Problems with 1999 Kia Sportage SEAT BELTS

Front left side seat belt, won't retract. *tr

I purchased my kia used, from a dealer, less than a year ago, and it passed the electronic systems check for vehicle inspection. i immediately had to have dealer replace the gasoline tank after smelling gasoline. this car is used solely for light usage to transport myself and my children to and from dr's and grocery stores. after owning the car for less than two months, check engine light came on, reporting issue with catalyst. found a recall on this issue and am trying to get original dealer to fix. now experiencing loss of power to engage inclines or hills, causing a hazard to other drivers. also back brakes simply "blew"! without any forewarning, with my children in the car, i lost all braking abilities. thank goodness i was not going fast and have a standard to quickly downshift. my mother was killed due to loss of brakes, and it was an absolute panicking situation for me emotionally. being a single mother i rely on mechanics to do all my work, and i had just had all my fuel levels topped off and my pads checked, without any issue found. i have also had an intermittent issue with the front seat belts remaining engaged. the dealer warranty expired and i am stuck with recalls nobody seems to want to fix! *tr

Seatbelt restraint failure, both inertia reels failed for no reason while driving. the plastic is so dry rotted and it breaks like cardboard. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 kia sportage. the seat belt retractor on the drivers side has failed. the air conditioner is also leaking into the passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle has not yet been diagnosed. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage is 80,000 and failure mileage was 76,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 kia sportage. the contact stated that the plastic housing spring falls off on the drivers side seat belt. he stated that it appears to be decomposing and is unable to snap the shaft of the plastic housing back together. the passenger side seat belt has had the same failure. the failure prevents the seat belt from retracting and causes it to be very loose. the dealer stated that they could not do anything unless instructed by the manufacturer. kia stated that there is nothing that they can do as well. the purchase date and powertrain were unknown. the current mileage is 62,000 and failure mileage was 42,000.

The contact has a kia sportage 1999 and it has a seat belt problem. when the rear driver seat buckle is latched it does not lock or make a clicking sound during the buckling process. this problem occurred 2 months ago. the contact informed the local kia service dealer and was told the rear seat belts were not part of a recall and if they needed repair they would be happy to install new ones at his cost. when the dealer was informed the contact had the same problem with the front seat belt the dealer told the contact the front seat belts will be repaired at no cost. the contact would like the agency to conduct an investigation on the rear seat belts *jb

Dt: the contact stated the seat belt on the driver's side frayed. the fraying was so bad that the buckle assembly would not slide down correctly. he has been in contact with kia, and they offered no free remedy. *ak

In december of 2000 i purchased a kia sportage 1999 from mcgrath in elgin, il. from the beginning the front seat belt buckle did not always lock and the interior & exterior lights flickered. i took the vehicle to a local repair shop but they could not find why the lights flickered. on august 2, 2005 my vehicle died in front of a marathon gas station/repair shop in rolling meadows, il. the mechanic called me and told me i needed a new fuel pump. i told him to do the repair. the next day, the mechanic calls me to tell me that the fuel tank is so rusted it needs to be replaced and he has already called the kia dealer and the fuel tank is in "stock". i told him to do the repair. (please reference complaint #10131393). when i went to pick up the vehicle, it kept blowing the fuses and dying. i never got out of the gas station parking lot. i left the vehicle with them. on august 4, i had the vehicle with the original fuel pump and fuel tank towed to the mcgrath kia dealer in elgin, il. in the meantime, i got on the internet and did a search for kia recalls. my vehicle has 3 recalls- one for the front seat belt buckle campaign #04v305000, one for the electrical system wiring campaign #99v32500, and one for service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components: hoses, lines/piping and fittings campaign #98v222000. all of these recalls were in effect before i purchased the vehicle. i have asked the mcgrath kia dealer to fax me copies of the repairs for the recalls, but have not received anything in writing that these recalls were repaired before they sold me the vehicle. now i am waiting for the kia dealer to look at my vehicle. i was told it could be days. *jb phone interview update (oct. 31, 2005): no fuel leak; however, the tank was so badly rusted. she agreed to email pictures of the tank.

The retractor to the driver's side seatbelt just fell off while driving the vehicle down the road. and when i say fell off, i mean literally fell off. my daughter heard the retractor fall down the side panel. the seatbeat then had no resistance and would not retract, leaving the seatbelt useless. after closer examination, i found the plastic dowels holding the retacting mechanism to the seatbelt had just fallen off or worn away. had this failure occurred during an accident, there could have been serious injuries. seems these plastic dowels should be replaced with metal or steel ones. this problem should be reported to kia asap. *ak

Vehicle involved in accident at 34 mph. the driver's seat belt did not retract resulting in consumer hitting front windshield. *mr

While driving about 35 mph lost control of vehicle due to a frozen spot. crashed vehicle into a guardrail, and neither air bag deployed.*ak the seat belt failed. *yh

Vehicle involved in a frontal collision of 40 mph. upon impact, both air bags failed to deploy. also, both seat belts failed to lock in place. injuries were sustainrd by both driver and passenger. dealer notified. *ak

Seat belt would continuously chime. the air bag light stays on after starting vehicle. vehicle would start erratically. door frame would leak. convertible top did not stay closed. vehicle would idle at 2000rpms when slowing down & almost stall out. will be taking vehicle to dealer. *ak

Had put seat belt on. made slight movement, belt tightened/locked up. continous movement makes belt tighter. happened on passenger's side only & both seat belts in rear. seat belt failed to release. had taken to dealer & had seat belts checked. no problem was found, but problem still exists. *ak