Recall Date: 03/06/2026
NHTSA ID: 26V135
Mfr. Campaign Number: SC364
Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Components: SEATBELTS / SEATBELT ANCHOR BUCKLE
Potential Number of Units Affected: ~14,870
Kia America has issued a safety recall affecting certain 2027 Kia Telluride SUVs and 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback vehicles.
The recall involves the rear center seatbelt anchor buckle in the K4 Hatchback and the third-row center seatbelt anchor buckle in the Telluride. Due to a manufacturing issue from a supplier, the buckle may fail to latch correctly when the seatbelt is engaged.
If the buckle does not properly secure, the seatbelt may not adequately restrain the occupant during certain collisions, increasing the risk of injury.
Drivers may notice the issue if they experience difficulty fastening the seatbelt buckle, which can indicate the component was improperly manufactured.
Kia dealers will inspect the affected seatbelt anchor buckles and replace them if necessary, at no cost to the vehicle owner.
Dealer notifications are scheduled to begin on March 9, 2026, and owner notification letters are expected to be mailed starting May 5, 2026.
Owners who previously paid for repairs related to this issue may be eligible for reimbursement under Kia’s recall reimbursement program.
Drivers can check whether their vehicle is included in the recall by entering their VIN on Kia’s website or by using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall lookup tool from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The issue stems from improperly manufactured seatbelt buckle assemblies supplied by Samsong Mexico, a Tier 1 supplier.
Seatbelt system defects are typically identified quickly during manufacturing audits or through early field reports, as these components are critical to occupant safety compliance standards.
In this case, Kia determined that certain vehicles produced during specific manufacturing windows could contain the defective buckle assemblies. Production was updated to include properly manufactured seatbelt components beginning February 20, 2026, for the Telluride and February 24, 2026, for the K4 Hatchback.
While the recall population is relatively small compared with many platform-wide campaigns, seatbelt-related recalls are treated with high priority due to their direct impact on occupant protection systems. We broke down all of the major OEM's recall history in depth in our quarterly recall report.
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