Kia bulletin SA645
What it saysThis bulletin provides information for inspecting the 12V battery wiring harness on certain 2025-2026 MY K5 (DL3) vehicles equipped with the Theta III 2.5L GDI engine, produced from February 20, 2024, through March 13… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 2, 2026, received Jun 18, 2026, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: TSB_ELE419. 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: BATTERY WIRING HARNESS COVERING INSPECTION / REPLACEMENT (SA645) - This bulletin provides information for inspecting the 12V battery wiring harness on certain 2025-2026 MY K5 (DL3) vehicles equipped with the Theta III 2.5L GDI engine, produced from February 20, 2024, through March 13, 2026. The subject vehicles may exhibit an illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) along with a low engine oil warning light and/or battery warning light displayed on the instrument cluster, caused by abrasion of the wiring harness over time. One or more of the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) listed on page 2 may be stored.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE419 | Service bulletin | Jun 2, 2026 | 11033992 | PDF, 1,412 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 15 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.
Kia has a known wiring‑harness defect that causes the low engine oil sensor to trigger incorrectly. Despite this, there has been no recall, and new vehicles are still being sold with the issue. The wiring harness is now on back order, leaving me without a car for weeks or longer.
2026 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 10, 2026 · ODI 11723226
While driving in the dark this morning with my eight year old in the backseat, my headlights shut off, my entire dash including my speedometer, warning lights, radio, heat, heated seat and steering wheel, lost electricity
2025 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 13, 2026 · ODI 11710809
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 group34 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia K5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC307 | Service campaign | Jun 18, 2026 | VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC307) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary… |
| ELE413 | Over-the-air update | Jun 18, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update 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_ELE413 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DCU COMMUNICATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to upgrade the Data Connectivity Unit… |
| SA625 | Service bulletin | Sep 10, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CCNC – DEALER MODE NETWORK RESET (SA625) - This bulletin provides information to access the ‘Dealer Mode’ functi… |
| PS791 | Other | Aug 22, 2025 | PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: DCU IDENTIFICATION AND DAIGNOSTIC AID - This Pitstop provides information on identifying the Data Connectivit… |
| SC288A | Emissions | Jul 18, 2025 | VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC288A) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting… |
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 SA645 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 SA645 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 SA645 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2026 Kia K5, 2025 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: 2025 -2026 MY K5 (DL3): built on or after 20 Feb 2024; K5 (DL3): built 20 Feb 2024 – 13 Mar 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.