Kia bulletin TSB_ELE394
What it saysAVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) accompanied by DTC P17A000 on some 2022-2025MY Hybrid Electric Vehicles… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 26, 2026, received Mar 31, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 9 model years (2022–2025). 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 communicationTECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN5.0W DTC P17A000 DAIGNOSTIC PROCEDURE - This bulletin provides information regarding a potential illuminated Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) accompanied by DTC P17A000 on some 2022-2025MY Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) equipped with AVN5.0Wide head units listed below. This condition occurs when the Global Positioning System (GPS) module within the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) head unit, sends an inaccurate signal to the Hybrid Power Control Unit (HPCU), causing the DTC to set. There are no drivability symptoms associated with this condition.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE394 | Service bulletin | Mar 26, 2026 | 11030345 | PDF, 944 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 9 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,047 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 268 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.
First of all, what I am about to write put my husband and I in great danger. Driving on a two way, busy, rural highway, traveling approximately 65 mph, my Kia suddenly displayed a warning to pull over immediately and something about the battery. I barely had time to pull on to a narrow shoulder before it completely died.
2024 Kia Sportage · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 6, 2026 · ODI 11769453
While driving my 2023 Sorento plug-in hybrid a msg appeared that Charging Stopped Check Cable. When you stop the car and try to drive it will not go into any gear, msg says Shifting Conditions Not Met and Unplug Vehicle to Start and the wheels are locked up (E-brake) and needs a tow truck with dollies in order to load.
2023 Kia Sorento · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Dec 3, 2025 · ODI 11702648
Transmission was replaced but then completely shut down as I was making a right turn. Multiple indicators on dash went off and safety errors kept scrolling across dash. Vehicle then wouldn’t shift at all. TCM was replaced but vehicle has high RPMs at low speeds. Has been at the dealership now for over 90 days
2025 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jun 17, 2026 · ODI 11744906
In depth: 2023 Kia Sportage 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 group76 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… |
| 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… |
| CA2606 | Service bulletin | Jul 25, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER ACTION: UPPER ACTIVE AIR FLAP DUCT ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (CA2606) - This bulletin provides information t… |
| PI2603Y | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BSA REPLACEMENT (PI2603Y) - This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previou… |
| SA644 | Service bulletin | Jul 2, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ON-BOARD CHARGER INSPECTION AND REPLACMENT (SA644) - This bulletin provides information related to charging syst… |
| 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… |
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_ELE394 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_ELE394 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_ELE394 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 9 model years: 2025 Kia Niro, 2024 Kia Niro, 2023 Kia Niro, 2024 Kia Sorento, 2023 Kia Sorento, 2022 Kia Sorento and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.