Kia service campaign SC238A
What it saysVOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: BRAKE TUBE/LINE REINSPECTION/REPLACEMENT & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL REAPPLICATION (SC238A) - This bulletin provides information to inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake tube(s)/line(s)… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service campaign dated Aug 16, 2024, received Aug 14, 2024, about the service brakes — 2 documents under this number: SC238A_TSB, SC238A_OWNR. 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 REINSPECTION/REPLACEMENT & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL REAPPLICATION (SC238A) - This bulletin provides information to inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake tube(s)/line(s) for leakage and 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, originally sold or currently registered in one of the 28 states where heavy amounts of road salt are used, that previously had the cavity wax and anti-corrosion material application completed under SC238.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC238A_TSB | Service bulletin | Aug 16, 2024 | 11006539 | PDF, 1,664 KB |
| SC238A_OWNR | Service campaign | Aug 14, 2024 | 11006374 | PDF, 174 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC238 | Service campaign | Jul 18, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: BRAKE TUBE/LINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC238)… |
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 SC238A 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 SC238A 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 SC238A 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 on or after 7 Nov 2012 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.