ECU Guides

Hyundai and Kia Immo Off Guide: EDC17C57, EDC17CP14, SIM2K and Kefico ECUs

23 October 2026 2 min read

Hyundai and Kia are the brands with the most immo off requests in our shop, and for a good reason: the SMARTRA immobilizer unit fails often, replacement ECUs need dealer-only coding, and the engines are popular in export markets where dealer support is thin. This guide explains the system and how the immo off file is applied on the common ECU families.

How the Hyundai/Kia immobilizer works

The transponder key talks to the SMARTRA module (SMARTRA 2, 3 or the later Smart Key ECU). SMARTRA verifies the key and exchanges a coded message with the engine ECU. If the exchange fails, the ECU cuts injection: the engine cranks and never fires, with codes such as P1690 (SMARTRA no response), P1691/P1692 (antenna/key) or P1694 (ECU-SMARTRA mismatch). Both the ECU and SMARTRA have to be “learned” to each other with the dealer tool and a PIN.

ECU families

  • Bosch EDC17C57: 1.6 and 2.0 CRDi (U2, D4FD) 2011 onwards.
  • Bosch EDC17CP14: 2.0/2.2 CRDi (D4HA, D4HB) in Santa Fe, Sorento, ix35, Sportage.
  • Bosch EDC16C39: 1.5/1.6/2.0 CRDi 2005 to 2011.
  • Siemens/Continental SIM2K-241 and SIM2K-240/245/250: 1.6 GDi and 2.0 petrol.
  • Kefico ME17.9.11 / M7.9.8 / M7.9: 1.4 and 1.6 MPI petrol, popular on i20, i30, Rio, Ceed.
  • Delphi MT38 / MT86: 1.1 to 1.4 petrol on i10, i20, Picanto.

When immo off is the right fix

  • SMARTRA failed and a replacement needs PIN and dealer learning that is not available.
  • A used ECU has been fitted and cannot be coded.
  • Engine transplant into another chassis or a non-road application.
  • Key transponder data lost and no key programmer access.

If the goal is to keep the factory security with a used ECU, order a virgin file instead and learn the ECU with a key programmer that supports Hyundai/Kia PIN reading.

Reading and writing

EDC17C57 and EDC17CP14 are read on the bench with KTAG, FLEX or PCM Flash; OBD writing works on many versions with KESS V2. EDC16C39 is OBD friendly. SIM2K units are read on the bench and the immobilizer data sits in the internal EEPROM, so the immo off is done on the full read. Kefico M7.9.8 and ME17.9.11 have the immo data in the flash and are handled over OBD or bench. Always keep the full original read.

Procedure

  1. Read the ECU label: Bosch number (0281 0xxxxx or 0261 Sxxxxx) plus the Hyundai part number (39100-xxxxx / 39110-xxxxx) and software version.
  2. Find the matching product in the immo off category; check both numbers.
  3. Back up the ECU, write the immo off file, clear codes.
  4. Start the engine. The immobilizer lamp may stay on; on most models it can be ignored or coded out.

i20, i30, i40, ix35, Tucson, Santa Fe, Accent, Elantra, Sonata on the Hyundai page; Rio, Ceed, Sportage, Sorento, Cerato, Picanto on the Kia page. If your software version is not there, send the read through the file request form.

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