2002 Kia Sedona Seat Belts Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 KIA SEDONA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 45 MPH, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE SEAT BELT TIGHTENED CUTTING OFF HIS CIRCULATION. THE CONTACT HAD TO MOVE THE SEAT BACK TO GET AND UNLOCK THE SEAT BELT. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO GET THE PASSENGER SIDE UNLOCKED. THE FAILURE LEFT THE CONTACT INJURED ACROSS THE CHEST AND WAIST. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 50,000.

I HAD A FEW OCCASIONS WHERE THE MIDDLE ROW SEATBELTS LOCKED UP AND IT TOOK AWHILE FOR THEM TO UNLOCK SO I COULD BUCKLE MY CHILDREN IN. OVER A WEEK AGO ONE LOCKED UP AND WE COULDN'T GET IT TO UNLOCK. I HAD TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT TURNED OUT I NEEDED TO HAVE THREE (BOTH MIDDLE ROW ONE REAR ROW) SEATBELT REPLACED. ALL NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 KIA SEDONA. WHEN THE CONTACT STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BEGAN SMOKING. THE SEAT BELT THEN CAUGHT FIRE WHEN IT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE WIRES ATTACHED TO THE SEAT BELT CONNECTOR AND A PIECE OF HARD PLASTIC AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT (SEAT GUARD). THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. KIA STATED THAT A RECALL REPAIR HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE IN APRIL OF 2006 AND THAT SHE WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY CURRENT REPAIRS. THE SEAT BELT AREA OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE DEALER OR A MECHANIC. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HANDLE FAILED AND A NEW ONE HAD BEEN ORDERED BEFORE THE FIRE OCCURRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 77,600.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE THAT ATTACHES TO THE PASSENGER SIDE MIDDLE SEAT OF THE VEHICLE FRACTURED AND DETACHED AT THE SEAM. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN INFORMED.

THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT CAME OFF THE SIDE WALL AND WAS NOT USABLE. I HAD THE DEALER RE-ATTACH IT AND ASKED IF THERE WAS A RECALL DUE TO THIS PROBLEM AND THEY SAID NO. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT LATCH JAMMED AND WILL NOT RELEASE. THE DEALERSHIP IS AWARE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THERE WERE NOT ANY RECALLS ON THE SEAT BELTS.

I HAVE A 2002 KIA SEDONA VAN. WE HAD TAKEN THE CHILD SEAT OUT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE-MIDDLE ROW AND WAS TRYING TO REINSTALL THE SEAT. THAT IS WHEN WE DISCOVERED THE SEAT BELTS FAIL TO RATCHET WHEN INSTALLING CHILD SAFETY SEAT. SINCE WE STILL HAD THE BACK SEAT IN THE VAN (I OFTEN TAKE THEM OUT.), I WAS ABLE TO INSTALL THE CHILD SEAT IN THE BACK SEAT. HOWEVER, HAD THE BACK SEAT BEEN OUT AND WE HAD BOTH OF OUR CHILDREN WITH US, WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO DRIVE WITH ONE OF OUR CHILDREN IN AN UNSECURED CHILD SEAT. IF WE HAD AN ACCIDENT...WELL, LETS SAY THAT I WOULD OWN PART OF KIA. WE HAVE HAD SEAT BELTS REPLACED FOR SAME FAILURE IN THE PAST. THIS IS THIRD FAILURE IN OUR VAN, WHICH HAS LESS THAN 51,000 MILES. ALSO, IT ISN'T LIKE WE TAKE THE CHILD SEATS IN AND OUT MUCH. I WOULD GUESS THAT THE CHILD SEAT HAS ONLY BEEN REMOVED 2 OR THREE TIMES. *JB

SON WENT TO UNBUCKLE HIMSELF AND SEATBELT BUCKLE CAME OFF. THE CABLE LINKING THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE TO THE FLOOR SEVERED. KIA REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE, ADVISED ME THAT THIS WOULD BE THE ONLY REPLACEMENT OF SEAT BELT DEFECT WITHOUT CHARGING ME.

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE CUT IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. THIS CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO DEPRESS ON THE BRAKES. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKES PASSENGER SIDE REAR SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK, WHICH CAUSED THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT TO FALL FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD THE SAME SEAT BELT REPLACED ON THREE OCCASIONS, AND THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

LEFT MIDDLE REAR SEAT WILL NOT LOCK CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN PLACE. SEAT BELT SHOULD LOCK IN PLACE ONCE SEAT BELT IS IN USE AND FULLY RETRACTED HOWEVER IT DOES NOT. SEAT BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES WITH SAME RESULT.

THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE PASSENGER SIDE MIDDLE ROW SEAT BUCKLE BECAME UNLATCHED WHICH WAS OCCUPIED BY AN INFANT IN A CAR SEAT. *AK THERE WERE THREE INJURIES. *JB

THE REAR SEAT BELT WAS REPLACED PER RECALL 03V-017000. AFTER THE SEAT BELT WAS REPAIRED THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO SECURE A CHILD SAFETY SEAT IN THE REAR SEAT BECAUSE THE BELT WOULD NOT LOCK/RETRACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE BELT IS SUPPOSE TO RETRACT BACK AFTER BEING PULLED OUT. *NLM

CONSUMER STATES THE SEAT BELTS DOES NOT LATCH. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PH

CONSUMER STATES THAT DURING A VEHICLE ACCIDENT THE FRONT SEAT BELTS BUCKLES WILL NOT LATCH PROPERLY CAUSING INJURIES TO THE CONSUMER. DEALER NOTIFIED. MR

SEAT BELT BUCKLE IS NOT LOCKING SEAT BELTS IN PLACE. CONTACTED DEAL AND DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.AK

WHILE DRIVING WITH CHILD RESTRAINED PROPERLY IN A BOOSTER SEAT, SEAT BELT TWISTED AROUND CHILD'S WAIST. THE MORE THE CHILD MOVED THE TIGHTER THE BELT WRAPPED AROUND HER.*AK JLG

CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY THE CITY OF PEORIA FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT HIS INFANT CAR SEATS COULD NOT BE SECURELY ATTACHED IN THE VEHICLE, THE PLASTIC STOP BUTTONS AFFIXED TO THE SEAT BELT HOLD THE BUCKLE AT A REACHABLE HEIGHT WHICH PHYSICALLY PREVENT THE SEATBELT FROM BEING TIGHTENED TO CAR SEAT STANDARDS. *SLC

BACK SEAT SEATBELTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWICE ALREADY IN THE SPAN OF A FEW MONTHS. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAS REPLACED THE BELTS, BUT PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN REMEDIED.*AK

THE LOCKING MODE THAT KEEPS THE SEAT BELT TAUT WHEN INSTALLING A CHILDS CAR SEAT STOPPED WORKING. IT IS ACTIVATED BY PULLING THE SEAT BELT ALL THE WAY OUT, AND THEN LETTING IT RETRACT. THIS KEEPS THE CAR SEAT SECURE. IT WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALTER AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAD TO BE CONVINCED THERE WAS A PROBLEM, THEY AGREED TO REPLACE BOTH CENTER BELTS. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY BE HAPPENING IN OTHER NEW 2002 SEDONA LX'S. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE SEAT BELTS ARE "UNIVERAL" BUT I WANTED TO REPORT THIS FAILURE, AND WHAT DO I DO IF MY VAN IS RETURNED, THE SEAT BELTS WORK FOR A WHILE, AND THEN THIS HAPPENS AGAIN? LUCKILY THIS FAILURE WAS NOTICED WHILE I WAS INSTALLING THE SEAT BELT, AND DID NOT HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I HAVE THREE YOUNG CHILDREN IN CAR SEATS.*AK