Kia bulletin TSB_ELE361
What it saysAVN 5.0 WIDE DEALER MODE FACTORY RESET - This bulletin provides the procedure to perform the ‘Dealer Mode Factory Reset’ on multiple 2020-2021MY vehicles (listed on page 5) equipped with AVN 5.0 Wide head units. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Dec 5, 2024, received Dec 11, 2024, about the electrical system. It names 12 model years (2020–2021). 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: AVN 5.0 WIDE DEALER MODE FACTORY RESET - This bulletin provides the procedure to perform the ‘Dealer Mode Factory Reset’ on multiple 2020-2021MY vehicles (listed on page 5) equipped with AVN 5.0 Wide head units. The affected vehicles may exhibit inoperable and/or interrupted Kia Connect services due to a logic error with the current software version. This logic error may affect the Kia Connect services: calendar, weather, sports, vehicle diagnostics, maintenance and/or Kia Connect services rendering these features inoperable.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE361 | Service bulletin | Dec 5, 2024 | 11011765 | PDF, 395 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2021 Kia Cadenza.
A 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 11 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,822 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 335 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.
The contact owned a 2020 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, her daughter saw smoke coming out of the vehicle. The contact stated that as she opened the vehicle, she saw flames on the front side of the vehicle. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department.
2020 Kia Sorento · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 4, 2022 · ODI 11487905
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Niro. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant system warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle following a charging session, there was a burning odor coming from the vehicle while the coolant system warning light was illuminated.
2020 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 3, 2026 · ODI 11761948
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
In depth: 2021 Kia Sorento electrical problems → · 2020 Kia Telluride 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 group117 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_ELE328_R1 | Service bulletin | Sep 16, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CLUSTER SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR LOWER THAN ACTUAL FUEL LEVEL INDICATION - This bulletin has been revised… |
| SA652/SA653/SA658 | Over-the-air update | Sep 16, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SERVICE ACTION SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR RCM, UWB AND SBCM (SA652/SA653/SA658) - This Over-the-Air (OTA) software upd… |
| PS813 | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2026 | This Pitstop provides information related to the smart key fob programming procedure on certain 2027MY~ Seltos (SP3) vehicles. |
| OTA_ELE431_432_434_NOTES | Over-the-air update | Aug 29, 2026 | RELEASE NOTES: OVER-THE-AIR: SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR ROOF CONTROL MODULE (RCM), ULTRA-WIDEBAND (UWB) and SIDE BODY CONTROL MODULE (SBCM) - This… |
| 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… |
| SA658 | Service bulletin | Aug 21, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: SBCM SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA658) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Side… |
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_ELE361 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_ELE361 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_ELE361 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 12 model years: 2020 Kia Cadenza, 2021 Kia K5, 2021 Kia Niro, 2020 Kia Niro, 2021 Kia Seltos, 2021 Kia Sorento and more. 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: Telluride (ON): built 8 Jan 2019 – 8 Jun 2021; Soul (SK3): built 18 Nov 2018 – 16 Apr 2021; Niro EV (DE EV): built 15 Jan 2020 – 22 Dec 2020 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.