Kia bulletin TSB_ELE426
What it saysAVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system software update for certain vehicles equipped with AVN5W and Navigation System listed in the table below. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Aug 19, 2026, received Aug 27, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 12 model years (2023–2025). 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: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system software update for certain vehicles equipped with AVN5W and Navigation System listed in the table below. Affected vehicles may overestimate travel times during route calculation.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ELE426 | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2026 | 11036390 | PDF, 356 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 12 model years this bulletin names have filed 1,261 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 317 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
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
The 12-volt battery system in my 2024 Kia Niro (VIN: ) has suffered two total failures in under one year of ownership (approx. 10,000 miles). In both instances, the vehicle was completely unresponsive, with no power to essential systems. Safety Risks and Incidents: 1. : Vehicle experienced a total power loss.
2024 Kia Niro · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jan 7, 2026 · ODI 11709314
In depth: 2023 Kia Sportage electrical problems → · 2024 Kia Telluride electrical problems → · 2023 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 group85 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| 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… |
| SA652 | Service bulletin | Aug 6, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: ULTRA-WIDE BAND SENSOR SOFTWARE UPDATE (SA652) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Ultra-Wideban… |
| SA653 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUNROOF LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA653) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Roof Control Module ‘RCM’… |
| CA2605 | Service bulletin | Jul 29, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (CA2605) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front view camera on… |
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_ELE426 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_ELE426 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_ELE426 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 12 model years: 2025 Kia Niro, 2024 Kia Niro, 2023 Kia Niro, 2025 Kia Soul, 2024 Kia Soul, 2023 Kia Soul and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.