Kia bulletin TSB_ELE312
What it saysThis bulletin provides information to update the navigation and map software on certain 2023MY Forte (BDm) vehicles equipped with 5th Generation AVN wide head units, produced from August 21, 2023 through August 26, 2023. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 9, 2023, received Nov 3, 2023, about the electrical system. 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: VOICE RECOGNITION DATABASE UNMATCHED SOFTWARE UPDATE (SA545) - This bulletin provides information to update the navigation and map software on certain 2023MY Forte (BDm) vehicles equipped with 5th Generation AVN wide head units, produced from August 21, 2023 through August 26, 2023. When pressing the Voice Recognition 'VR' button on the steering wheel, a pop-up message 'VR DB Unmatched Please check.' may be displayed on the AVN screen.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE312 | Service bulletin | Oct 9, 2023 | 10243927 | PDF, 542 KB |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 230M04R0 | Navigation App & Map Database Software Update | 0.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (5 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.
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 66 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 11 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.
Driving down the road and the car will quit running and will take 20-30 for it to start again and now won’t start at all and it quit running while driving at Hyway speeds 10 times and could have been hit by other vehicles
2023 Kia Forte · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Feb 11, 2024 · ODI 11571337
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 group19 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Forte 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_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… |
| SA611 | Service bulletin | Mar 20, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem i… |
| SA569 | Service bulletin | Jan 9, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5WSOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - This bulletin has been revised to include addit… |
| TSB_ELE347_R1 | Service bulletin | Dec 19, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New… |
| SA582 | Service bulletin | Dec 2, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) (SA582) - This bulletin provides informatio… |
| TSB_ELE303_R3 | Service bulletin | Nov 15, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional info… |
| TSB_ELE347 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information to update the software on Display… |
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_ELE312 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_ELE312 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_ELE312 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Kia Forte. 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 Forte (BDm): built 21 Aug 2023 – 26 Aug 2023 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.