Kia Motors America, Inc.: Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly
Kia Motors America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 16, 2002 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 189,706. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE SAFETY BELT BUCKLE MAY "FALSE LATCH" AND EXPOSE THE DRIVER TO UNRESTRAINED MOVEMENT DURING A CRASH.
The risk
IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
The remedy
OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 20, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
8 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 Kia Sephia | 491 | 6 | 16 | 33 |
| 1998 Kia Sportage | 303 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| 1997 Kia Sephia | 205 | 1 | 5 | 30 |
| 1997 Kia Sportage | 181 | 3 | 5 | 32 |
| 1996 Kia Sephia | 118 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
| 1996 Kia Sportage | 57 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| 1995 Kia Sephia | 64 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 1995 Kia Sportage | 56 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 02V216000.
Full record for the 1998 Kia Sephia → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →