← NHTSA complaints

2015 KIA OPTIMA — SEAT BELTS

crash1 injured · 2148616 · 2025-11-14

Vehicle

Make
KIA
Model
OPTIMA
Year
2015
Manufacturer
Kia America, Inc.
Component
SEAT BELTS
Miles at failure
62,000

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
1
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
Yes
Vehicle towed
Yes

Narrative

The contact owned a 2015 Kia Optima. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at the red traffic light, another vehicle, driving off a highway ramp at an undisclosed speed, crashed into the rear-end of the vehicle. An unknown red warning light was flashing. The air bags did not deploy. The seat belts failed to restrain the contact as needed, causing the contact to hit her forehead against the steering wheel, which propelled the contact's head back to the headrest, and then the contact hit her forehead against the steering wheel for a second time. The contact was able to exit the vehicle but felt dizzy and off balance. A police officer filed a report and informed the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the nearby hospital, where the contact received medical assistance. The vehicle was later driven to the residence, where it remained parked. The contact sustained a concussion, bruises on the forehead, neck, and lower back back pain, a worsening of the contact's generative bone disease condition. The contact might undergo a back surgery. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic two months later. Both the mechanic and the insurance company confirmed that the vehicle was totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle operated as designed during the incident. The contact was referred to the owner's manual. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11699361
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown