Kia bulletin TSB_ELE251_R1
What it saysDA 2.0V SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR KIA ACCESS APP MISSING ODOMETER READING (SA493) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 6, 2023, received Aug 3, 2023, about the electrical system. It names 2 model years (2021–2022). 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: DA 2.0V SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR KIA ACCESS APP MISSING ODOMETER READING (SA493) - 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 information to update the Display Audio 2.0 Value software on some 2021-2022MY Niro EV, HEV and PHEV models listed below, which may not report/display the odometer reading through the Kia Access App (a Connected Car Telematics app). The odometer reading displayed on the vehicle is not affected.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE251_R1 | Service bulletin | Jul 6, 2023 | 10240318 | PDF, 780 KB |
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.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 87 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 25 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.
Component or system that failed: High-Voltage Electrical System / High-Voltage Battery Safety Plug Assembly (specifically covered under Recall SC314 / NHTSA Campaign 24V-358). It is NOT wear and tear as falsely claimed by the dealer. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request at the owner's residence.
2022 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 24, 2026 · ODI 11752715
I received important safety recall letter for NHTSA recall # 23V534. the HCA & or Fuse might need to be replaced . I brought the 2021 Nero to my local Kia dealership, Eagle kia ,Riverhead NY on January 18th.
2021 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 7, 2024 · ODI 11570590
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 group30 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Niro 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| TSB_ELE426 | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system… |
| PI2603Y | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BSA REPLACEMENT (PI2603Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previou… |
| PI2603 | Other | Jun 17, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: BMS BATTERY DIAGNOSTIC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2603) - 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… |
| TSB_ELE394 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated… |
| SA619 | Service bulletin | Jul 29, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR OTA INSTALLATION (SA619) - This bulletin provides the procedure to insta… |

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_ELE251_R1 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_ELE251_R1 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_ELE251_R1 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2022 Kia Niro, 2021 Kia Niro. 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: Niro EV (DE EV): built 14 Jan 2021 – 18 May 2021; Niro HEV & PHEV (DE P/HEV): built 13 Jan 2021 – 27 May 2021; Niro HEV & PHEV (DE P/HEV): built 4 Jun 2021 – 13 Jan 2022 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.