Seat Belt Problems of Kia Motor Forte - part 1

Date of incident: [xxx] location: [xxx] to whom it may concern, I am submitting this letter to report a potential airbag malfunction involving my 2024 kia Forte gt. On [xxx], I was the driver and sole occupant of my vehicle when I was t-boned on the driver’s side while traveling [xxx] on [xxx] at the intersection of [xxx] . The collision was severe enough to spin my vehicle and resulted in significant damage to the driver-side door and frame. Despite the force and nature of the crash, none of the airbags in my vehicle deployed—including side airbags that should have been triggered by the impact. I was later diagnosed with a concussion and sustained other physical and emotional injuries from the crash. As of the date of this complaint, the vehicle has not been repaired, and I have photos documenting the damage. Given the potential risk to other drivers who may experience similar failures, I am requesting that the national highway traffic safety administration review this vehicle for airbag deployment defects. I am willing to provide photos, medical records, and further details as needed. Also, the seatbelts sometime freeze when pulling them out to get secured in the car, you have to release and then pull again to gain full access to the seat belt. There is a police report done on this matter but I do not have access to it yet because it has yet to be approved by the lrpd sergeant. We checked on July 5th, 2025. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

The latch for the drivers seatbelt is no longer functioning properly, dealer stated that the hook that holds the buckle in was worn down. Car has 50k miles and is slightly over 5 years old, seems unreasonable that a seatbelt latch would fail that early. In the past, when inserting the buckle into the latch it would not properly latch and immediately fall out, and then once latched again it stayed. Recently it came unbuckled during a drive which caused concern to bring to dealer for inspection. Seatbelt latch issue was missed in PA state safety inspection a few weeks prior to the diagnosis of broken hook in latch.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

The contact owned a 2013 kia Forte. The contact stated that her daughter was occupying the front passenger's side seat while the wife of the contact's daughter was driving 65 mph. The contact stated that another vehicle that was driving approximately 100 mph crashed into the rear driver's side of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to roll over approximately 4-5 times. The vehicle landed on its driver's side against a tree. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to restrain the contact's daughter. The emergency units arrived at the scene, cut the vehicle, assisted both passengers out of the vehicle and transported the passengers to the hospital. The driver sustained bruises and whiplash and received assistance from a chiropractor. The contact's daughter sustained a break to the c6, fracture of the c7, t2 t3, t4 and t7, , sustained a broken left clavicle, large laceration on the right thigh, bulging of the c6, broken front teeth and a strain of the natural neck curve. Additionally, the contact's daughter was partially scalped and nearly died due to blood cloths in the lungs and legs caused by body trauma. The contact's daughter underwent surgeries on the scalp and neck and was currently undergoing physical therapy and pain management. The vehicle was towed and totaled. A police report was filed but the contact did not have the information available. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

After t-boning a Toyota prius, my air bag did not go off and my driver seat belt did not lock. As a result, I suffered a collapsed right lung, my left hand punched the windshield fracturing my wrist and had to have surgery from that. Also suffered my 7th right rib fractured. There was no warning lamps and no shop or dealer mentioned any of the malfunctions.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

Passenger air bag/seat belt goes off like someone is sitting in passenger seat but no one is. Have to do seat belt for the alert stops.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

I got into a car accident and my air bags never deployed and the seat beat didn’t lock so I cause me to get jerked and my head hit the side door and I messed up my left shoulder and arm in the process of holding myself from hitting the steering wheel and my breaks didn’t stop when I got hit and pressed down my car got stuck on drive accelerating on its own after I had my foot on break to stop the car.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

Seatbelt comes undone I have to hold it or it will unbuckle randomly.

I keep shutting down, not going on something with a forward assist on top of that. I have no control over my car does whatever ones and it’s very unstable fawzy no control is very unstable very bumpy road to the point I don’t even wanna drive.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

Driver’s seatbelt buckle will no longer accept the seatbelt. The sensor for the seatbelt thinks the seatbelt is buckled as well.

See all problems of the 2010 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

The contact owned a 2019 kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at night in foggy weather conditions at 55 mph, the contact rear-ended a parked vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a deer. The gear shift was still in drive but the vehicle was completely stopped from the impact. No air bags deployed upon impact, and the seat belt did not restrain the contact in her seat during impact. The contact was transported to the hospital for injuries sustained to her head from hitting the windshield and her hips from hitting the steering wheel, which prevented her from flying out of the windshield when the seat belt failed. The contact also sustained additional injuries to her shoulder, neck, and back. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was involved in another collision in September 2019, when another vehicle crashed into the contact's rear driver's side door. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer referred the contact to filing a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

The driver side seatbelt keeps unbuckling, this is after checking to make sure it is fastened completely, I have to keep checking the belt throughout the driving period to ensure it is latched. What if all my belts do this, and when my kids are in the car and if a wreck occurs and they fail to protect us? there were multiple incidents when it came unclipped was when I was doing 15mph and up to 60mph.

There was a car accident car was totaled my wife was stuck in the seat the seat belt broke would not unlatch they had to cut her out. There not supposed to break. What if the car cought fire?.

In may 2021 my daughter was in a bad car accident while driving my 2014 kia Forte. The airbags did not go off and the seatbelts never tightened. Fortunately her and her passenger were not seriously injured and only received bruises on their knees and sore necks. There was so much damage to the front end of the car it was totaled by our insurance company. No warning lights were seen that day or even prior to the accident showing that the airbags weren't working properly. My car was not part of 6/18/18 kia Forte recall#sc165 for airbags and seatbelts. The recall was for kia Forte 2010-2013. While my kia was a 2014, I did take possess of it in 2013. Starting in January 2014 I brought the car back to the dealership many times because of all the electric issues I was having with it. Since the dealership could not replicate the codes while the car was there kia refused to look into or fix the problems. Electrical issues included doors not unlocking, doors not being able to be opened from inside or outside, windows not opening, headlights coming on while the car was parked, emergency flashers turning on without pushing the button, while driving traction/anti-slide light came on without a reason.

The seat belt light will come on and stay on even if nobody is in the seat. It will shut off randomly and will come back on a few minutes later. The light looks like somebody sitting in the seat with a buckle on.

Drivers seat belt is just getting shredded / coming apart. This is not just cosmetic fraying - the fabric is coming apart on both sides of the strap.

Seat air bag detection is on, went off then came back on.

Involved in an accident where another driver failed to yield and caused the impact on 3 lane road going at about 40mph. At the point of impact, I was thrown into the steering column. The air bag did not deploy nor did the seatbelt lock to keep me from hitting the steering wheel. Minor injuries sustained because of lack of protection. The police officer on scene noted that neither safety device worked in my vehicle. The officer examined the belt. Based on the fact my chest was hit by the steering wheel the officer immediately assumed I was not wearing a belt and asked about it, but I had to correct the officer's assumption, indicating that I was wearing my belt and reported to the officer that the belt did not lock. The officer asked about my speed and I reported that my speed was between 35 and 40 miles per hour. The officer observed the airbag did not deploy and noted this as well. The right side of the vehicle was damaged. The car was inspected at time of repair but no indication of a faulty airbag or seatbelt other than noting product liability and to contact manufacturer.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

Tl- the contact owns a 2015 kia Forte. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the front driver side seat belt locking mechanism had malfunctioned and the lock could not be immediately unlocked when pressing the button. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer rio kia(925 bartow rd lakeland FL. ) the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000. Jft.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

I purchased this kia in 2014, since then, I have had to repeatedly replace the headlights, tail / brake lights and the license plate lights. The plastic part of the connectors have dried out and are breaking into pieces due to the wiring getting too hot, as the parts that are left are now starting to melt. I have owned several different cars and I have never had to replace the lights as much as in this car. Also, another issue is the driver side seat belt doesn't want to unlatch. I will be parked and it would sometimes take about 2 min for it to unlatch. Sometimes I would think it wasn't ever going to unlatch and I would be trapped.

2014 kia Forte: vehicle will be stationary, in motion, or turning and the airbag light will turn on and off randomly, it has been staying on in the past few days. Dealership stated "airbag needs replacing, because in an accident airbag will not deploy" this car is only 5 years old with one owner less than 75,000 miles on it. Something is not right with how the airbag was installed by kia manufactures.

I was looking up the blue book value and noticed that it was a recall on my car dealing with the breaks, seatbelt, and airbag. I made a call to kia, gave them the VIN number and they said the car haven't been fixed. I was not aware of this and I did not get a carfax sheet.

My seatbelt would stick, I would have a hard time getting it to go in and pull out. Eventually it just stopped all together. So now my driver seat is unable to wear a seatbelt because it will not go in at all. It happens while both in motion or while sitting. It started messing up about 70,000 miles, now I'm on 76,458 and unable to use my seatbelts which is a hazard and against the law.

While coasting into a parking spot my car lurched forward at a high rate of speed into a retaining wall. Kia is denying any responsibility. I am currently awaiting word from my body shop as to if the car will be totaled or not. If it is fixable I am very frightened to continue driving it. I am seeing numerous complaints about this issue and nothing is being done about it.

Accelerating between 35mph and 45mph, steering wheel locked causing loss of control of vehicle. Driver let off gas and attempted brakes which did not engage. Vehicle struck guardrail on front passenger side. Vehicle then did a 180, driver side door then collided with the guardrail. Driver seatbelt did not lock, no airbags deployed. Driver sustained minor injuries including whiplash and head injury. Vehicle was traveling down a 2 lane city road. Vehicle had 46,000 miles and was just serviced by kia dealer.

Tl- the contact owns a 2013 kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17v773000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 18v363000 (air bags) however, the parts needed for the repair were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called gene messer kia dealer, located at 6006 19th st, lubbock, TX 79407, (806) 776-5600, and it was informed parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnects. Aw.

Other air bag recall. The vehicle was in motion and was struck by another vehicle that traveled left of the centerline on a two lane roadway. The vehicles were involved in an off-set, head-on collision. The driver air bag and driver seat belt pretensioner failed to deploy / activate during the severe frontal impact. The driver sustained fatal injury.

See all problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

The car has a design flaw that allows rain to soak the seats, seat belts, and entire truck creating black mold in the spare tire compartment, mold in side the car on the seats and seat belts. The car does not have to be moving in order for the rain to enter the car. I have had my car detailed multiple times along with cleaning the mold out of the car myself. Since owning the car since 2014 I have stayed sick and I only found out last month how my seats were getting soaked. The entire backseat and trunk need to be replaced from the mold and rust from the leak. Attached are photos of the back seat after a rain.

I was involved in an accident where I was rear ended and then smashed into the vehicle in front of me. The air bags did not inflate and the seat belt did not lock in place. I was traveling on a highway. My vehicle was in motion at the time of the accident. There is an active recall on the kia and it was part of the recall.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Forte 🔎.

Tl the contact owns a 2013 kia Forte koup. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 18v363000 (air bags, seat belts); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Lifetime kia (4170 e u. S. Hwy 64 alt, murphy, north carolina 28906) was notified and stated that the parts were not available. The dealer stated that the contact should receive a second letter once the parts become available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The manufacturer has failed to remedy a safety recall (NHTSA recall number 18v-363 and manufacturer recall number: sc165) in a timely manner. No interim letter was sent after the safety recall was mailed on July 27, 2018. The recall is related to a defect in the airbag control unit in certain frontal crashes.

Takata recall: on the driver side of my car the seat belt will not lock and secure for the driver across the lap and chest. The buckle works fine. The seat belt is not securing to ensure driver won't be thrown from vehicle in case of an accident. This does not stay secure when in motion or if the car is parked. No lights appear on dash but feel it is still a safety issue with continued driving.

The seat belts will not automatically roll back into the door frame of the car after taking them off. You have to jerk the belt up and down close to twenty times to get them to retract. Also, I've noticed that the cruise control doesn't function like normal. It only works once in a while. I have to try to set my speed many times if it ever gets it to work. These issues have been going on for months now.

Takata recall my car has been at the dealership for over 90 days now and they will not tell me when there is going to be a fix for my car. I call kia customer support 3 times now and they say that a member of there upper management will be calling me to discuss my options but no one ever calls I have told them l want my car replaced . Can you please get them to do there job because they are not helping me at all. Thanks officer david brown wa doc.

I received a safety recall for my kia Forte 2011 for the seatbelts and airbags. I do not wish to put my safety at risk. I have to drive to work everyday and have been unable to use my car. I really wish kia would give me a rental car. With my kia, I have noticed that I put my seatbelt on and suddenly it becomes unbuckled as if it was released. This happened often before I became aware of the recall. This happened when the car was stationary after I turned it on. I do not wish to be in an accident and then the seatbelt and/or airbag don't work. Please something has to be done. I have been waiting almost 60 days waiting for a remedy. Kia doesn't want to help in other ways! I need a rental car that is the least they can do!.

My seat belt driver side will not click into the buckle which makes it hard not be pulled over and very unsafe. As well as, my lights on the inside of the car do not turn off they are always illuminated once starting the car. My brake lights go out every so often, as well as a few other electrical problems. Also my brakes sometimes won't come up off the floor or will stay in the upright position even while being pressed. This is incredibly unsafe.