Kia over-the-air update SA630
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to upgrade the automatic transmission software on certain 2025MY K5 (DL3) vehicles equipped with a Theta III 2.5L GDI produced from February 20, 2024 through April 23, 2025… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Sep 30, 2025, received Sep 23, 2025, about the power train — 2 documents under this number: OTA_SA630, TSB_TRA115. 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: 8-SPEED TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA630) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the automatic transmission software on certain 2025MY K5 (DL3) vehicles equipped with a Theta III 2.5L GDI produced from February 20, 2024 through April 23, 2025, which may exhibit abnormal roughness or hesitation during gear shifts. Follow the procedure outlined in this publication to upgrade the software logic of the automatic transmission ‘AT’ system to improve shift response during acceleration.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTA_SA630 | Over-the-air update | Sep 30, 2025 | 11023468 | PDF, 142 KB |
| TSB_TRA115 | Service bulletin | Sep 19, 2025 | 11023285 | PDF, 644 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. 18 of them name Electrical System, Power Train — 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 K5 - as soon as I began driving it at 0 miles, I noticed it shifted at lower speeds extremely hard. Head-jerking hard during the first drive of each day at speeds below 25mph. Once the vehicle warmed up, the problem would go away and wouldn't appear until the next day - after the vehicle cooled down completely.
2025 Kia K5 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Oct 5, 2025 · ODI 11691491
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.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group10 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia K5 under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC363 | Service campaign | Apr 17, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OIL LEVEL PLUG (OLP) INSPECTION, AND OLP GASKET AND/OR ATF FILLER BOLT REPLACEMENT O… |
| 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_TRA111_R1 | Service bulletin | Aug 22, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 8-SPEED DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION EOP SENSORLESS LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include ad… |
| TSB_TRA111 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 8-SPEED DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION EOP SENSORLESS LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to improv… |
| 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… |
| TSB_TRA108_R1 | Service bulletin | Apr 25, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 4WD COUPLING ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. N… |
| TSB_TRA105_R1 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 4WD COUPLING NOISE INSPECTION AND SNAP RING REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional i… |
| TSB_TRA105 | Service bulletin | Nov 15, 2023 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 4WD COUPLING NOISE INSPECTION AND SNAP RING REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to inspect for a kn… |
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 SA630 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 SA630 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 SA630 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 – 23 Apr 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.