Kia bulletin TSB_BOD321
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to replace the left (driver) windshield water rail garnish on certain 2023MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles produced from September 18, 2023 through September 21, 2023. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 23, 2023, received Nov 3, 2023, about the structure. It names 1 model year (2023). 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: SERVICE ACTION: WINDSHIELD WATER RAIL GARNISH REPLACEMENT (SA551) - This bulletin provides information to replace the left (driver) windshield water rail garnish on certain 2023MY Sorento (MQ4a) vehicles produced from September 18, 2023 through September 21, 2023. The affected vehicles may have obtained a dimple on the left (driver) windshield water rail garnish during manufacturing process at the factory.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_BOD321 | Service bulletin | Oct 23, 2023 | 10244283 | PDF, 250 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 231A34R0 | Windshield Water Rail Garnish Replacement | 0.2 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 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.
Doing the repair yourself, or pricing it before the shop does? Search the part by fitment on eBay Motors — the listing and the price are the seller’s.
Find the windshield for the 2023 Sorento →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.
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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 167 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
On passenger side interior between glove box and dashboard, there is a textured, metallic trim plate that during a sunny mid day, casts a reflection on the passenger side window over the top of the where the passenger side rear view mirror is
2023 Kia Sorento · Visibility/Wiper · filed with NHTSA Sep 18, 2025 · ODI 11688202
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 structure
Source: same model, same component group7 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Sorento under the same component group (structure), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| CS2312 | Service bulletin | Jun 8, 2026 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Custom… |
| TSB_BOD336 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the driver’s door lock and trun… |
| WTY043 | Warranty extension | Jun 3, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: REAR RH DOOR CURTAIN INSPECTION / REPLACEMENT (WTY043) - This bulletin provides inf… |
| SA587 | Service bulletin | Nov 13, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: FRONT OUTER DOOR HANDLE UNLOCK SENSOR (SA587) - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve… |
| SA589 | Service bulletin | Sep 19, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DOOR BELT OUTSIDE WEATHERSTRIP REPLACEMENT (SA589) - This bulletin provides information to repla… |
| SA584 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: REAR SPOILER LOWER TRIM INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SA584) - This bulletin provides the procedure to… |
| SA575 | Service bulletin | May 29, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: FRONT DOOR HANDLE ANTENNA REPLACEMENT (SA575) - This bulletin provides information to replace bo… |
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_BOD321 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_BOD321 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_BOD321 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Kia Sorento. 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: 2023MY Sorento (MQ4a): built on or after 18 Sep 2023; Sorento (MQ4a): built 18 Sep 2023 – 21 Sep 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.