Kia bulletin TSB_CHA111
What it saysThis bulletin provides the procedure to replace the small bearing of the Column Motor Driven Power Steering (C-MDPS) unit on the vehicles listed below, which may exhibit an abnormal noise when steering left and right. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 6, 2021, received Oct 22, 2021, about the steering. It names 22 model years (2018–2021). 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 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: REPLACEMENT OF MOBIS C-MDPS SMALL BEARING - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the small bearing of the Column Motor Driven Power Steering (C-MDPS) unit on the vehicles listed below, which may exhibit an abnormal noise when steering left and right. This may be caused by foreign substances in the MDPS worm shaft small bearing. On some vehicles when the steering wheel is rotated a scraping noise can be heard originating from the lower bearing on the Worm Gear Small Bearing and does not affect the steering effort.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_CHA111 | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2021 | 10202227 | PDF, 701 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 Kia Cadenza; 2018 Kia Redundant Niro.
A 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 20 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,673 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 36 of them name Steering — 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 am so sadden and broke. My Kia 2021 Forte was stollen. The car has just about 8k miles. The thieves had busted rear passenger side glass, torn down steering column, opened electric wiring Skelton and taken away the car. Police said they found my damaged car. I was also told that my damaged car was towed and was kept at auto body shop.
2021 Kia Forte · Steering · filed with NHTSA Jun 3, 2023 · ODI 11525170
First incident took place on a city street, thanksgiving night 2018. Made left turn at light, lost control of steering wheel, ran up onto sidewalk and back into the street. Second incident occurred the night before mother's day 2019, made right turn at light and lost control of steering again
2018 Kia Soul · Steering · filed with NHTSA May 13, 2019 · ODI 11207230
The steering is notchy at freeway speeds 50 MPH. Athe car cannot be held in straight direction by making small corrections to the steering wheel. Any steering corrections made are met with heavy resistance then steering will move instantly to what feels like a notch.
2018 Kia Sorento · Steering · filed with NHTSA Aug 19, 2019 · ODI 11245129
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 steering
Source: same model, same component group3 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (steering), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_CHA122 | Service bulletin | May 25, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MDPS SMALL BEARING REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the worm gear small bearing of… |
| CS2306L_OWNRPS2 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2023 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER RE-NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner re-notification advising that Kia is now making steering… |
| CS2306L_OWNRSK32 | Service bulletin | Aug 14, 2023 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER RE-NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner re-notification advising that Kia is now making steering… |
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_CHA111 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_CHA111 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_CHA111 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 22 model years: 2020 Kia Cadenza, 2019 Kia Cadenza, 2018 Kia Cadenza, 2021 Kia Forte, 2020 Kia Forte, 2019 Kia Forte and more. 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: Cadenza YG 2018-2021: built 11 Jul 2017 – 15 Oct 2020; BDm 2019-2021: built 9 Jul 2018 – 28 Jul 2021; built 25 Jul 2017 – 30 Apr 2018 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.