NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Recall Query RQ03-007: SEAT BELT BUCKLE FALSE LATCH/MALFUNCTION
- Closed
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation opened Recall Query RQ03-007 on October 14, 2003 and closed it on February 27, 2004. NHTSA's investigations file lists the Kia Sportage and Sephia for it and links recall 04V-305 to it.
Updated daily from NHTSA's investigations file
Key facts
- NHTSA number
- RQ03-007 (also written RQ03007)
- Investigation type
- Recall Query An investigation into whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or whether its remedy works, run much like a Preliminary Evaluation.
- Status
- Closed February 27, 2004
- Opened
- Closed
- Vehicle or equipment manufacturer
- Kia America, Inc.
- Component
- Seat Belts — Front — Buckle Assembly
- Recall linked by NHTSA
- 04V-305: KIA/FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLES, reported
- Vehicles and equipment
- Kia Sportage and Sephia
NHTSA's summary
As NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation wrote it for Recall Query RQ03-007.
INFORMATION RECEIVED AND ANALYZED DURING THIS RQ DISCLOSED THAT MY 1999 AND 2000 KIA SEPHIA AND SPORTAGE VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THE SAME SAFETY BELT LATCH ASSEMBLY AS THOSE RECALLED IN CAMPAIGN NO. 02V-216.
THESE LATCH ASSEMBLIES WERE IDENTIFIED AS TYPE A97. ODI ANALYSES INDICATE A CONTINUING TREND OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS FOLLOWING A SERIES OF DESIGN MODIFICATIONS MADE BY KIA TO IMPROVE THE A97 LATCH ASSEMBLY.MY 2001 AND 2002 SUBJECT VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH DIFFERENT DESIGN LATCH ASSEMBLIES (TYPE DB-6 OR AUTOLIV) AND EXHIBIT A MUCH LOWER COMPLAINT COUNT.THIS RQ HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN EA IN ORDER TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH TYPE A97 LATCH ASSEMBLIES.
Vehicles and equipment listed for this investigation
NHTSA's investigations file lists these vehicles and equipment for Recall Query RQ03-007. A listed model year means only that an investigation names it; it says nothing about any particular vehicle. Model years with a try.vin recall page link to that page's NHTSA investigations section.
What an NHTSA investigation is
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) looks into possible safety defects in vehicles and equipment, often after owner complaints. An investigation usually starts as a Preliminary Evaluation, or as a Recall Query when it concerns whether an existing recall covers the right vehicles or fixes the problem, and ODI can upgrade it to a more detailed Engineering Analysis. A Defect Petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation, and Audit and Equipment Queries are administrative investigations into whether companies complied with federal vehicle safety requirements, such as reporting, recall and certification rules.
An open investigation is not a finding that a safety defect exists, and NHTSA can close one without a recall.
To see whether a specific vehicle has an open recall, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Kia VIN check: decode a VIN to see its year, make and model.
Sources
NHTSA's investigation record for RQ03-007
Investigation details come from NHTSA's investigations file, which try.vin imports once a day. The investigation types are described from the U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General's May 2023 report on NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, NHTSA's petition rules (49 CFR Parts 552 and 557) and NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation procedures. How try.vin reads NHTSA investigations.