Kia bulletin TSB_ELE318
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to upgrade the Battery Management System (BMS) software logic on certain 2023-2024MY Niro HEV (SG2 HEV) vehicles produced from June 21, 2022 through February 6, 2023, and 2023-2024MY… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Nov 8, 2023, received Dec 5, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 4 model years (2023–2024). 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: SERVICE ACTION: BMS SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1BB2 (SA553) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Battery Management System (BMS) software logic on certain 2023-2024MY Niro HEV (SG2 HEV) vehicles produced from June 21, 2022 through February 6, 2023, and 2023-2024MY Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV) vehicles produced from February 15, 2022 to October 28, 2023, which may exhibit a “Check Hybrid System” message displayed on the instrument cluster with DTC P1BB2 stored. This condition may occur when the vehicle is exposed to high heat/hot weather environments.
Trouble codes it names: P1BB2
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE318 | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2023 | 10245264 | PDF, 760 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 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 505 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 141 of them name 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.
First of all, what I am about to write put my husband and I in great danger. Driving on a two way, busy, rural highway, traveling approximately 65 mph, my Kia suddenly displayed a warning to pull over immediately and something about the battery. I barely had time to pull on to a narrow shoulder before it completely died.
2024 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 6, 2026 · ODI 11769453
The 12-volt battery system in my 2024 Kia Niro (VIN: ) has suffered two total failures in under one year of ownership (approx. 10,000 miles). In both instances, the vehicle was completely unresponsive, with no power to essential systems. Safety Risks and Incidents: 1. : Vehicle experienced a total power loss.
2024 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 7, 2026 · ODI 11709314
PHEV vehicle: charging interrupted in the middle of the night. When attempting to reconnect the charger, a "Charging unsuccessful" message was given. A warning with "Check Hybrid System" appeared, as well as the check engine light. I cannot charge the car anymore and had to leave it at the dealership
2023 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 7, 2025 · ODI 11653278
In depth: 2023 Kia Sportage 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 group48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_CLI049_R2 | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. N… |
| 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… |
| CA2606 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: UPPER ACTIVE AIR FLAP DUCT ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (CA2606) - This bulletin provides information t… |
| PI2603Y | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BSA REPLACEMENT (PI2603Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previou… |
| SA644 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ON-BOARD CHARGER INSPECTION AND REPLACMENT (SA644) - This bulletin provides information related to charging syst… |
| PI2603 | Other | Jun 17, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMS BATTERY DIAGNOSTIC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2603) - This bulletin provides inform… |
| TSB_ELE422 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service proc… |
| TSB_ELE417 | Service bulletin | Apr 14, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infot… |
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_ELE318 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_ELE318 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_ELE318 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2024 Kia Niro, 2023 Kia Niro, 2024 Kia Sportage, 2023 Kia Sportage. 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: 2023-2024MY Niro HEV (SG2 HEV): built on or after 21 Jun 2022; 2023-2024MY Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV): built 15 Feb 2022 – 28 Oct 2023; Niro HEV (SG2 HEV): built 21 Jun 2022 – 6 Feb 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.