Kia bulletin SA644
What it saysThis bulletin provides information related to charging system diagnosis and repair on certain Sportage (NQ5 PHEV) vehicles produced from December 13, 2022 through May 30, 2023. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 2, 2026, received Jul 28, 2026, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: TSB_ELE416. It names 1 model year (2023). 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: ON-BOARD CHARGER INSPECTION AND REPLACMENT (SA644) - This bulletin provides information related to charging system diagnosis and repair on certain Sportage (NQ5 PHEV) vehicles produced from December 13, 2022 through May 30, 2023. The affected vehicles may experience interrupted or inoperative high‑voltage battery charging due to an on‑board charger (OBC) internal malfunction. As a result, charging of the high-voltage battery may be interrupted or unavailable, with several diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) stored related to the OBC unit. If this occurs, the vehicle can still be driven by the internal combustion engine.
Trouble codes it names: P0D3A P0D5C P1E01 P1E0C U019B U1310 all 6 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE416 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | 11035254 | PDF, 649 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 311 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 87 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.
PHEV vehicle: charging interrupted in the middle of the night. When attempting to reconnect the charger, a "Charging unsuccessful" message was given. A warning with "Check Hybrid System" appeared, as well as the check engine light. I cannot charge the car anymore and had to leave it at the dealership
2023 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 7, 2025 · ODI 11653278
In depth: 2023 Kia Sportage electrical problems →
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 group36 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Sportage 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| SA638 | Service bulletin | Dec 18, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DCU REPLACEMENT (SA638) - This bulletin provides information to replace faulty Data Connectivity… |
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 SA644 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 SA644 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 SA644 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 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 Plug-In Hybrid (NQ5 PHEV): built 13 Dec 2022 – 30 May 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.