Kia bulletin SA638
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to replace faulty Data Connectivity Units (DCUs) on certain 2026MY Sportage and 2025MY EV6 vehicles that may cause modem data to be missing on the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 18, 2025, received Dec 23, 2025, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: TSB_ELE408. 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: DCU REPLACEMENT (SA638) - This bulletin provides information to replace faulty Data Connectivity Units (DCUs) on certain 2026MY Sportage and 2025MY EV6 vehicles that may cause modem data to be missing on the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) head unit, resulting in Kia Connect failing to activate.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE408 | Service bulletin | Dec 18, 2025 | 11026753 | PDF, 471 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 250A56R1 | DCU Replacement | 1.3 hrs |
| 250A56R0 | — | 0.6 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 pages), read Sep 30, 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.
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 95 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 group61 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… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| TSB_ELE417 | Service bulletin | Apr 14, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infot… |
| TSB_ELE394 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated… |
| SC325 | Emissions | Feb 20, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: AEWP INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC325) - This bulletin has been revised t… |
| SA635 | Over-the-air update | Feb 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DCU OPERATIONSOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA635) - This bulletin has been revised to include addi… |
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 SA638 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 SA638 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 SA638 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 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: Sportage (NQ5a): built 25 Mar 2025 – 26 Sep 2025; EV6 (CVa): built 24 Mar 2025 – 14 Aug 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.