Kia bulletin TSB_ELE399_R1
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 Jan 23, 2026, received Feb 2, 2026, about the fuel/propulsion system. It names 2 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: BMS DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - 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 to upgrade the ‘BMS’ system software on certain 2023-2024MY Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV) vehicles produced from February 15, 2022, through December 15, 2023, which may experience excessive discharging of the 12V lithium battery while parked, potentially resulting in a no-start condition.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE399_R1 | Service bulletin | Jan 23, 2026 | 11028002 | PDF, 473 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 421 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 112 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.
While navigating the highly dangerous downhill descent of the Tejon Pass, LEBEC, CA , the vehicle experienced a complete throttle disengagement. The accelerator pedal became entirely unresponsive, leaving the vehicle without power on a steep, high-speed highway descent. I was traveling with my young daughter inside the vehicle.
2024 Kia Sportage · Fuel/Propulsion System · filed with NHTSA Jun 22, 2026 · ODI 11745626
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
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 fuel/propulsion system
Source: same model, same component group11 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Sportage under the same component group (fuel/propulsion system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2505 | Service bulletin | Oct 17, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: GDI FUEL INJECTOR REPLACEMENT FOR MISFIRE DTC(S) THETA III 2.5L GDI (CA2505) - This bulletin has been revised to… |
| SC338 | Emissions | Sep 12, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: BMS S/W LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1BB2 (SC338) - This bulletin has been r… |
| TSB_ELE399 | Service bulletin | Sep 10, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BMS DISCHARGE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the ‘BMS’ system software on cer… |
| TSB_FUE066_CLSD | Service bulletin | Jun 30, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: GDI FUEL INJECTOR REPLACEMENT FOR MISFIRE DTC(S) - CLOSED AND SUPERSEDED BY FUE068/CA2505 - This bulletin is now… |
| SC293 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: FUEL INJECTOR HARNESS INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT (SC293) - This bulletin p… |
| SC293_STKR | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2024 | SC293_STKR: COMPLETION LABEL (STICKER) FOR VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN SC293. |
| SC293_DPSM | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2024 | VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (SC293) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts… |
| SC293_DP | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2024 | VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC293) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is… |
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_ELE399_R1 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_ELE399_R1 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_ELE399_R1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 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 Sportage HEV (NQ5 HEV): built on or after 15 Feb 2022; Sportage (NQ5 HEV): built 15 Feb 2022 – 15 Dec 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.