Kia bulletin SA642
What it saysTHETA III 2.5 GDI ECM SW LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA642) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Engine Control Module ‘ECM’ system software on certain 2026MY K5 (DL3) vehicles produced from December 03, 2025… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 13, 2026, received Apr 1, 2026, about the engine — 1 document under this number: TSB_ENG265. It names 1 model year (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: THETA III 2.5 GDI ECM SW LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA642) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Engine Control Module ‘ECM’ system software on certain 2026MY K5 (DL3) vehicles produced from December 03, 2025 through March 09, 2026 equipped with 2.5 GDI Theta III engines. The affected vehicles may exhibit an intermittent “low oil level” message illuminated on the instrument cluster. This issue may be present due to improper calibration logic of the oil level sensor value to detect a low oil level, even if the engine oil level is within the recommended factory specification.
Trouble codes it names: P250F all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG265 | Service bulletin | Mar 13, 2026 | 11030380 | PDF, 512 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 14 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 5 of them name Engine — 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 display is shows a "Check Oil Level" error. It comes on then goes off regularly. I have verified that the oil level is OK. Took it into the dealer and he said that this is a common issue and a software fix is coming. The car only has less than 2K miles. I depend on the engine displaying error messages, but they need to be real ones.
2026 Kia K5 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 13, 2026 · ODI 11730905
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group7 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia K5 under the same component group (engine), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2516 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P2B59F0 (CA2516) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade… |
| DC26 | Service campaign | Feb 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin has been revised to include a… |
| CA2511 | Service bulletin | Nov 19, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ITM REPLACEMENT AND ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (CA2511) - This bulletin provides information to replace the Integrate… |
| TSB_ENG222_R8 | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| TSB_ENG222_R7 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| SC288_DP | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2024 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC288) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conduct… |
| TSB_ENG247 | Service bulletin | Jul 28, 2023 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC24) - This bulletin provides information related… |
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 SA642 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 SA642 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 SA642 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2026 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: 2026MY K5 (DL3): built 3 Dec 2025 – 9 Mar 2026; K5 (DL3): built 3 Dec 2025 – 9 Mar 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.