Seat Belt complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2021 | 1 | 7% | — |
| 2020 | 1 | 4% | 5,000 miles |
| 2017 | 1 | 3% | 5,000 miles |
| 2016 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2015 | 2 | 4% | 43,000 miles |
| 2014 | 1 | 2% | 1,000 miles |
| 2013 | 3 | 2% | 58,000 miles |
| 2012 | 3 | 6% | 12,000 miles |
| 2009 | 2 | 5% | 27,000 miles |
| 2008 | 1 | 2% | 125,000 miles |
| 2007 | 1 | 2% | 13,000 miles |
| 2006 | 1 | 1% | 10,000 miles |
| 2005 | 4 | 11% | 98,000 miles |
| 2004 | 1 | 3% | 9,000 miles |
| 2003 | 7 | 9% | 30,000 miles |
| 2002 | 16 | 13% | 93,000 miles |
| 2001 | 15 | 7% | 44,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. After rear ending another vehicle, the seat belt failed to retract and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained contusions that required medical attention. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 58,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Kia Rio. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle. Upon impact, the frontal air bags failed to deploy. The contact also mentioned that the seat belt failed to properly secure a child passenger. The contact sustained minor bruising and the passenger sustained whiplash and shoulder injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.
I was driving in the rain, going about 55-60 MPH, when all of a sudden the car in front of me slammed on its brakes and attempted to make a left turn (like they almost missed the street and tried to compensate last minute) I slammed on the breaks but could not stop in time and hit the car in front of me. The seatbelt didn't catch, nor did the airbag deploy, and my head hit the steering wheel, chin first.
We ran into a telephone poll at about 25 miles an hour and the air bags did not deploy and seat belts did not look, passenger hit the windshield with head and driver hit his chest into the steering wheel and hurt chest.
Our son was driving a 2005 Kia Rio 15 miles south of mcminnville, or when he went off the road and flipped the car. The female part of the safety belt clasp failed which resulted in him being thrown around the cab. He ended up in the cab on the roof in the back seat. He is still very sore and has back pain.
On September 30, 2005 a Kia Rio was involved in a roll over wreck that resulted in the death of one teenager who was ejected from the vehicle during the roll over and there were injuries to other passengers as well. On October 19, 2005, an investigating officer went to the place where the vehicle had been towed and removed the three back seat belts because he discovered that two of the back seat belts would not hold their buckle. The teenager who was ejected and died was in the seat where one of those two belts were located.
Seat belts, car seat retaining hooks, ECM, and distributor are recalled. Cheyenne Kia had 3 weeks before original appointment to get the parts. I delivered the car for repairs only to get a call 4 hours later that they cannot find the parts. It has now been 6 weeks since picking up my car and they cannot find the parts to do the recall repairs. All I have been able to do is leave a message with jennifer xt 45960 at [phone] case # k3094095 Kia customer care to find out when I can safely put my kids in the backseat of the car.
The child safety restraint seat belt system in the rear seats of our new Kia Rio cinco does not work. The dealership was notified, new parts installed and the problem persisted. The Kia representative has declared no problems are present. However, the seat belt will not lock down to install a child safety seat. The locking mechanism releases to early. The representative stated that the seatbelt should lock on impact. This is not safe for installation of a child seat.
Related recalls (1)
Seat belts › Rear/other
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 208, "occupant crash protection." when used with certain child seats, the automatic locking retractor (alr) function in the rear outboard seatbelt assemblies May disengage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both rear outboard seatbelt assemblies free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2006. Owners May contact Hyundai-Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
Frequently asked questions
Which Kia Rio years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2002 (16), 2001 (15) and 2003 (7) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 13% of all complaints for the 2002.
Is there a recall for Kia Rio seat belt problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 06V-294 (rear/other, Aug 4, 2006). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Kia Rio seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 51,000 miles; 61% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the rear/other (9 mentions), followed by the front › anchorage (5).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.