Kia bulletin SC318
What it saysVOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: ECM LOGIC UPDATE (SC318) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) system on certain 2024MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an emissions communication dated Nov 14, 2024, about the engine — 5 documents under this number: SC318_OWNR, SC318_TSB, SC318_QA, SC318_DPSM and 1 more. It names 1 model year (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: ECM LOGIC UPDATE (SC318) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) system on certain 2024MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles equipped with 2.5L T-GDI Theta III engines produced from December 7, 2023 through February 26, 2024. The subject vehicles may have engine calibrations that were not optimized for emissions standards under certain specific conditions, which may cause the vehicle to release air pollution which exceed Federal and California standards. As a result, the subject vehicles may exhibit an illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) with DTC P060547.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC318_OWNR | Emissions | Nov 14, 2024 | 11010522 | PDF, 138 KB |
| SC318_TSB | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2024 | 11010524 | PDF, 603 KB |
| SC318_QA | Emissions | Nov 7, 2024 | 11010523 | PDF, 64 KB |
| SC318_DPSM | Emissions | Nov 7, 2024 | 11010521 | PDF, 65 KB |
| SC318_DP | Emissions | Nov 7, 2024 | 11010518 | PDF, 83 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 240A18R0 | ECM Logic Update | 0.3 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 52 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 10 of them name Engine — 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.
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that during a routine oil change, the mechanic added an unknown oil additive to the vehicle. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle lost motive power and drove sluggishly.
2024 Kia Sorento · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 26, 2025 · ODI 11683103
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 group17 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Sorento 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC365 | Emissions | Sep 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides the procedure to update the emissions‑related logic… |
| SC340 | Emissions | Apr 4, 2026 | VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: THETA II 2.4L GDI EMISSIONS: ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC340 REVISION 5) - This bulletin has been revised… |
| CA2516 | Service bulletin | Apr 1, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P2B59F0 (CA2516) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade… |
| WTY026_QA | Service bulletin | Mar 18, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: OIL PRESSURE SWITCH (OPS) REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/re… |
| SC325 | Emissions | Feb 20, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: AEWP INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC325) - This bulletin has been revised t… |
| DC26 | Service campaign | Feb 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin has been revised to include a… |
| CA2508 | Service bulletin | Dec 8, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ITM REPLACEMENT AND ECM & TCM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (CA2508) - This bulletin provides information to replace the Int… |
| SC353 | Service campaign | Nov 13, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR COOLANT LEAK (SC353) - This bulletin provides information to… |
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 SC318 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 SC318 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 SC318 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2024 Kia Sorento. 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: 2024MY Sorento ( MQ4a): built 7 Dec 2023 – 26 Feb 2024; Sorento (MQ4a): built 7 Dec 2023 – 26 Feb 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.