Kia Motors America, Inc.: Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly
Kia Motors America, Inc. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 24, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 251,594. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES MAY EMIT A "CLICK" SOUND DURING THE BUCKLING PROCESS THAT IS SIMILAR TO THE SOUND EMITTED WHEN A BUCKLE IS BEING LATCHED, WHEN IT IS NOT.
The risk
THE LATCH CAN THEN PULL OUT OF THE BUCKLE WHEN TENSION IS APPLIED.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT KIA AT 1-800-333-4542.
4 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Kia Sephia | 266 | 1 | 3 | 42 |
| 2000 Kia Sportage | 304 | 4 | 7 | 23 |
| 1999 Kia Sephia | 428 | 5 | 42 | 50 |
| 1999 Kia Sportage | 284 | 5 | 3 | 27 |
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 04V305000.
Full record for the 2000 Kia Sephia → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →