Kia bulletin SA646
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to upgrade the Door Handle Sensor Module ‘DHS’ system software on certain 2027MY Telluride (LQ2a, LQ2 HEV) vehicles produced from December 03, 2025 through April 10, 2026… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 23, 2026, received May 1, 2026, about the electrical system — 1 document under this number: TSB_ELE421. It names 1 model year (2027). 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: DOOR HANDLE DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA646) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Door Handle Sensor Module ‘DHS’ system software on certain 2027MY Telluride (LQ2a, LQ2 HEV) vehicles produced from December 03, 2025 through April 10, 2026, which may experience excessive discharging of the 12V battery while parked, potentially resulting in a no-start condition
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE421 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2026 | 11031907 | PDF, 514 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 260A19R0 | Door Handle Discharge Logic Improvement | 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.
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 43 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 7 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.
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 group33 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Telluride 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_ELE328_R1 | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CLUSTER SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR LOWER THAN ACTUAL FUEL LEVEL INDICATION - This bulletin has been revised… |
| SA652/SA653/SA658 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR RCM, UWB AND SBCM (SA652/SA653/SA658) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software upd… |
| OTA_ELE431_432_434_NOTES | Over-the-air update | Aug 29, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR ROOF CONTROL MODULE (RCM), ULTRA-WIDEBAND (UWB) and SIDE BODY CONTROL MODULE (SBCM) - This… |
| SA658 | Service bulletin | Aug 21, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: SBCM SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA658) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Side… |
| 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… |
| SA652 | Service bulletin | Aug 6, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ULTRA-WIDE BAND SENSOR SOFTWARE UPDATE (SA652) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Ultra-Wideban… |
| SA651 | Over-the-air update | Jun 24, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DIGITAL KEY BATTERY: DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA651) - This bulletin has been revised to inc… |
| 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… |
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 SA646 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 SA646 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 SA646 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2027 Kia Telluride. 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: built 3 Dec 2025 – 10 Apr 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.