Lawsuit Over Kia Sephia Seatbelts Results in $40M Verdict - AboutLawsuits.com
The complaint was filed by the family of Tiffany Stabler, who was 16 when she was ejected from her 1999 Kia Sephia on July 4, 2004. According to the lawsuit, a Kia recall had been issued for the defective seatbelts in a number of vehicles, but... All of the vehicles used the A97 seatbelt buckle, which government investigators determined had a defective latching system that allowed the occupant to believe the seatbelt was latched in place when it may not be. In response to federal inquiries... The company was asked to turn over buckles for testing, which the company failed to do. A month after Stabler’s death, another 251,000 vehicles were recalled, including the model Stabler had been driving. However, since the Kia seatbelt recall did not include the 1999 Sephia model at that time, the defective seatbelt buckles were left in place. Source: www.aboutlawsuits.com
