Kia bulletin TSB_ENG249
What it saysThis bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the engine system on some 2023MY Rio (SC) vehicles produced from September 30, 2022 through August 31, 2023. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 19, 2023, received Nov 4, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 1 model year (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 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: ENGINE OIL RESET LIGHT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA548) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the engine system on some 2023MY Rio (SC) vehicles produced from September 30, 2022 through August 31, 2023. After resetting the engine oil reset light in the affected vehicles, the light may reappear once the vehicle has been shut off and restarted.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG249 | Service bulletin | Oct 19, 2023 | 10244287 | PDF, 825 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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 5 of them name Engine, 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.
When I started my car, during the warm-up process, it dropped revs and turned off. After several tries, it turned on. While driving, when the vehicle was stopped, it began to jerk slightly. The safety risk is that the car, while I am driving, could turn off and cause an accident, in which people could be at risk, including me.
2023 Kia Rio · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 23, 2024 · ODI 11584683
I’ve been hearing this rattle noise mostly when I crank the vehicle. I took it to go get checked out and they heard it when I first brought it in for them to check. But when they got it to the back for mechanic to listen for it, of course it didn’t do it.
2023 Kia Rio · Engine · filed with NHTSA Aug 10, 2025 · ODI 11679724
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 group14 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Rio 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_ELE422 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service proc… |
| SA611 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem i… |
| SA569 | Service bulletin | Jan 9, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5WSOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - This bulletin has been revised to include addit… |
| TSB_ELE347_R1 | Service bulletin | Dec 19, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New… |
| TSB_ELE347 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information to update the software on Display… |
| CS2307_TSB_R2 | Service bulletin | Jun 6, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: ANTI-THEFT S/W LOGIC UPGRADE & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2307) - This bulletin has been revis… |
| TSB_ELE338 | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - This bulletin provides information to update t… |
| TSB_ELE303_R2 | Service bulletin | Feb 9, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional info… |

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_ENG249 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_ENG249 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_ENG249 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Kia Rio. 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: 2023MY Rio (SC): built 30 Sep 2022 – 31 Aug 2023; Rio (SC): built 30 Sep 2022 – 31 Aug 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.