Kia service campaign SC238
What it saysVoluntary service campaign: brake tube/line inspection/replacement & anti-corrosion material application (SC238) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service campaign dated Jul 18, 2026, received Aug 26, 2022, about the service brakes — 10 documents under this number: SC238_OWNR_501, SC238_OWNR_401, SC238_OWNR_F3, SC238_TSB_R3 and 6 more. It names 2 model years (2016–2017). A service campaign is not a safety recall — there is no NHTSA campaign number and no federal requirement — but it is usually work the manufacturer pays for on the vehicles it names; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
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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: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: BRAKE TUBE/LINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC238) - 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 to inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake tube(s)/line(s) for leakage and also apply additional anti-corrosion material to the underbody components on certain 2014-2017MY Forte and Forte Koup (YD) vehicles produced from November 7, 2012 through April 19, 2017 and originally sold or currently registered in one of the 28 states where heavy amounts of road salt are used. The 28 states where heavy amounts of road salt are used are: AK, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SD, UT, VT, WI and WV. Brake line corrosion can occur due to a combination of environment conditions and lack of proper underbody maintenance. Brake line corrosion can occur on vehicles in states where heavy amounts of road salt are used if the materials used for ice/snow removal are not regularly flushed from the underbody of the vehicle. If this condition occurs, customers may experience low brake fluid level that can result in gradually increasing soft brake pedal feel and/or Brake Fluid Warning Light illumination.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC238_OWNR_501 | Service campaign | Jul 18, 2026 | 11035090 | PDF, 134 KB |
| SC238_OWNR_401 | Service campaign | Mar 18, 2025 | 11015800 | PDF, 138 KB |
| SC238_OWNR_F3 | Service campaign | Aug 12, 2024 | 11006366 | PDF, 119 KB |
| SC238_TSB_R3 | Service campaign | Jul 12, 2024 | 11004925 | PDF, 1,688 KB |
| SC238_OWNR_RN1 | Service bulletin | Jun 28, 2023 | 10238480 | PDF, 173 KB |
| SC238_TSB_R2 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2022 | 10222829 | PDF, 1,652 KB |
| SC238_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Sep 7, 2022 | 10219689 | PDF, 1,732 KB |
| SC238_TSB | Service bulletin | Aug 23, 2022 | 10218670 | PDF, 1,680 KB |
| SC238_OWNR | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2022 | 10218668 | PDF, 174 KB |
| SC238_QA | Service bulletin | Aug 16, 2022 | 10218669 | PDF, 114 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 443 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
Too much accleration on the open highway. The screws in my visors keep coming out. I was only given a donut tire upon purchase. The paint on the car is so cheap i'm seeing scratches all thru the paint on my car
2016 Kia Forte · Structure · filed with NHTSA Mar 28, 2018 · ODI 11081890
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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Kia Forte under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC238A | Service campaign | Aug 16, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: BRAKE TUBE/LINE REINSPECTION/REPLACEMENT & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL REAPPLICATION… |
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 SC238 a recall?
No. A service campaign 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 SC238 repair free?
A service campaign is usually paid by the manufacturer on the vehicles it names, within the terms and time limit the document sets; the dealer checks the VIN against the manufacturer’s list.
Which vehicles does SC238 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2017 Kia Forte, 2016 Kia Forte. 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 7 Nov 2012 – 19 Apr 2017 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.