Kia bulletin TSB_CLI049_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 Aug 28, 2026, received Sep 2, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 36 model years (2016–2027). 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: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - 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 partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~ Soul EV (PS EV), 2017MY~ Niro (DE HEV/PHEV/EV), 2022MY~ EV6 (CV), 2021MY~ Sorento (MQ4 HEV/PHEV), 2023MY~ Sportage (NQ5 HEV/PHEV), and 2023MY~ Niro (SG2 EV/HEV/PHEV) vehicles.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_CLI049_R2 | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2026 | 11036628 | PDF, 176 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 36 model years this bulletin names have filed 6,044 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,300 of them name Electrical System, Visibility/Wiper — 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 2016 Kia Optima, the 37 owners who gave an odometer reading for Electrical System reported it at a median of 66,500 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
Vehicle does not reliably handle the 12V battery well. Many times, I see it sitting at 12.8 VDC when driving the vehicle. On a ICE vehicle, the charging voltage is close to 14V when running/driving. On 3 separate occasions, when I tried to "start" the EV6, the 12V battery was too dead to allow the car to be started. Basically stranded.
2023 Kia EV6 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 3, 2024 · ODI 11581040
On XXX, I discovered a crack in the windshield of my 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid. The crack is on the lower passenger side, near the wiper area, forming a curved arc with additional crack lines extending across the glass. I am not aware of any rock strike or other impact, and photos taken XXX show no obvious star or bullseye impact point.
2024 Kia Sportage · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Oct 19, 2026 · ODI 11772241
In depth: 2024 Kia EV6 electrical problems → · 2023 Kia EV6 electrical problems → · 2022 Kia EV6 electrical problems → · 2016 Kia Optima 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group116 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA656 | Service bulletin | Sep 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (SA656) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front… |
| SC330 | Service campaign | Sep 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH REPAIR (SC330) - This bulletin provides information to repair… |
| SC367 | Emissions | Sep 11, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Electronic Control Modul… |
| PI2606 | Other | Sep 4, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 12-volt battery… |
| PI2605 | Other | Sep 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2605) - This bulletin provides information regarding a Ba… |
| TSB_ELE426 | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system… |
| CA2605 | Service bulletin | Jul 29, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (CA2605) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front view camera on… |
| CA2606 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: UPPER ACTIVE AIR FLAP DUCT ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (CA2606) - This bulletin provides information t… |
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_CLI049_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_CLI049_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_CLI049_R2 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 36 model years: 2026 Kia EV6, 2025 Kia EV6, 2024 Kia EV6, 2023 Kia EV6, 2022 Kia EV6, 2026 Kia Niro and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.