Tl* the contact owns a 2015 kia forte. while operating the vehicle, the front driver's side seat belt locking mechanism malfunctioned and the lock could not be immediately unlocked when pressing the button. the vehicle was taken to rio kia (925 bartow rd, lakeland, fl), but the cause of the failure was not determined. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 79,000.
I purchased this used vehicle two weeks ago. i noticed the rear center seat belt has about a 1-inch fray on it. i asked my salesperson to check if it was covered under kia's "bumper to bumper" warranty. he checked with his mishawaka indiana kia dealership's service department and was told it was. i took the vehicle to the dealership. the service manager took a picture and told me he would submit it to his boss. two days later, he left me a message saying his boss was "declining" to replace the belt because it was frayed. that is exactly why i was asking it be fixed. i've owned hondas for 25+ years and never had a seatbelt fray. plus, it disturbs me that kia is immediately declining to honor their "bumper to bumper" warranty, especially on what should be a relatively cheap fix. shouldn't this be a safety issue that should be fixed under warranty on such a new vehicle?