Kia bulletin WTY036_DP
What it saysThis document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage, to all owners, for repairs related to the illumination of the Airbag Warning Light in 2019-2020… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 14, 2024, received Mar 2, 2024, about the air bags. It names 2 model years (2019–2020). 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 communicationPicked out of NHTSA’s summary below, word for word. The document itself is the record, and the dealer checks the VIN.
WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (WTY036) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage, to all owners, for repairs related to the illumination of the Airbag Warning Light in 2019-2020 MY Optima vehicles from 5 years / 60,000 miles to 15 years / unlimited miles, whichever comes first, starting from the date the vehicle was first put into service. This warranty extension is to address the Airbag Warning Light ON condition.
One of the 357 warranty extensions and special-coverage programs on file — every make, with the term each runs to.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTY036_DP | Service bulletin | Feb 14, 2024 | 10250768 | PDF, 63 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 359 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
The contact's husband owns a 2019 Kia Optima. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a deer that jumped in the middle of the road. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. The driver sustained neck and back pain and his daughter, who was seated behind the driver's seat, sustained neck pain.
2019 Kia Optima · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Nov 25, 2019
The contact owned a 2020 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a guardrail, causing her to hit her head on the steering wheel and lose consciousness. The vehicle came to a complete stop in a ditch. No air bags were deployed upon impact.
2020 Kia Optima · Air Bags · filed with NHTSA Apr 7, 2022
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 air bags
Source: same model, same component group4 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Optima under the same component group (air bags), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| WTY036 (BOD324) | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: SIDE AIRBAG (SAB) INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT FOR DTC(S) B1380/B1384 (WTY036) - This… |
| WTY036 | Service bulletin | Mar 8, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION: SIDE AIRBAG (SAB) INSPECTION ANDREPLACEMENT FOR DTC(S) B1380/B1384 (WTY036) - This bulletin… |
| WTY036_REIMB | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2024 | WARRANTY EXTENSION: REIMBURSEMENT FORM (WTY036) - This document is a Reimbursement Request form that was mailed with the customer letter adv… |
| WTY036_DPSM | Service bulletin | Feb 26, 2024 | WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (WTY036) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Manag… |
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 WTY036_DP 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 WTY036_DP 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 WTY036_DP cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2020 Kia Optima, 2019 Kia Optima. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.