Kia over-the-air update SA635
What it saysThis bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an over-the-air update dated Feb 10, 2026, received Dec 24, 2025, about the electrical system — 4 documents under this number: OTA_SA635_R1, TSB_ELE406_R1, OTA_SA635, TSB_ELE406. It names 3 model years (2025–2026). 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: DCU OPERATIONSOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA635) - 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 information to improve the Data Connectivity Unit (DCU) performance on all 2026MYSportage and Sportage HEV/PHEV and 2025MY EV6 vehicles equipped with Kia Connect Services. The affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: Remote Start/Climate Control function not working, Vehicle Status on the Kia Access App not updating. and/or Connected routing not functioning properly.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OTA_SA635_R1 | Over-the-air update | Feb 10, 2026 | 11029300 | PDF, 145 KB |
| TSB_ELE406_R1 | Service bulletin | Feb 10, 2026 | 11028737 | PDF, 712 KB |
| OTA_SA635 | Over-the-air update | Jan 15, 2026 | 11027674 | PDF, 142 KB |
| TSB_ELE406 | Service bulletin | Dec 24, 2025 | 11026827 | PDF, 841 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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 98 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 50 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.
COMPONENT: Shift-by-wire transmission selector / hybrid control system. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. WHAT HAPPENED: Intermittently, after starting the vehicle, it will not engage Drive or Reverse. The selector input is accepted but the vehicle remains in Park/Neutral and does not move.
2026 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 10, 2026 · ODI 11763449
When shifting from reverse to drive there was a loud pop towards the back up the car. A check electrical system warning popped up, and then eventually a Check Power Supply stop now warning came up. The vehicle would not go above 26MPH and had to be stopped in a parking lot to be towed to the dealership.
2025 Kia EV6 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 5, 2026 · ODI 11722278
Car has an NACS charger port, and is advertised by KIA as compatible with Tesla Superchargers and home chargers. The car will not charge at a supercharger nor at home using a Tesla charge cord that works with a Tesla Model 3
2025 Kia EV6 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 9, 2026 · ODI 11723130
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 group62 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… |
| 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_ELE426 | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system… |
| CA2606 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: UPPER ACTIVE AIR FLAP DUCT ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (CA2606) - This bulletin provides information t… |
| SA644 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ON-BOARD CHARGER INSPECTION AND REPLACMENT (SA644) - This bulletin provides information related to charging syst… |
| 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… |
| WTY044 | Warranty extension | Apr 23, 2026 | WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ICCU INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY044) - This bulletin provides information associate… |
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 SA635 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 SA635 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 SA635 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2026 Kia EV6, 2025 Kia EV6, 2026 Kia Sportage. 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 13 Mar 2025 – 26 Sep 2025; built 25 Jan 2025 – 28 Aug 2025; built 24 Mar 2025 – 14 Aug 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.