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Kia bulletin SC209A

What it saysSUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC 1327 (SC209Y) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓

Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jun 17, 2024, received Jun 18, 2024, about the engine — 1 document under this number: SC209Y_TSB_R2. It names 3 model years (2020–2021). 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 communication

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC 1327 (SC209Y) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (SC209A) titled “ECM Logic Improvement for Piston Ring Noise Sensing System”. If DTC P1327 is present after the ECM Logic Improvement is performed per SC209A, follow the instructions in this bulletin to replace the engine long block.

Trouble codes it names: P1327

Manufacturer campaign id SC209A Kind Service bulletin Manufacturer date Jun 17, 2024 Received by NHTSA Jun 18, 2024 Components Engine

Document filed under this number

DocumentKindDatedNHTSA idAt NHTSA
SC209Y_TSB_R2Service bulletinJun 17, 202411001836not found

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 them

A 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 database

Owners of the 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 987 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 703 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.

On the 2020 Kia Soul, the 94 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 32,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that when she took her vehicle in for an oil change, she was informed that there was no oil in the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil and there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated.

2021 Kia Seltos · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 18, 2021

I believe my specific vehicle should also be assigned the recall no. 21v259000. My vehicle experienced engine stall, loss of power and leaking oil onto hit components which could have resulted in fire. I was stalled and in traffic and could also have been in hit by another vehicle.

2021 Kia Soul · Engine · filed with NHTSA Oct 10, 2022

Vehicle RPM began fluctuating while on cruise control in rainy weather. Switched to manual (sport mode) control and the problem lessened. Vehicle began to loose power and was shifting randomly between gears automatically, eventually redlining while maintaining 74mph.

2020 Kia Soul · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 24, 2020

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 group

12 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.

NumberKindDatedNHTSA’s summary
TSB_ENG263Service bulletinAug 5, 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolv…
PI2107Service bulletinApr 8, 2026PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2107) - This bulletin has been rev…
SC176YService bulletinMar 24, 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SC176Y) - This bull…
PI2002BService bulletinFeb 24, 2026TSB - PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI2002B) - NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides…
DC26Service campaignFeb 10, 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin has been revised to include a…
SST082_R1Service bulletinSep 4, 2025This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain Kia en…
SC336YZService bulletinSep 4, 2025This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Repl…
TSB_SST082Service bulletinApr 4, 2025TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PISTON NOISE SENSING SYSTEM (PNSS) INSPECTION - This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibrati…

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.

Photo: Christian Buehner / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5

Is Kia SC209A 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 SC209A 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.

Which vehicles does SC209A cover?

The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2021 Kia Seltos, 2021 Kia Soul, 2020 Kia Soul. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.