Kia bulletin WTY036
What it saysThis bulletin provides information associated with the 'Warranty Extension Program' (WTY036) to diagnose and repair certain airbag warning light 'ON' conditions on 2019-2020MY Optima (JFa) vehicles produced from May 21… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 8, 2024, received Mar 2, 2024, about the air bags — 4 documents under this number: WTY036_TSB (2 filings), WTY036_OWNR, WTY036_QA. 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.
Get the next Kia Optima bulletin 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 communicationPicked out of NHTSA’s summary below, word for word. The document itself is the record, and the dealer checks the VIN.
What 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: WARRANTY EXTENSION: SIDE AIRBAG (SAB) INSPECTION ANDREPLACEMENT FOR DTC(S) B1380/B1384 (WTY036) - This bulletin provides information associated with the 'Warranty Extension Program' (WTY036) to diagnose and repair certain airbag warning light 'ON' conditions on 2019-2020MY Optima (JFa) vehicles produced from May 21, 2018 through June 23, 2020. The affected vehicles may exhibit an airbag warning light 'ON' with DTC B1380 and/or B1384 due to the front seat Side Airbag (SAB) connector experiencing higher than normal resistance. The warranty coverage for repairs related to the front seat SAB due to illumination of airbag warning light has been extended to 15 years/unlimited miles, starting from the date the vehicle was first put into service.
Trouble codes it names: B1380 B1384
One of the 357 warranty extensions and special-coverage programs on file — every make, with the term each runs to.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WTY036_TSB | Service bulletin | Mar 8, 2024 | 10251973 | PDF, 440 KB |
| WTY036_TSB | Service bulletin | Mar 8, 2024 | 10251611 | PDF, 440 KB |
| WTY036_OWNR | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2024 | 10250770 | PDF, 116 KB |
| WTY036_QA | Service bulletin | Feb 26, 2024 | 10250771 | PDF, 82 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 242A01I0 | — | 0.2 hrs |
| D5000 | Side Airbag (SAB) DTC Inspection Only (Not related DTC) 242A01I | 0.2 hrs |
| 242A01R0 | — | 0.4 hrs |
| 242A01R1 | — | 0.6 hrs |
| 242A01R2 | Side Airbag (SAB) DTC Inspection (1) + Re-Connection (LH or RH side) + Replace (One)… | 1.2 hrs |
| 242A01R3 | Side Airbag (SAB) DTC Inspection (2) + Re-Connection (Both LH and RH) + Replace… | 1.4 hrs |
| 242A01R4 | Side Airbag (SAB) DTC Inspection (2) + Re-Connection (Both LH and RH) + Replace… | 2.1 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (5 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Kia’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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 the Optima
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 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_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… |
| WTY036_DP | Service bulletin | Feb 14, 2024 | WARRANTY EXTENSION: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (WTY036) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is extending the Ne… |
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 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 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 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. The document itself sets the build window: 2019-2020MY Optima (JFa): built 21 May 2018 – 23 Jun 2020; Optima (JFa): built 21 May 2018 – 23 Jun 2020 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.