Kia bulletin TSB_ELE229_R4
What it saysDISPLAY AUDIO 2.0 VALUE SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR WIRELESS CARPLAY IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 13, 2023, received Aug 2, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 2 model years (2021). 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: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0 VALUE SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR WIRELESS CARPLAY IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to update the head unit software on some 2021MY K5 (DL3a), Sorento (MQ4a), and Sorento Hybrid (MQ4 HEV) vehicles equipped with a Display Audio 2.0 Value head unit, which may exhibit a wireless CarPlay connectivity issue with Apple phones running iOS14 software version.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE229_R4 | Service bulletin | Jul 13, 2023 | 10239754 | PDF, 755 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| L3700F | HL 0 D-Audio | 2 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (7 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.
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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 software for the 2021 K5 →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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 446 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 103 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On we were driving the Kia at slow speed due to snow on the road when a warning light came on which we think said hybrid vehicle failure pull over. The car stopped and the traffic lane with the engine off. The car would not start and we were exposed to traffic.
2021 Kia Sorento · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 21, 2025 · ODI 11637251
The front seats electrical adjustments do not work properly, I have had ir switch mid drive and stying to adjust them is a hassle. They do not work properly
2021 Kia K5 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 11, 2022 · ODI 11478854
In depth: 2021 Kia Sorento electrical problems →
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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group57 other manufacturer communications filed against these Kia models under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA656 | Service bulletin | Sep 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (SA656) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front… |
| SC330 | Service campaign | Sep 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH REPAIR (SC330) - This bulletin provides information to repair… |
| TSB_CLI049_R2 | Service bulletin | Aug 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR – ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. N… |
| SC307 | Service campaign | Jun 18, 2026 | VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC307) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary… |
| ELE413 | Over-the-air update | Jun 18, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFWARE UPDATE FOR DATA CONNECTIVITY (ELE413) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software update is designed to update t… |
| SA645 | Service bulletin | Jun 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: BATTERY WIRING HARNESS COVERING INSPECTION / REPLACEMENT (SA645) - This bulletin provides inform… |
| TSB_ELE422 | Service bulletin | May 28, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE. KIA. COM - This bulletin provides information and service proc… |
| TSB_ELE417 | Service bulletin | Apr 14, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information on the process for downloading infot… |
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_ELE229_R4 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_ELE229_R4 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_ELE229_R4 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2021 Kia K5, 2021 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: K5 (DL3a): built 27 May 2020 – 17 Dec 2020; Sorento (MQ4a): built 10 Sep 2020 – 16 Dec 2020; Sorento Hybrid (MQ4 HEV): built 2 Sep 2020 – 26 Nov 2020 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.