Kia bulletin SC367
What it saysVOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Electronic Control Module ‘ECM’ system software for certain 2019-2020 MY Optima vehicles manufactured from May 21, 2018, through… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as an emissions communication dated Sep 11, 2026, received Sep 18, 2026, about the electrical system — 7 documents under this number: SC367_OWNR, SC367_TSB, SC367_STKR, SC367_POC and 3 more. It names 2 model years (2019–2020). 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.
Get the next Kia Optima bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as NHTSA’s summary states it — build dates and equipment as the manufacturer filed them. The dealer checks the VIN and the build date on the door jamb; a vehicle outside the window is not covered by this bulletin.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Electronic Control Module ‘ECM’ system software for certain 2019-2020 MY Optima vehicles manufactured from May 21, 2018, through June 1, 2020, equipped with the 1.6L T-GDI engine to ensure compliance with emissions. Kia has become aware that the subject vehicles may have been produced with engine calibrations that can cause the vehicle to release air pollutants that exceed Federal and California standards. These standards were established to protect the public’s health and welfare from the dangers of air pollution.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC367_OWNR | Emissions | Sep 11, 2026 | 11037394 | PDF, 120 KB |
| SC367_TSB | Service bulletin | Sep 10, 2026 | 11037393 | PDF, 836 KB |
| SC367_STKR | Emissions | Sep 10, 2026 | 11037392 | PDF, 235 KB |
| SC367_POC | Emissions | Sep 10, 2026 | 11037391 | not found |
| SC367_QA | Emissions | Sep 9, 2026 | 11037390 | PDF, 64 KB |
| SC367_DPSM | Service campaign | Sep 9, 2026 | 11037389 | PDF, 61 KB |
| SC367_DP | Emissions | Sep 9, 2026 | 11037388 | PDF, 80 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.
Email me new Kia bulletins for the Optima
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Kia files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 366 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 245 of them name 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 2019 Kia Optima, the 20 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 74,800 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I've had this car going on three years sometimes not all the time I will go to start it and it will barely start so I took it to the dealership three times when I got my oil change and they checked the battery but they're saying the battery is good and the starting system the car will just be sitting in my garage and I try to start it it…
2019 Kia Optima · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 9, 2021 · ODI 11415708
I purchased on my 2019 Kia Optima on 6/19. And since then off and on the car has experience intermittent starting issues. Now I have taken the car to two different dealers and neither one can find the problem. When pressing the stop/start button the car would hesitate to start no lights or codes are stored in the computer.
2019 Kia Optima · Engine · filed with NHTSA Nov 30, 2020 · ODI 11377227
The vehicle is incredibly easy to steal. A simple flat head screw driver in the hands of a child will steal this vehicle. My car was stolen from Daytona Beach Florida on July 8 2022 by 2 14 year and one 15 year old kids. No key, no fob needed, who knew it'd be so easy to steal? They learned it on TikTok.
2020 Kia Optima · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 19, 2022 · ODI 11474661
In depth: 2020 Kia Optima engine problems → · 2019 Kia Optima engine 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 group9 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Optima 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC269 | Service campaign | Jul 15, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY SAFETY PLUG FUSE INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC269) - This bull… |
| SA611 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem i… |
| CS2303_TSB_R3 | Service bulletin | Jun 5, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2303) - This bulletin has been revis… |
| TSB_ELE303_R2 | Service bulletin | Feb 9, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional info… |
| CS2310_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Aug 7, 2023 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: KIA GENUINE REMOTE START CONTROL MODULE UPGRADE FOR ANTI-THEFT LOGIC COMPATIBILITY… |
| CS2303C_OWNR2 | Service bulletin | Jul 31, 2023 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER RE-NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner re-notification advising that Kia has developed a softwar… |
| TSB_ELE209_R3 | Service bulletin | Aug 16, 2022 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE REMINDER SETTING RESET PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides the procedure to turn OFF the service reminder… |
| PS613_R1 | Service bulletin | Mar 30, 2022 | PITSTOP: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REPLACEMENT AND MILEAGE SETTING WITH KDS - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New… |
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 SC367 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 SC367 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 SC367 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2020 Kia Optima, 2019 Kia Optima. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.