Kia bulletin SC251
What it saysVOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: NU 2.OL GDI SULEV ECU EMISSIONS LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC251) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 11, 2023, received Feb 2, 2023, about the engine — 4 documents under this number: SC251_TSB_R1, SC251_OWNR, SC251_TSB, SC251_QA. It names 3 model years (2017–2019). 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.
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: NU 2.OL GDI SULEV ECU EMISSIONS LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC251) - 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 the procedure to update the emissions-related logic of the Electronic Control Module (ECM) with an improved version on certain 2017-2019MY Soul (PS) vehicles equipped with the Nu 2.0L GDI SULEV engine, produced from July 29, 2016 through December 19, 2018. To ensure compliance with emissions regulations, apply the improved software update to the Engine system using the KDS ECU upgrade function as described in this bulletin.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC251_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Sep 11, 2023 | 10242236 | PDF, 844 KB |
| SC251_OWNR | Service bulletin | Jan 25, 2023 | 10230621 | PDF, 184 KB |
| SC251_TSB | Service bulletin | Jan 24, 2023 | 10230625 | PDF, 892 KB |
| SC251_QA | Service bulletin | Jan 23, 2023 | 10230623 | PDF, 106 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
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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 3 model years this bulletin names have filed 656 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 520 of them name Engine, 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.
On the 2017 Kia Soul, the 84 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 83,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
My car has had intermittent faults of codes P1B25 and P1CF2 and are showing check EV system on the dash. This happens after about 30-45 minutes of driving and then restarting the car. It has been identified that the power relay assembly needs to be replaced on the vehicle, which lives in the high voltage battery pack.
2017 Kia Soul · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 25, 2026 · ODI 11752811
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal battery voltage warning displayed. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the battery failed to charge. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated.
2017 Kia Soul · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 15, 2024 · ODI 11588840
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that the electrical system had experienced power fluctuations, which reduced the charging capacity of the battery to only 8 percent. The EV warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined.
2018 Kia Soul · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Nov 13, 2023 · ODI 11554850
In depth: 2019 Kia Soul engine problems → · 2018 Kia Soul engine problems → · 2017 Kia Soul engine problems →
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 group10 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Soul under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG263 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolv… |
| PI2107 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2107) - This bulletin has been rev… |
| SC176Y | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SC176Y) - This bull… |
| PI2002B | Service bulletin | Feb 24, 2026 | TSB - PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI2002B) - NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides… |
| SC336YZ | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Repl… |
| TSB_ENG222_R8 | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| TSB_ENG222_R7 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| PI2107Y/Z | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326… |
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 SC251 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 SC251 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 SC251 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 3 model years: 2019 Kia Soul, 2018 Kia Soul, 2017 Kia Soul. 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: 2017-2019MY Soul (PS): built 29 Jul 2016 – 19 Dec 2018; Soul (PS): built 29 Jul 2016 – 19 Dec 2018 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.