON: WPC DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA618) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 17, 2025, received Jul 9, 2025, about the electrical system — 2 documents under this number: TSB_ELE388_R1, TSB_ELE388. It names 2 model years (2024). 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 ACTON: WPC DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA618) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides instructions for updating the Wireless Power Charging ‘WPC’ system software on certain 2024MY EV9 (MV1) vehicles produced from February 9, 2023, through October 10, 2024. The affected vehicles may experience the 12V battery drained while the vehicle is parked due to the wireless charging unit remaining temporarily active, potentially resulting in low battery voltage and no-start condition.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE388_R1 | Service bulletin | Jul 17, 2025 | 11020870 | PDF, 556 KB |
| TSB_ELE388 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2025 | 11020592 | PDF, 570 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 290 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 162 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.
Whike driving down the street, the car lost power despite being charged to 95%. An alert went off on screen stating an electric system issue and then stopped in the middle of the road. Between the warning showing up, and car losing full power was less than a minute.
2024 Kia EV6 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 28, 2026 · ODI 11713808
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 EV6 electrical problems → · 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group72 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PI2606 | Other | Sep 4, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 12-volt battery… |
| PI2605 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2605) - This bulletin provides information regarding a Ba… |
| PI2601B | Other | Sep 1, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (PI2601B) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Se… |
| 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… |
| TSB_ELE427 | Service bulletin | Aug 11, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VEHICLE-TO-EVERYTHING (V2X) SOFTWARE UPGRADE - This bulletin provides information to install the Vehicle-to-Ever… |
| OTA_ELE427_RELEASE_NOTES | Over-the-air update | Aug 11, 2026 | OVER-THE-AIR: OVER-THE-AIR SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR COMMUNICATION CONTROL UNIT: This Over-the-Air (OTA)software update is designed to update the… |
| 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… |
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 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 SA618 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 SA618 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2024 Kia EV6, 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: 2024MY EV9 (MV1): built on or after 9 Feb 2023; EV9 (MV1): built 9 Feb 2023 – 10 Oct 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.