Kia bulletin TSB_TRA105_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 Apr 8, 2024, received May 6, 2024, about the power train. It names 8 model years (2020–2022). 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: 4WD COUPLING NOISE INSPECTION AND SNAP RING REPLACEMENT - 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 inspect for a knocking/clicking noise present in the rear of the vehicle during low-speed driving (25MPH or less) on some 2020-2022MY Kia vehicles equipped with All Wheel Drive (AWD). The 4WD coupling snap ring may have excessive play between the drive gear set shaft and coupling flange.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_TRA105_R1 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2024 | 10253007 | PDF, 872 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 8 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,425 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 406 of them name Power Train — 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 2021 Kia Sorento, the 22 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 65,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The drive train and motor slow to a near stop in traffic when trying to clear a lane and makes it very dangerouos for other traffic to have to wait for me to clear a lane. There is something wrong and we complained about this before the warranty ran out, but they could not find anything. The car stops in traffic unexpectedly.
2022 Kia Sorento · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 11, 2026 · ODI 11723548
My new AWD 2022 Kia Telluride vibration/ humming at 65 mph and above from day 1. It’s been in service 5 times and they are not able to fix the problem. The dealership we bought it from didn’t even admit there is a problem so we had to take it to another dealership which actually admitted there is a problem.
2022 Kia Telluride · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Dec 24, 2021 · ODI 11444915
Shortly after purchasing this AWD vehicle, there is a distinct vibration at highway speeds. The vibration starts at 67 MPH and is there until speeds exceed 75 MPH, where things start to smooth out once again. There is also an odd noise inside the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling in this speed range.
2020 Kia Telluride · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Aug 30, 2019 · ODI 11252376
In depth: 2022 Kia Sorento transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2021 Kia Sorento transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2020 Kia Telluride transmission and drivetrain 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group19 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_CHA129_R1 | Service bulletin | Sep 23, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AWD COUPLER NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (Revision 1) - This bulletin has been revised to include additiona… |
| CA2604 | Service bulletin | Aug 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ELECTRIC OIL PUMP REPLACEMENT (CA2604) - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the Electric Oil Pump… |
| SA648 | Service bulletin | Jun 26, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (SA648) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| TSB_CHA129 | Service bulletin | May 23, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AWD COUPLER NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 4-Wheel Drive… |
| TSB_CHA128_CLSD | Service bulletin | May 23, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 4WD COUPLING NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT) - CLOSED & SUPERSEDED BY CHA129 - This bulletin is now closed an… |
| SC363 | Service campaign | Apr 17, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OIL LEVEL PLUG (OLP) INSPECTION, AND OLP GASKET AND/OR ATF FILLER BOLT REPLACEMENT O… |
| SA630 | Over-the-air update | Sep 30, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: 8-SPEED TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA630) - This bulletin provides information t… |
| TSB_TRA112 | Service bulletin | Sep 9, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT & HCU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the trans… |
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_TRA105_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_TRA105_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_TRA105_R1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 8 model years: 2022 Kia K5, 2021 Kia K5, 2022 Kia Sorento, 2021 Kia Sorento, 2020 Kia Sorento, 2022 Kia Telluride and more. 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: Telluride (ON): built 25 Aug 2020 – 20 Dec 2023; K5 (DL3a): built 18 Sep 2020 – 15 Dec 2023; Sorento (MQ4a): built 16 Sep 2020 – 31 Jul 2022 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.