Kia bulletin SC288
What it saysVoluntary emissions service campaign: fuel tank and/or PCSV check valve inspection/replacement + ECU SW upgrade (SC288) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an emissions communication dated Jan 16, 2026, received May 6, 2024, about the fuel/propulsion system — 13 documents under this number: SC288_TSB_R6_CLSD, SC288_OWNR_301, SC288_OWNR_103, SC288_TSB_R6 and 9 more. It names 4 model years (2021–2024). An emissions communication 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 EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: FUEL TANK AND/OR PCSV CHECK VALVE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT + ECU SW UPGRADE (SC288) - 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 the fuel evaporative system and, if necessary, replace the fuel tank and/or the Purge Control Solenoid Valve (PCSV) check valve on certain 2021-2024MY K5 (DL3a) vehicles equipped with a Gamma II 1.6L T-GDI engine, produced from March 27, 2020 through October 17, 2023. This bulletin also provides information to upgrade the ECU software logic. The subject vehicles may experience fuel tank swelling due to an issue with the PCSV check valve, which results in pressurized air to flow into the fuel tank. This may cause the Check Engine Light to illuminate, and in some cases, the engine to run rough, and/or an inability to refuel. These conditions may cause the vehicle to release air pollutant which exceed Federal and California standards.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC288_TSB_R6_CLSD | Emissions | Jan 16, 2026 | 11027856 | PDF, 639 KB |
| SC288_OWNR_301 | Emissions | Oct 17, 2025 | 11024347 | PDF, 155 KB |
| SC288_OWNR_103 | Emissions | Jun 21, 2025 | 11019682 | PDF, 187 KB |
| SC288_TSB_R6 | Emissions | Jun 17, 2025 | 11019657 | PDF, 1,839 KB |
| SC288_TSB_R5 | Service bulletin | Mar 19, 2025 | 11015972 | PDF, 1,314 KB |
| SC288_TSB_R4 | Service bulletin | Oct 25, 2024 | 11009485 | PDF, 1,248 KB |
| SC288_TSB_R3 | Emissions | Oct 12, 2024 | 11008969 | PDF, 1,229 KB |
| SC288_TSB_R2 | Emissions | Jul 29, 2024 | 11005360 | not found |
| SC288_OWNR_F201 | Service campaign | Jul 10, 2024 | 11004194 | PDF, 135 KB |
| TSB_SC288_R1 | Emissions | May 21, 2024 | 11000303 | PDF, 430 KB |
| SC288_TSB | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2024 | 10253806 | PDF, 438 KB |
| SC288_OWNR | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2024 | 10253800 | PDF, 130 KB |
| SC288_QA | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2024 | 10253803 | PDF, 68 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 240A03I2 | — | 0.5 hrs |
| 250A33I0 | — | 0.5 hrs |
| 250A33R1 | (SC288A) PCSV Inspection (NG) + PCSV Replacement + Fuel Tank Band Inspection (OK) +… | 1 hrs |
| 250A33R2 | PSCV Replacement + Fuel Tank Band Inspection (NG) + Service Cover Inspection (OK)+… | 2.1 hrs |
| 250A33R3 | PSCV Replacement + Fuel Tank Band Inspection (NG) + Service Cover Inspection (OK)+… | 2.3 hrs |
| 250A33R4 | (SC288A) PCSV Inspection (NG) + Fuel Tank Band & Service Cover Inspection (NG)… | 0.6 hrs |
| 250A33R5 | (SC288A) PCSV Inspection (NG) + Fuel Tank Band & Service Cover Inspection (NG)… | 0.7 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (6 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Kia’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote.
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 443 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 326 of them name Fuel/Propulsion System, 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 2021 Kia K5, the 12 owners who gave an odometer reading for Fuel/Propulsion System reported it at a median of 115,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Ive a 2023 Kia K5 GT-Line AWD with 73000 mileage. I was having a trip from New Jersey to Massachusetts for a wedding. I had 208 miles to go and 223 miles range. Than suddenly it went down to 93 miles. I stop by a gas station. I could not pump gas. It was kicking the nozzle. I stop by another gas station miles later.
2023 Kia K5 · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Aug 26, 2024 · ODI 11610877
Beginning only about 6 months after I purchased the vehicle, the audio system intermittently screams at me, blasting at over 800 decibels road, engine noise and audio interference noises so that I cannot hear the radio, the telephone, turn it off or down, even when the audio infotainment system is not running.
2024 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 14, 2026 · ODI 11764128
On 11/29/2022 my car wouldn't start, just click and continued to try and start then the check ESC warning came on. I had to get it jump started from KIA Roadside assistance and drove vehicle to local KIA Dealership where they tested the battery and said it was a bad battery. They replaced the battery.
2022 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 27, 2022 · ODI 11498955
In depth: 2023 Kia K5 fuel system problems → · 2021 Kia K5 fuel system 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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group2 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia K5 under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA612 | Service bulletin | Jun 10, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: PARTS COLLECTION SERVICE ACTION: PCSV REPLACEMENT (SA612) CLOSED - This bulletin is now closed.… |
| SC288_STKR | Service bulletin | Apr 29, 2024 | SC288_STKR: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN COMPLETION STICKER |
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 SC288 a recall?
No. A emissions communication 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 SC288 repair free?
A emissions communication 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 SC288 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Kia K5, 2023 Kia K5, 2022 Kia K5, 2021 Kia K5. 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: 2021-2024MY K5 (DL3a): built 27 Mar 2020 – 23 Jan 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.