Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Kia Sportage submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 9 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I CANNOT FASTEN MY SEATBELT BECAUSE IT WILL NOT EXTEND. I WENT TO POWER KIA IN SALEM, OR AND THEY WILL NOT REPAIR IT UNLESS I PAY FOR REPAIRS. SEEING HOW THIS IS A PRODUCT DEFECT CAUSING A SAFETY ISSUE, I FEEL THE MANUFACTURE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT IS THE LAW TO FASTEN THE SEAT BELTS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT TO DO. *TR
WHILE TRAVELING AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING A DEER APPEARED IN THE STREET. TO AVOID HIM, CONSUMER SWERVED AND HIT AN ENBANKMENT. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK CONSUMERS SEAT BELT POPPED CAUSING CONSUMER TO LURCH FORWARD AND AND HIT HER HEAD. CONSUMER SUSTAINED MULTIPLE INJURIES. *JG
DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT LATCH DOES NOT HOLD, CAUSING SEAT BELT TO POP OPEN WHILE DRIVING. *SCC ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS****743827
ACORDING TO DEALERSHIP , THE PREDRILLED HOLES AND THE CHILD SAFTY SEAT ANCHORING SYSTEM IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE 1998 KIA SPORTAGE AND ARE STILL NOT AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. ITS IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE ITEMS ARE REQUIRED BY LAW. IM LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND ANY ASSISTANCE THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I BECAME AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN I PURCHASED A NEW CARSEAT FOR MY TWO YEAR OLD SON. THE MANUAL FOR THE CARSEAT STRICTLY SAYS THAT WITH OUT THE PROPER ANCHOR HARDWARE THE CARSEAT CAN NOT BE INSTALLED PROPERLY.*AK
SEAT BELTS WERE CUT OUT OF CAR BY DEALER. *AK
WHEN CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR CRASH SEAT BELT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CAME UNHOOKED, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER. VEHICLE WILL BE REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER INFORMAITON. *AK
DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK UPON IMPACT IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS WOULD UNLATCH WHILE DRIVING; DEALER NOTIFIED AND MADE REPAIRS.MAKING A SAFETY REPORT TO NHTSA. *AK
FRONT WINDSHIELD HAS AIR LEAKS & AT HIGH SPEEDS THE WIND IS ANNOYING. THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT LOCKS INTO PLACE AS SOON AS THE PASSENGER CLAMPS INTO PLACE. ONE DOESN'T HAVE TO PRESS BRAKE PEDDLE FOR IT TO TIGHTEN AROUND PERSON. WHEN DRIVING AND PARTICULARLY ENGAGING THE CLUTCH TO DOWN SHIFT THE GEAR LINKAGE DISENGAGES AND THE GEARS CAN'T BE LOCATED ESPECIALLY IN SECOND, THIRD OR FOURTH GEARS AND BECAUSE OF SUCH HAS ALMOST CAUSED THREE CRASHES. WE HAD THIS CHECKED BY THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE GEAR SHIFTING MECHANISM. I BEG TO DIFFER BECAUSE I DRIVE THAT CAR EVERY DAY AND I'VE DRIVEN MANY MANUAL SHIFT TRANSMISSIONS CARS AND I BELIEVE THAT AFTER DRIVING FOR SOMETIME (I.E., ONE TO TWO HOURS) THE TRANSMISSION HEATS UP AND CAUSES PROBLEMS WITH GEAR SELECTION.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .