2026-2027 Kia Telluride and K4 Recall: Rear Seat Belt Buckle May Not Latch

On some 2027 Kia Telluride SUVs built between January 2 and February 19, 2026, the anchor buckle for the third-row center seat belt may not latch properly, and a belt that has not latched can fail to hold its passenger in a crash. The same supplier made the rear center buckle in certain 2026 K4 Hatchbacks, which are part of the same recall.

Recall 26V135 covers 14,870 vehicles: 13,499 Tellurides and 1,371 K4 Hatchbacks. Dealers inspect the buckle and replace any that fail, at no charge, and owner letters were mailed May 5, 2026.

The Issue

The fault traces to Samsong Mexico, the Tier 1 supplier, which may have assembled some anchor buckles incorrectly. The suspect assemblies carry part number 898J3-P8500 in the Telluride and 898K0-GG000 in the K4.

At the dealer, a technician separates the two halves of the buckle cover with a non-marring pick, slides one half back and lifts out the buckle plate assembly. The pass or fail test is a spring tab on that plate, which should sit against a retainer point and the plate surface. A seated tab gets photographed for the warranty claim, and the buckle goes back together and is checked for normal operation. An unseated tab means a new center anchor buckle assembly.

Replacement Telluride buckles come in three colors matched to the interior (Deep Navy and Tuscan Umber, Milestone and Saddle Brown, or Black), and the K4 part is black. Tellurides built from February 20, 2026 and K4 Hatchbacks built from February 24 have correctly made buckles.

Affected Models

Vehicle	Model Year	Affected Seat	Production Dates	Estimated Units
Kia Telluride	2027	Third-row center	January 2, 2026 to February 19, 2026	13,499
Kia K4 Hatchback	2026	Rear center	October 31, 2025 to February 23, 2026	1,371

Kia's Georgia plant in West Point builds the second-generation Telluride, and Kia Mexico builds the K4 Hatchback. Kia drew the list from its own production records and the supplier's. These vehicles were not built in VIN order, so a build date inside the window does not settle whether a particular car is included; a lookup by VIN does.

Chronology and Investigation

On February 9, 2026, Kia Georgia told Kia North America's Safety Office that the third-row center anchor buckle on the 2027 Telluride may not latch. Three days later the plant reported that the supplier may have assembled some buckles incorrectly, and the Safety Office learned that similar buckles from the same source were fitted to K4 Hatchbacks built in Mexico.

From February 23 to 26, Kia Mexico confirmed the shared supplier, and both plants worked with Samsong to define the affected population. The recall decision came on February 27. Kia submitted its Part 573 report on March 6 and notified dealers on March 9.

Reported Incidents

Kia reviewed its field data on February 9 and again between February 23 and 26 and found no buckle that had failed to latch on either model, and its chronology records no accidents, injuries or fatalities.

What Owners Should Do

Until the inspection is done, Kia advises owners against carrying anyone in the third-row center seat of a recalled Telluride or the rear center seat of a recalled K4.

VINs became searchable on March 20, 2026, and owner letters went out May 5. Check the VIN at Kia's recall page or NHTSA.gov, or call Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 and reference Kia recall SC364. The inspection and any replacement are free. If you paid for a related repair before the recall, Kia's General Reimbursement Plan covers it: submit receipts online at customercare.kiausa.com or by mail with the form in the owner letter, and Kia says it will use its best efforts to respond within 60 days.

Federal law bars a dealer from delivering a new vehicle covered by this recall under a sale or lease until the repair is complete.

By its quarterly report of October 14, 2026, Kia had counted 10,023 vehicles as remedied, a total that also includes cars inspected and found not to need a new buckle. Another 206 were listed as unreachable and 14 as scrapped, stolen or exported. By my arithmetic, that leaves 4,627 reachable vehicles with the recall open.

Symptoms to Watch For Before the Anchor Buckle Fails

Difficulty buckling the center belt. Kia names it as the one warning sign of a faulty buckle.

How Long Will the Recall Repair Take?

The visit takes about one to two hours, Kia says, and the car may be kept longer depending on what the inspection shows. Under the revised bulletin, the warranty labor allowance is 0.3 hours whether the buckle passes or is replaced; repair orders dated March 18 or earlier used 0.2 hours for an inspection and 0.4 hours for an inspection with replacement.

Replacement buckles have to be ordered against a VIN, and the bulletin tells dealers to skip stocking them because "supply is very limited." Kia reimburses dealers for a rental car or one round-trip rideshare when they provide transportation.

Bottom Line

Kia estimates that 1 percent of the 14,870 vehicles have the defect, about 149 by my arithmetic. In each of those, the risk sits in one seat, the middle of the Telluride's third row or of the K4's back seat, and only for the person riding there.

An open recall transfers with the vehicle when it is sold. Anyone who bought an early-2026 build of either model from a Kia dealer or a private seller should run the VIN.

Find your Kia Telluride or K4 recall information: https://www.kia.com/us/en/recall

Recall 26V135 (March 2026) covers 13,499 2027 Tellurides built January 2 to February 19, 2026, whose third-row center seat belt anchor buckle may not latch, and 1,371 2026 K4 Hatchbacks built October 31, 2025 to February 23, 2026 with the same supplier's rear center buckle. Dealers inspect the buckle and replace it where needed; owner letters were mailed May 5, 2026.