Kia bulletin SA636
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to inspect the front passenger walk-in seat switch on certain 2025–2026MY EV9 (MV1a) vehicles produced from May 16, 2024 through August 21, 2025. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jan 16, 2026, about the structure — 1 document under this number: TSB_BOD348. It names 2 model years (2025–2026). 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 ACTION: FRONT PASSENGER WALK-IN SEAT SWITCH INSPECTION, REPAIR & REPLACEMENT (SA636) - This bulletin provides information to inspect the front passenger walk-in seat switch on certain 2025–2026MY EV9 (MV1a) vehicles produced from May 16, 2024 through August 21, 2025. On some vehicles, the switch may not be mounted flush to the backrest cushion. This condition does not affect the functionality of the switch and is a cosmetic issue only.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_BOD348 | Service bulletin | Jan 16, 2026 | 11027679 | PDF, 571 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 250A48I0 | — | 0.2 hrs |
| 250A48R0 | + Foam Grinding+ Switch Replacement | 0.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (5 pages), read Sep 29, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Kia’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the body for the 2026 EV9 →Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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 49 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 3 of them name Structure — 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.
About a couple of weeks before October 23, 2026, the front passenger door mechanism on my 2026 Kia EV9 suffered a complete failure due to a manufacturer-identified water intrusion issue, causing the exterior retractable door handle to stop deploying. As a result, the door cannot be opened from the outside.
2026 Kia EV9 · Structure · filed with NHTSA Oct 30, 2026 · ODI 11774598
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia EV9 under the same component group (structure), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_BOD336 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the driver’s door lock and trun… |
| SA627 | Service bulletin | Sep 12, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE COVER SCREW REPLACEMENT (SA627) - This bulletin provides instructions to rep… |
| TSB_BOD341 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CONSOLE ARMREST LOWER COVER AND BUMPER REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the console a… |
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 SA636 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 SA636 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 SA636 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Kia EV9, 2025 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: 2025–2026MY EV9 (MV1a): built 16 May 2024 – 21 Aug 2025; EV9 (MV1a): built 16 May 2024 – 21 Aug 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.