1997 Kia Sportage Seat belts Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 3%of 181 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 89,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the seat belts of the 1997 Kia Sportage, 3% of the 181 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 89,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 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.
“The srs air bag light appeared on the dashboard and remained on. The cruise control failed to come on its own. The clock spring needed to be replaced. The air bag light had been on for a year. The consumer was informed that the front seat belts needed to be replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #10098991, filed 2004-11, 60,000 miles“Since purchase of vehicle I have had problems with cel coming on and staying on, I have had problems with clutch, the belts, and recently the emission systems, each time I go in the people at the dealer ship act like I am doing these things on purpose and this last time they told me that my warranty had expired. And that it would cost 1,000 dollars to fix. I was out raged.”
NHTSA complaint #742416, filed 2001-03“While driving about 45 MPH vehicle was involved in a collision. The airbag did not deploy , and the restraints failed to lock up upon impact. The manufacturer has been notified.”
NHTSA complaint #821555, filed 1998-03Related 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 Sportage 1995–1998, Sephia 1995–1998
Seat belts: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 4% |
| 2024 | 1 | 1% |
| 2023 | 1 | 1% |
| 2019 | 1 | 1% |
| 2017 | 3 | 1% |
| 2016 | 2 | 1% |
| 2013 | 1 | 0% |
| 2012 | 2 | 1% |
| 2010 | 3 | 15% |
| 2009 | 3 | 4% |
| 2008 | 1 | 1% |
| 2007 | 5 | 6% |
| 2006 | 4 | 4% |
| 2005 | 3 | 4% |
| 2002 | 9 | 4% |
| 2001 | 9 | 4% |
| 2000 | 7 | 2% |
| 1999 | 17 | 6% |
| 1998 | 8 | 3% |
| 1997 | 6 | 3% |
| 1996 | 8 | 14% |
| 1995 | 11 | 20% |
Other parts of the 1997 Kia Sportage
56 complaintsAir bags
39 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
25 complaintsVehicle speed control
22 complaintsElectrical system
21 complaintsBrakes
19 complaintsFuel system
18 complaintsOther or unknown
16 complaintsBody and structure
10 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
9 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
7 complaintsSuspension
7 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Kia Sportage
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