Kia bulletin SC338
What it saysVOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: BMS S/W LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1BB2 (SC338) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an emissions communication dated Sep 12, 2025, received Jun 25, 2025, about the fuel/propulsion system — 11 documents under this number: SC338_OWNR_SG2_102, SC338_OWNR_NQ5_102, TSB_SC338_R1, SC338_OWNR_SG2 and 7 more. It names 4 model years (2023–2024). 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: BMS S/W LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1BB2 (SC338) - 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 Battery Management System ‘BMS’ software logic on certain 2023-2024MY Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV) vehicles produced from February 15, 2022 to December 15, 2023, and 2023MY Niro HEV (SG2 HEV) vehicles produced from June 21, 2022 through April 25, 2023. Due to a software issue, the Battery Management System (BMS) may inadvertently overcharge the 12V Lithium battery. If the 12V Lithium battery becomes overcharged, the subject vehicles may experience a reduction in motive power accompanied by the ‘Check Hybrid System, Stop Safely’ warning message, Hybrid system warning lamp, Service warning lamp, Charging system warning lamp, and a rapid beeping sound for approximately ten (10) seconds. (Note: This Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign supersedes SC335).
Trouble codes it names: P1BB2
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC338_OWNR_SG2_102 | Emissions | Sep 12, 2025 | 11023098 | PDF, 198 KB |
| SC338_OWNR_NQ5_102 | Emissions | Sep 12, 2025 | 11023097 | PDF, 198 KB |
| TSB_SC338_R1 | Emissions | Aug 15, 2025 | 11022364 | PDF, 657 KB |
| SC338_OWNR_SG2 | Emissions | Jun 27, 2025 | 11019728 | PDF, 198 KB |
| SC338_OWNR_NQ5 | Emissions | Jun 27, 2025 | 11019724 | PDF, 198 KB |
| SC338_TSB | Service bulletin | Jun 26, 2025 | 11019904 | PDF, 521 KB |
| SC338_STKR | Emissions | Jun 25, 2025 | 11019732 | PDF, 638 KB |
| SC338_QA | Emissions | Jun 25, 2025 | 11019731 | PDF, 114 KB |
| SC338_POC | Emissions | Jun 25, 2025 | 11019729 | PDF, 353 KB |
| SC338_DPSM | Emissions | Jun 25, 2025 | 11019722 | PDF, 112 KB |
| SC338_DP | Emissions | Jun 25, 2025 | 11019721 | PDF, 136 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 505 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 149 of them name Electrical System, Fuel/Propulsion 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.
While navigating the highly dangerous downhill descent of the Tejon Pass, LEBEC, CA , the vehicle experienced a complete throttle disengagement. The accelerator pedal became entirely unresponsive, leaving the vehicle without power on a steep, high-speed highway descent. I was traveling with my young daughter inside the vehicle.
2024 Kia Sportage · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Jun 22, 2026 · ODI 11745626
First of all, what I am about to write put my husband and I in great danger. Driving on a two way, busy, rural highway, traveling approximately 65 mph, my Kia suddenly displayed a warning to pull over immediately and something about the battery. I barely had time to pull on to a narrow shoulder before it completely died.
2024 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 6, 2026 · ODI 11769453
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 Sportage 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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group14 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE399_R1 | Service bulletin | Jan 23, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BMS DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised… |
| CA2505 | Service bulletin | Oct 17, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: GDI FUEL INJECTOR REPLACEMENT FOR MISFIRE DTC(S) THETA III 2.5L GDI (CA2505) - This bulletin has been revised to… |
| TSB_ELE399 | Service bulletin | Sep 10, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BMS DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the ‘BMS’ system software on cer… |
| TSB_FUE066_CLSD | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: GDI FUEL INJECTOR REPLACEMENT FOR MISFIRE DTC(S) - CLOSED AND SUPERSEDED BY FUE068/CA2505 - This bulletin is now… |
| SA512 | Service bulletin | Mar 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: INVERTER COOLANT/DEBRIS FLUSHING/REPLACEMENT FOR CLUSTER MESSAGE “REFILL INVERTER COOLANT”… |
| SC323 | Service campaign | Oct 31, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: VCMC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC323) - This bulletin provides information to improve the s… |
| SC293 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: FUEL INJECTOR HARNESS INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC293) - This bulletin p… |
| SC293_STKR | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2024 | SC293_STKR: COMPLETION LABEL (STICKER) FOR VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN SC293. |
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 SC338 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 SC338 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 SC338 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Kia Niro, 2023 Kia Niro, 2024 Kia Sportage, 2023 Kia Sportage. 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: 2023-2024MY Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV): built 15 Feb 2022 – 15 Dec 2023; 2023MY Niro HEV (SG2 HEV): built on or after 21 Jun 2022; Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV): built 15 Feb 2022 – 15 Dec 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.