Kia bulletin SC273_TSB_R1
What it saysVOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: VCU SOFTWARE LOGIC UPGRADE (SC273) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 17, 2023, received Aug 2, 2023, about the electrical system — 2 documents under this number: SC273_TSB and 1 more. It names 4 model years (2022–2024). 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 SERVICE CAMPAIGN: VCU SOFTWARE LOGIC UPGRADE (SC273) - 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 upgrade the software logic of the Vehicle Control Unit (VCU) on certain 2022-2023MY EV6 (CV) vehicles produced from November 17, 2021 through May 30, 2023, and 2023-2024MY Niro EV (SG2 EV) vehicles produced from July 11, 2022 through June 30, 2023, in order to enhance the following two (2) functions: 1. Illumination of Brake lamp without depressing the brake pedal when the vehicle is quickly decelerating by way of regenerative braking in i-Pedal mode. 2. Shift operation gear selection into Park (P) automatically when the auxiliary battery's (12V) voltage is critically low and the vehicle is stopped.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC273_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Aug 17, 2023 | 10241180 | PDF, 705 KB |
| SC273_TSB | Service bulletin | Jul 27, 2023 | 10240271 | PDF, 719 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 501 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 361 of them name Electrical System, Service Brakes — 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 2022 Kia EV6, the 15 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 16,030 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Vehicle does not reliably handle the 12V battery well. Many times, I see it sitting at 12.8 VDC when driving the vehicle. On a ICE vehicle, the charging voltage is close to 14V when running/driving. On 3 separate occasions, when I tried to "start" the EV6, the 12V battery was too dead to allow the car to be started. Basically stranded.
2023 Kia EV6 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 3, 2024 · ODI 11581040
While operating and driving on a busy two lane roadway, about an hour in to a two hour trip, the vehicle displayed “check electrical system” message without warning, then quickly lost power, rendering the car only able to drive at 25 mph for a brief moment, and then, just as quickly, shut down completely and did not operate.
2022 Kia EV6 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 21, 2023 · ODI 11518378
The 12-volt battery system in my 2024 Kia Niro (VIN: ) has suffered two total failures in under one year of ownership (approx. 10,000 miles). In both instances, the vehicle was completely unresponsive, with no power to essential systems. Safety Risks and Incidents: 1. : Vehicle experienced a total power loss.
2024 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 7, 2026 · ODI 11709314
In depth: 2023 Kia EV6 electrical problems → · 2022 Kia EV6 electrical 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group55 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PI2606 | Other | Sep 4, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 12-volt battery… |
| PI2605 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2605) - This bulletin provides information regarding a Ba… |
| TSB_CLI049_R2 | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. N… |
| 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… |
| PI2603Y | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BSA REPLACEMENT (PI2603Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previou… |
| PI2603 | Other | Jun 17, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMS BATTERY DIAGNOSTIC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2603) - This bulletin provides inform… |
| 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… |
| WTY044 | Warranty extension | Apr 23, 2026 | WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ICCU INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY044) - This bulletin provides information associate… |
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 SC273_TSB_R1 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 SC273_TSB_R1 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 SC273_TSB_R1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2023 Kia EV6, 2022 Kia EV6, 2024 Kia Niro, 2023 Kia Niro. 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: 2022-2023MY EV6 (CV): built 17 Nov 2021 – 30 May 2023; 2023 -2024MY Niro EV (SG2 EV): built 11 Jul 2022 – 30 Jun 2023; EV6 (CV): built 17 Nov 2021 – 30 May 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.