1998 Kia Sephia Seat belts Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 1%of 491 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 85,126miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the seat belts of the 1998 Kia Sephia, 1% of the 491 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 85,126 miles. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Just recently my sealbelt started failing. My wife noticed the problem a few weeks ago and now the belt fails almost everytime we put it on! The belt does click and the dash light does go off when we put on the belt. We will be driving and we will hear a click and then look at the latch on the belt and it has separated. This seems to be a very dangerous failure of the drivers belt. After the belt is latched and you give it a little tug it usually pops open.”
NHTSA complaint #756486, filed 2002-01“Signal lights fail to work properly when in use during cold weather for 15 minutes or so. Sometimes this happens when it's raining. The dealer replaced the hazard switch and there have not been any failures since. Seat belts have been replaced 3 times. Brakes and rotors have been replaced 3 times. Windshield wipers failed prior to recall. Head gasket replaced at 3500 miles. Molding on the doors fell off and was replaced. Tailpipe was replaced due to excessive exhaust fumes.”
NHTSA complaint #876173, filed 2000-12“When stopping driver's seat belt will unbuckle without prior warning. Consumer crashed into a tree, and the seat belt did not hold due to accident. Vehicle was totaled.”
NHTSA complaint #880166, filed 2001-02Related recalls
- 02V216000Aug 16, 2002On certain passenger vehicles, the safety belt buckle may "false latch" and expose the driver to unrestrained movement during a crash.Covers: Kia Sephia 1995–1998, Sportage 1995–1998
Seat belts: other model years
Other parts of the 1998 Kia Sephia
256 complaintsEngine cooling
108 complaintsElectrical system
104 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
68 complaintsFuel system
62 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
44 complaintsAir bags
31 complaintsOther or unknown
29 complaintsExterior lighting
27 complaintsEquipment
26 complaintsBody and structure
26 complaintsSteering
24 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Kia Sephia
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology