On [XXX] I was in a car accident. When it happened the airbags did not deploy and the seatbelt not locking. This resulted in me hitting my head in on the dash and chest on the steering wheel multiple times and having to go to the er to receive care and be put out of work. This is a major safety risk INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Kia Sorento seat belt problems
29 of the 10,244 owner complaints about the Kia Sorento describe seat belt won't latch or retract, most of them for the 2011 model year.
- owner complaints
- 29
- worst model year
- 2011
- typical mileage
- 70,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
No deployment 5Airbag light 4Headlights 2Door locks 2Won't shift 1Steering lock-up 1Stalling 1Oil consumption 1
What owners say
The contact owned a 2021 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving 15-20 MPH and making a quick left turn to avoid a truck that did not have the right-of-way, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side door of the vehicle. The driver's side curtain air bags deployed. The front driver's seat air bag deployed but failed to inflate. The front passenger's side seat belt retracted even though the front passenger's side seat was not occupied. There was no injury sustained. No police report was filed. Both drivers were able to drive away from the scene. The vehicle was taken to an autobody repair shop, where an estimate of the damage sustained was provided. The vehicle was totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the front driver's seat air bag and the front passenger's side seat belt operated as designed. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
The contact's mother owns a 2015 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption. The contact stated that the vehicle consumed three quarts of oil after driving 367 miles. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the vehicle could be experiencing an internal oil leak. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed. The dealer informed the contact to come back after 300 miles. Additionally, the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated, and the front passenger's side seat belt pretensioner failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
Item- Down hill accent light came on, traction control light came on, Not sure if caused by brake stop lamp switch defective. Item- bugler alarm will not shut off. resetting the alarm failed three different ways. The battery cable was removed to reset alarm, the fuse was removed, and procedure using the key fob to reset alarm also failed to deactivate system. This happened same time as above. Vehicle is non-moveable at present because of the anti-theft system cannot be shut off. Item-driver side seat belt buckle will not latch or must be repeatably latched to be engaged. This vehicle is equipped with Kia remote start accessory. See this the federal safety agency SC098
Driver's side seat belt locked up and was unable to be pulled out and secured. No warning lights to indicate issue.
I've had a concern for last several months with my transmission not shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. A new car with 100,000 mile warranty shouldn't be having transmission issues, so just started paying closer attention to ensure it wasn't my imagination. Gears not shifting became worse & more noticeable. On 2-21-2022 (on way to work), the transmission wouldn't shift from 1st to 2nd and then 2nd to 3rd gears. The RPMs went to 4,000 and 5,000 respectively. No lights are showing. I noticed a beep (like a seatbelt not engaged) that sounds 3 times prior to the transmission issues. Nothing in seats to activate a "seatbelt not buckled" sound. I pulled over, shut car off, sat for a few minutes & restarted the car. Same issue. The car was not moved again until 5:15 p.m. to head home from work (35 miles one-way commute). I pulled out onto the highway and transmission again rev'd to 5,000 RPMs. Pulled over and shut car off again. Car in park, restarted the car, and the car lunged as if going into gear, but I was in park. On 2-22-2022, same issue as the day before. Still no lights coming on. Called dealership & had Kia roadside assistance tow the car. Dealership kept for 3 days and could not duplicate the error. On 2/27/22, drove to church & had same issues. Returned home, put car in park in driveway (still running), the car shuts off and restarts on it's own. Monday, 2/28/22, does not appear to have any gear shift changes on the way to work until 5 miles from work when traveling 45mph and the car stalls almost to a dead stop in traffic; engine light comes on. Sent pic of engine light & text service advisor. Car towed by Kia roadside assistance to dealership. Now I'm without a vehicle because Kia won't provide a loaner car. I can rent a car and take it up with Kia Customer Cares in hopes of getting reimbursed - which is not likely to happen. 25,000 miles on car. Very Unsafe - does someone have to die to get issue resolved/recalled?
Rear passenger left seat belt is locked will not release
The front passenger side seat belt will not latch. It did this once before last week and it finally latched. Last night I could.not get the red bottom to come back up so that it would latch. We where sitting in a parking lot in sitting still. The vehicle was in park noth times.
My seat belt keeps locking on me. Fortunately, thus far I have been able to eventually get it to come loose. Sometimes it is a little difficult to fasten. I'm afraid someday I will need to get out fast and won't be able to. I am parked and the car is turned off on a city street and sometimes in my driveway and stores.
Right sided passenger seatbelt buckle with not fasten/lock. Car was stable as we were trying to buckle up before we drove.
Related recalls
Seat belts: front: buckle assembly
- What is wrong
- Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2016 Kia Sorento vehicles manufactured October 23, 2014, to December 10, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front passenger seat belt whose buckle latch assembly may prevent the front passenger from fastening the seat belt.
- Risk
- If the front passenger seat belt cannot be latched, an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger seat belt buckle cover, free of charge. The recall began on August 18, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC123.
Recall number 15V446000 · Recall details
Questions about the Kia Sorento seat belt
Which Kia Sorento years have seat belt won't latch or retract problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2011 (7 complaints), 2013 (6 complaints) and 2016 (3 complaints).
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