Kia service campaign SC353
What it saysVOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR COOLANT LEAK (SC353) - This bulletin provides information to address an engine coolant leak concern on certain 2025MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles equipped with a 2.5L Theta… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service campaign dated Nov 13, 2025, received Dec 2, 2025, about the engine — 5 documents under this number: SC353_OWNR, SC353_QA, SC353_DP, SC353_DPSM and 1 more. It names 1 model year (2025). A service campaign 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 SERVICE CAMPAIGN: ENGINE REPLACEMENT FOR COOLANT LEAK (SC353) - This bulletin provides information to address an engine coolant leak concern on certain 2025MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles equipped with a 2.5L Theta III T-GDI engine produced from December 18, 2024 through February 24, 2025 (see the list of 11 affected VINs below). The engine block in the subject vehicles may have a fracture, which can result in a coolant leak. Over time, continuing to operate the vehicle with this condition may result in an ‘Engine Overheated’ warning message displayed on the instrument cluster and cause damage to the vehicle’s engine.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC353_OWNR | Service campaign | Nov 13, 2025 | 11025941 | PDF, 147 KB |
| SC353_QA | Service campaign | Nov 11, 2025 | 11025944 | PDF, 110 KB |
| SC353_DP | Service campaign | Nov 11, 2025 | 11025943 | PDF, 107 KB |
| SC353_DPSM | Service campaign | Nov 11, 2025 | 11025942 | PDF, 83 KB |
| SC353_TSB | Service bulletin | Nov 11, 2025 | 11025939 | PDF, 297 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 47 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 2025 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power. The vehicle decelerated and was coasted over to the side of the road. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights flashed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was decelerating.
2025 Kia Sorento · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 13, 2026 · ODI 11756660
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… |
| WTY035 | Warranty extension | Oct 8, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: ENGINE SUB ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY035) - This bulletin has been revise… |
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 SC353 a recall?
No. A service campaign 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 SC353 repair free?
A service campaign 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 SC353 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 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: 2025 MY Sorento: built 18 Dec 2024 – 24 Feb 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.