Kia bulletin TSB_CHA104_R2
What it saysThis bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 13, 2023, received Aug 2, 2023, about the service brakes. It names 4 model years (2020–2023). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BRAKE AIR BLEEDING PROCEDURE FOR ESC HONKING NOISE AND SOFT/SPONGY BRAKE PEDAL - 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 regarding the brake air bleeding procedure for 2020MY~ Soul (SK3) vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) module which may exhibit a "honk" noise when using Idle Stop and Go (ISG) and/or Hill Start Assist Control (HAC).
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_CHA104_R2 | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2023 | 10239752 | PDF, 626 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.
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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 780 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 18 of them name Service Brakes — 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.
I had my vehicle in PARK in my driveway. I was standing outside the vehicle & after I pulled the keys out of the ignition, the vehicle started rolling backward. My feet were on the ground the whole time, the vehicle was in park. I pulled the emergency brake as it was rolling with my legs stuck between the car and the door.
2023 Kia Soul · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Jun 6, 2024 · ODI 11592773
When applying brakes over bumps the car sounds as if the brakes are locking up. When putting are in reverse and it uses the Automatic Emergency Braking aggressively too early.
2022 Kia Soul · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Sep 15, 2023 · ODI 11544794
When exiting the highway, I pushed on brake to slow down and car accelerated at fast speed and had to use emergency brake
2021 Kia Soul · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Sep 21, 2022 · ODI 11485768
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 service brakes
Source: same model, same component group1 other manufacturer communication filed against the Kia Soul under the same component group (service brakes), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SC334 | Service campaign | Aug 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN UNDERBODY INSPECTION & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC334) - This bulletin ha… |
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 TSB_CHA104_R2 a recall?
No. A service bulletin 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 TSB_CHA104_R2 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Kia warranty extension on file lists the ones Kia has filed.
Which vehicles does TSB_CHA104_R2 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2023 Kia Soul, 2022 Kia Soul, 2021 Kia Soul, 2020 Kia Soul. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.