Seat Belt complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2022 | 2 | 1% | 29,000 miles |
| 2021 | 1 | 0% | 49,000 miles |
| 2020 | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2019 | 5 | 1% | 10,000 miles |
| 2018 | 3 | 1% | 76,000 miles |
| 2017 | 7 | 1% | 2,000 miles |
| 2016 | 10 | 1% | 10,000 miles |
| 2015 | 3 | 0% | 96,000 miles |
| 2014 | 4 | 0% | 34,000 miles |
| 2013 | 8 | 1% | 86,000 miles |
| 2012 | 4 | 0% | 102,000 miles |
| 2011 | 11 | 1% | 179,000 miles |
| 2008 | 1 | 0% | 24,000 miles |
| 2007 | 4 | 3% | 90,000 miles |
| 2006 | 2 | 1% | 91,000 miles |
| 2005 | 4 | 1% | 81,000 miles |
| 2004 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2003 | 1 | 0% | 86,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While my 6 year old was attempting to put on his rear right seat belt, the belt gave way and tore in half completely unhinged at the seams. We were leaving so we move our child to the left rear seat that has hardly ever been used. As he was putting this seat belt on it also became completely torn in half at the seams . My child's life has been at risk for the our most recent drives as the seat belt would most likely have been busted in the case of a car accident not being able to hold my child safe and secure. Dealer says they have never seen this. Dealer inspected and reported to manufacturer, stated they would only do a 1 time courtesy replacement. There were no warning lamps and zero symptoms or problems prior to malfunction. This first occurred the weekend of Oct 23rd 2023.
On 7/25/2020, my 2019 Kia Sorento had complete brake failure, for the third time in 4 months. I took my Sorento to my dealership service department where I was told that the problem was a "deformed booster brakes vacuum hose"which they replaced (2 days in the shop March 23rd too much 25th). On July 13, 2020 it happened again and the car was back at the dealership service department, for the second time. A week later(July 25th) they call to me to pick up the car. The service manager informed me that they had replace the host with an updated vacuum hose, and that Kia cooperation engineers were aware of this problem. On Saturday 5 days after having the vehicle back from the service department, the brakes failed again completely while I was driving, which resulted in a accident. My insurance company is calling it a total lost. …
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that the rear driver's side seat lap belt harness anchor pin had detached while the contact's son was attempting to wear the seat belt, rendering the seat belt inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown diagnosis was made, and the contact was informed that there was a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
When someone is sitting in the front passenger seat and does NOT have their seat belt on there is no warning alerting the operator of the vehicle, no lights blinking or no bells dinging. I have done a little research and this appears to be common on at least some Kia vehicles. Pretty much every other vehicle I have checked gives some kind of warning if passenger is not buckled. The seatbelt system is part of the restraint system (as I'm sure you know) so I would think that would be a big safety issue.
Passenger seat belt not on warning no longer works when car is running or not running. Passenger can forget to put on seatbelt and no reminder chime. Problem is continuous. No warning lamps. Has been inspected but not repaired. Headlights come on and go off intermittently. Headlights come on when vehicle is off and not running Draining the battery down. Hard to duplicate. Has not been duplicated or repaired as it's intermittent without warning.
On [redacted] 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
We bought a used 2016 Kia Sorrento. Upon driving, we realized that the seat belts were not tightening up on the driver's seat. We took the car into Kia in order to get the seat belt fixed. They told us it was the seat belt tentioner was bad and that the repair would not be covered under any kind of warranty. I called Kia directly to ask them to override what the dealer was telling me and cover the seat belt since it was a safety issue and the car was under 10 years old. They denied my claim.
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.
Related recalls (1)
Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which Kia Sorento years have seat belt problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2011 (11), 2016 (10), 2013 (8), 2017 (7) and 2019 (5) model years. Seat Belt complaints make up 1% of all complaints for the 2011.
Is there a recall for Kia Sorento seat belt problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 15V-446 (buckle assembly, Jul 14, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Kia Sorento seat belt problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 76,000 miles; 50% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front (2 mentions), followed by the pretensioner (1).
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.