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Service bulletins for the 2012 Kia Optima

A bulletin is a manufacturer's communication to its dealers, as NHTSA indexes it. The summary is NHTSA's. The document is the manufacturer's: read it at NHTSA. A bulletin is not a recall, and listing a model year does not mean every vehicle of it is concerned.

294 on file from NHTSA, as of 2026-10-19.

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Bulletins, newest first
TSBCHA0922018-11-13. Service bulletin. SERVICE BRAKES. TSB: BRAKE PEDAL STOPPER PAD REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the brake pedal stopper pad on some 2012-2013MY Optima (QF) vehicles, produced from August 12, 2011 through September 27, 2013. The brake pedal stopper pad may deteriorate over time, allowing the stop lamp switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. A deteriorated pad can result in the continuous illumination of the stop lamps. If the continuous illumination of the stop lamps is duplicated, follow the procedure outlined in this bulletin to replace the brake pedal stopper pad.
VPI1803_OWNER_OP2018-11-13. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI1803) - OWNER LETTER - Dear Kia Optima Owner: Kia Motors America, Inc. is conducting an important Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on all 2011-2013 MY Optima vehicles equipped with 2.4L Gasoline Direct Injection (?GDI?) and 2.0L Turbocharged GDI (?T-GDI?) engines, and some 2014 MY Optima vehicles equipped with 2.4L GDI and 2.0L T-GDI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update will be done free of charge and will only involve the addition of newly developed computer software for the Engine Control Unit (?ECU?).
VPI1803_DSM2018-11-13. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI1803) - DEALER SERVICE MANAGER LETTER - Attention: All Kia Dealer Service Managers, Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage.
VPI1803_DP2018-11-13. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE. PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI1803) - DEALER PRINCIPAL LETTER - Attention: All Kia Dealer Principals, Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update to the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage.
DC_201810262018-11-13. Service bulletin. EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL. DEALER COMMUNICATION - RECENT KIA MEDIA REPORTS, OCTOBER 26 2018 UPDATE - Dear Kia Retailer, We wrote to you in late August to provide you with an update regarding news reports regarding non-collision fires in Kia vehicles and NHTSA?s announcement of the opening of a Defect Petition for fire cases involving the 2011-14 Sorento and Optima vehicles. Since that time, we have been working cooperatively with NHTSA to analyze the safety performance of these and all Kia vehicles and added additional resources to quickly and effectively address any incidents. Recently, a non-profit consumer advocacy group called the Center for Automotive Safety (CAS) has asked for a recall of Kia vehicles for fire risk and members of the Senate Commerce Committee have asked Kia for additional information related to non-collision fires in Kia vehicles. These actions have generated additional media reports so we are providing you with additional information to assist you and your teams in addressing customer concerns.
WTY011_REIMB2018-10-09. Service bulletin. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES. WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM (WTY011) - REQUEST FOR REIMBURSEMENT FORM - 2012-2013 MY OPTIMA BRAKE STOPPER PAD Kia New Vehicle Limited Warranty Extension
WTY011_QA2018-10-09. Service bulletin. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES. WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM (WTY011) - Q & A - 2012-2013 MY OPTIMA BRAKE PEDAL STOPPER PAD NEW VEHICLE LIMITED WARRANTY EXTENSION
WTY011_OWNER2018-10-09. Service bulletin. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM (WTY011) - OWNER LETTER - Dear Kia Optima Owner: Kia Motors America, Inc. takes pride in providing you with high quality and dependable vehicles. In order to maintain these standards, Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage, to all owners, for the brake stopper pad on certain 2012-2013 MY Kia Optima vehicles from 5-years/60,000-miles to 15-years/unlimited-miles, starting from the date of first service. The material of the brake pedal stopper pad, which is located between the stop lamp switch and the brake pedal arm, may deteriorate over time allowing the stop lamp switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. A deteriorated pad can result in the continuous illumination of the stop lamps.
WTY011_DPSM2018-10-09. Service bulletin. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM (WTY011) - DEALER PARTS & SERVICE MANAGER LETTER - Kia Motors America, Inc. is extending the warranty coverage, to all owners, for the brake pedal stopper pad on all 2012-2013 MY Optima (QF) vehicles, manufactured at KMMG, from 5-years/60,000-miles to 15-years/unlimited-miles, starting from the date of first service. The material of the brake pedal stopper pad, which is located between the stop lamp switch and the brake pedal arm, may deteriorate over time allowing the stop lamp switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. A deteriorated pad can result in the continuous illumination of the stop lamps.
WTY011_DP2018-10-09. Service bulletin. SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES. WARRANTY EXTENSION PROGRAM (WTY011) - DEALER PRINCIPAL LETTER - Kia Motors America, Inc. is extending the warranty coverage, to all owners, for the brake pedal stopper pad on all 2012-2013 MY Optima (QF) vehicles, manufactured at KMMG, from 5-years/60,000-miles to 15-years/unlimited-miles, starting from the date of first service. The material of the brake pedal stopper pad, which is located between the stop lamp switch and the brake pedal arm, may deteriorate over time allowing the stop lamp switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. A deteriorated pad can result in the continuous illumination of the stop lamps.
DC_201808282018-10-09. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ENGINE; EQUIPMENT. DEALER COMMUNICATION - RECENT KIA MEDIA REPORTS - Dear Kia Retailer, You and your customers may have seen recent media reports regarding thermal incidents in Kia vehicles or NHTSA?s announcement of the opening of a Defect Petition for fire cases involving the 2011-14 Sorentos and Optimas, and I want to update you on KMA?s response to this issue. All automobiles contain combustible materials and a vehicle fire may be a result of any number of complex factors which must be carefully evaluated by trained technicians to, if possible, determine its cause and, ultimately, determine if a defect trend exists. At Kia, customer safety is paramount and although both KMA and NHTSA have independently concluded that no defect trends exist, KMA has significantly increased its committed resources to ensure that all thermal incidents are fully evaluated.
TSBTRA068_CLOSED2018-09-10. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; POWER TRAIN. TSB: HCU/TCU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1744 (400 MESH EQUIPPED TRANSMISSIONS ONLY) - TSB TRA068 CLOSED. REFER TO TSB TRA079/SA351
TSBELE1512018-09-10. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. TSB: BMS LOGIC IMPROVEMENT AFTER HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Battery Management System (BMS) on some 2011-2016MY Optima Hybrid (TF HEV) vehicles, produced from February 15, 2011 through July 22, 2015, to match the new generation high voltage (HV) battery assemblies.
TSBELE1472018-06-25. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. TSB - BMS LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1B70 - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Battery Management System (BMS) on some 2011-2016MY Optima Hybrid (TF HEV) vehicles, produced from February 15, 2011 through July 22, 2015, which may experience a malfunction indicator light (MIL) illumination with DTC P1B70 even though there is no actual malfunction.
TSBTRA059_R42018-05-14. Service bulletin. POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM); POWER TRAIN. TSB - HCU/TCU UPGRADE ? FOR 100MESH SOLENOID - EQUIPPED HYBRID TRANSMISSIONS - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. This bulletin provides information related to a software upgrade of the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU) and the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) of some 2011-2016MY Optima Hybrid (TF HEV) after replacement of the transmission with improved 100 mesh solenoids has taken place.
TSBTRA059_R32018-04-16. Service bulletin. POWER TRAIN. TSB - HCU/TCU UPGRADE ? FOR 100MESH SOLENOID EQUIPPED HYBRID TRANSMISSIONS - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. This bulletin provides information related to a software upgrade of the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU) and the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) of some 2011-2016MY Optima Hybrid (TF HEV) after replacement of the transmission with improved 100 mesh solenoids has taken place. To apply the improved logic, the HCU/TCU should be reprogrammed using the KDS download, as described in this bulletin.
PS5392018-04-16. Service bulletin. ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING. PITSTOP - ENGINE COMPONENT RE-USE GUIDELINES - In general, parts and components removed during engine repairs should be considered serviceable, and should be thoroughly cleaned and transferred to the new engine.
TSBTRA047_R22018-03-13. Service bulletin. POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT. TSB - DRIVESHAFT SERVICEABILITY - This bulletin has been revised most recently to include additional information. This bulletin provides information regarding axle shaft serviceability for Kia vehicles equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission.
TSBCHA060_R12018-03-13. Service bulletin. STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR; STEERING. TSB - ECM UPGRADE ? STEERING LOGIC IMPROVEMENT -This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. This bulletin provides information related to the MDPS ECU software upgrade for some 2011 ~ 2014MY Optima (TF/QF) vehicles, produced from Job #1 through July 27, 2014, which may experience a notchy feel in the steering wheel.
TSBENG1722018-01-16. Service bulletin. FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE; POWER TRAIN. TSB - SERVICE ACTION: TURBO OIL FEED LINE REPLACEMENT (SA300) - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the turbo oil feed line on some 2011-2015MY Optima (TF), produced from November 1, 2010 through August 30, 2011, 2012-2015MY Optima (QF), produced from August 31, 2011 through October 2, 2015, and 2011-2015MY Sportage (SL) vehicles, produced from December 30, 2010 through November 6, 2015, equipped with Theta 2.0T-GDI engine, which may exhibit an oil leak at the turbo oil feed line.
TSBELE091R32017-12-22. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE. TSB - IDENTIFYING HEAD UNIT SOFTWARE VERSION FOR DIRECT EXCHANGE - This bulletin provides the procedure on how to identify and record the head unit software level on various head unit platforms and generations.
TSBTRA0682017-11-14. Service bulletin. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. TSB - HCU/TCU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC P1744 (400 MESH EQUIPPED TRANSMISSIONS ONLY) - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU) on some 2011-2012MY Optima Hybrid (TF HEV), produced from February 15, 2011 through December 28, 2012, and both the Hybrid Control Unit (HCU) and the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) on some 2013-2015MY Optima Hybrid (TF HEV) vehicles, produced from January 15, 2013 through March 27, 2015, which may experience a malfunction indicator lamp illumination with DTC P1744. To correct this concern, apply the improved logic to the HCU only (11-12MY) or HCU and TCU (13-15MY) using the KDS ECU Upgrade function as described in this bulletin. For confirmation that the latest reflash has been applied to a vehicle you are working on, verify the ROM ID using the table on page 3 of this bulletin.
TSBBOD1722017-11-14. Service bulletin. EXTERIOR LIGHTING. TSB - OUTSIDE REAR COMBINATION LAMP WATER INTRUSION - This bulletin provides the procedure to replace the outside rear combination lamp pads on some 2011-2015MY Optima (TF), produced from August 12, 2010 through July 23, 2015, and some 2011-2016MY Optima (TF HEV) vehicles, produced from February 15, 2011 through July 22, 2015, which may exhibit evidence of water intrusion in the outside rear combination lamps.
WTY201709R52017-10-15. Service bulletin. EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL. WTY - SC147 Claims Processing Procedures - REVISED - Authorization of Claims Processing for SC147 - See this bulletin for specific handling procedures regarding SC147.
PT20201-0002R42017-10-15. Service bulletin. ENGINE. PARTS BULLETIN - THETA II ENGINE SAFETY RECALL (SC147) - This bulletin provides information related to the inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the engine assembly on certain 2011 to 2014 model year Optima, Sorento, and Sportage vehicles. For repair information please refer to Technical Service Bulletin SC147.

The summaries are NHTSA's. Each bulletin's page links NHTSA's copy of the manufacturer's document.