Kia bulletin TSB_SST082
What it saysThis bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain 2020 - 2023 MY Kia Soul (SK3) 2021 - 2023 MY Seltos (SP2) Kia vehicles equipped… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 4, 2025, received Apr 23, 2025, about the engine. It names 7 model years (2020–2023). 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.
Get the next Kia bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PISTON NOISE SENSING SYSTEM (PNSS) INSPECTION - This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain 2020 - 2023 MY Kia Soul (SK3) 2021 - 2023 MY Seltos (SP2) Kia vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI Engines. The piston oil ring(s) in certain Kia engines may, over time, damage the surface of the engine cylinder wall. This may lead to increased oil consumption which will eventually result in abnormal noise from the engine and/or illumination of the oil pressure warning light. The applicable vehicle may or may not have the Piston Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software installed at the time of an engine vibration inspection. The PNSS software may detect engine noise triggering a DTC P132700.
Trouble codes it names: P1327 all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_SST082 | Service bulletin | Apr 4, 2025 | 11017169 | PDF, 1,856 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.
Email me new Kia bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Kia files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,246 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 994 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.
On the 2020 Kia Soul, the 94 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 32,500 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that when she took her vehicle in for an oil change, she was informed that there was no oil in the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil and there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated.
2021 Kia Seltos · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 18, 2021
Shortly after purchase (8/2/23) I began noticing a persistent engine rattle between regular oil changes. This escalated to stalling issues, including on the highway and at intersections and around sharp curves. I brought the car in for service multiple times, and although a part was replaced, the symptoms soon returned.
2022 Kia Soul · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 9, 2025
Since I purchased the car the steering wheel will jerk, when im on a 2 lane road. It always jerks towards on-coming traffic, and it only does this when there is a car coming in the opposite lane and is just about to pass me. I have to fight with the steering wheel to get it back to go straight.
2023 Kia Soul · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 23, 2025
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group12 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG263 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolv… |
| PI2107 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2107) - This bulletin has been rev… |
| SC176Y | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SC176Y) - This bull… |
| PI2002B | Service bulletin | Feb 24, 2026 | TSB - PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI2002B) - NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides… |
| DC26 | Service campaign | Feb 10, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC26) - This bulletin has been revised to include a… |
| SST082_R1 | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain Kia en… |
| SC336YZ | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Repl… |
| TSB_ENG222_R8 | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
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_SST082 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_SST082 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.
Which vehicles does TSB_SST082 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2023 Kia Seltos, 2022 Kia Seltos, 2021 Kia Seltos, 2023 Kia Soul, 2022 Kia Soul, 2021 Kia Soul and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.