2022 Kia Telluride Recall: Blank LCD Display/FMVSS 101

A 2022 Kia Telluride with the 3.5-inch instrument cluster screen can start with that screen dark, leaving the driver without the digital speedometer, the gear indicator and the odometer. It happens when the start button is pressed after the cluster's welcome animation has finished playing.

Recall 21V577 covers 5,143 Tellurides built at Kia Georgia from May 26 through July 16, 2021, and Kia counts every one of them as affected. Dealers reload the cluster software free of charge under Kia campaign SC215.

The Issue

Engineers at Kia Corporation's headquarters traced the dark screen to the welcome animation. Kia's Part 573 report calls it a software error and gives the cause as the "increased loading time of welcome animation due to its larger file size before pressing the push start button."

Warning lamps keep working, as do the systems beneath the screen. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 101 requires the odometer to be visible to the driver, which makes this a noncompliance recall. Kia's first filing on July 28, 2021 listed the safety risk as "Not Applicable," and the August 3 revision changed that entry to say the condition may increase the risk of a crash.

Technicians load upgrade event 565 through Kia's diagnostic tablet, moving the cluster software from ROM ID 2.00 to 2.01, then erase any EPS, ESC or tire-pressure trouble codes the upgrade sets. Hyundai Mobis builds the cluster at its Jincheon plant in South Korea under part numbers 94001-S9500 and 94001-S9510.

Affected Models

Vehicle	Model Year	Production Dates	Cluster Screen	Estimated Units
Kia Telluride	2022	May 26, 2021 to July 16, 2021	3.5-inch LCD	5,143

The cars were not built in VIN order, so Kia drew the list from production records and a lookup by individual VIN confirms a specific car. Production switched to the corrected software on July 19, 2021; Tellurides built on July 17 and 18 were held at Kia Georgia and reflashed before they shipped to dealers.

Chronology and Investigation

Kia North America's Product Quality department reported intermittent blank cluster screens on July 12, 2021, noting that the condition was difficult to duplicate. Two days later it told Kia's Safety Office that drivers could lose sight of the odometer, the gear selector indicator and other functions on the screen.

From July 16 to 22, Kia North America and Kia Georgia defined the failure effects while headquarters investigated the cause. On July 22 Kia concluded that the hidden odometer broke the visibility requirement in FMVSS 101, paragraph S5.1.2, and decided to recall the cars that day. Dealers were notified July 30 and owners August 3.

A second Telluride cluster recall followed in May 2022. Recall 22V344 covers 3,596 later 2022 models, built from September 9, 2021 through March 30, 2022, whose screens can go blank because excess adhesive on a cluster circuit board causes a poor electrical connection, and its remedy is a new cluster. The two campaigns cover separate build windows, and neither filing refers to the other.

Reported Incidents

Kia's chronology lists no fatalities, injuries, crashes or fires. The filing gives no count of complaints or warranty claims; Kia says the issue came to light through its regular monitoring of field information.

What Owners Should Do

Owner letters went out August 3, 2021. Check the VIN at Kia's recall page or NHTSA.gov, or call Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 and reference recall SC215. Kia pays for the update. Kia's General Reimbursement Plan covers owners who paid for a fix before the notice; receipts go in through the Owners section of kia.com or by mail with the form in the owner letter.

Until the update is done, Kia's letter gives two ways to bring a blank screen back: switch the car off, open and close the driver's door, and start it again; or open a window, switch off and restart, then close the window. It lists two ways to avoid the blank start altogether: press the start button within roughly five seconds of first opening the driver's door, before the welcome graphic ends, or start the car with remote start.

Kia's annual report filed July 29, 2026 counts 5,041 of the 5,143 Tellurides as remedied, 61 as unreachable and 10 as scrapped, stolen or exported. By my arithmetic, 31 reachable cars still have the recall open.

Symptoms to Watch For Before the Update

A dark 3.5-inch screen after a start. The speedometer readout, gear indicator and odometer are missing while the warning lamps still light, following a start made after the welcome graphic has ended.

How Long Will the Recall Repair Take?

Kia's owner letter estimates about one hour for the software update and warns that the car may be needed longer depending on the dealer's schedule. The warranty labor allowance in the dealer bulletin is 0.3 hours.

Bottom Line

Kia rates all 5,143 cars as carrying the defect, and a blank start leaves the driver without a speed readout or gear indicator until the car is restarted the way Kia's letter describes. The corrected software has been available since July 2021. An open recall transfers with the vehicle when it is sold, so anyone who bought a 2022 Telluride built in that May to July 2021 window from a Kia dealer or a private seller should run the VIN.

Find your Kia Telluride recall information: https://www.kia.com/us/en/recall

Recall 21V577 (July 2021) covers 5,143 2022 Tellurides with the 3.5-inch cluster screen built May 26 through July 16, 2021. A larger welcome-animation file can leave the screen blank at startup, hiding the odometer; dealers update the cluster software.