Kia · Recall 26V135000
Kia Recall 26V135000: Other safety defect
Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Kia Telluride and 2026 Kia K4 vehicles. The rear center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2026 K4 and the third-row center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2027 Telluride may not latch properly.
Recall 26V135000 at a glance
| NHTSA campaign number | 26V135000 |
| Manufacturer | Kia America, Inc. |
| Component | SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE |
| Vehicles affected | K4 |
| Model years | 2026 |
| Vehicles potentially affected | 14,870 |
| Reported to NHTSA | March 6, 2026 |
What can go wrong
A seat belt buckle that is not latched properly can fail to restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix — and whether it has actually arrived
Dealers will inspect and replace the anchor buckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC364. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning March 20, 2026.
If the remedy is not available yet, or your dealer cannot tell you when the parts will arrive, ask for that in writing. A manufacturer that cannot repair your vehicle within a reasonable time is a manufacturer with a lemon law problem.
Your rights
Could this recall support a California lemon law claim?
It depends less on the recall than on what happened afterwards.
California's Lemon Law asks whether a substantial defect — one that impairs the vehicle's use, value or safety — survived a reasonable number of repair attempts, or kept the vehicle out of service for 30 or more cumulative days. A recall is the manufacturer's admission that a defect exists. What matters next is whether the remedy actually worked, and how long you waited for it.
It is also worth looking at the whole vehicle rather than this one campaign. Owners often come to us about a single recall and discover that the real claim is the repair history sitting behind it.
A recall is not automatically a lemon. It is the manufacturer admitting a defect and offering to fix it free — that is the system working. A lemon law claim arises when the fix fails, the fix never comes, or the defect has already taken the use of your vehicle away from you.
What to do now
Check whether your Kia needs this recall
Not every Kia is affected by 26V135000. Enter your 17-digit VIN in NHTSA's free federal database to see whether this recall — and any others — are open on your exact vehicle.
Look up your VIN at NHTSA.govRecall 26V135000 — common questions
What is 26V135000?
26V135000 is a safety recall issued by Kia America, Inc. and reported to NHTSA on March 6, 2026. Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Kia Telluride and 2026 Kia K4 vehicles. The rear center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2026 K4 and the third-row center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2027 Telluride may not latch properly.
Is my Kia included in recall 26V135000?
Not every Kia is affected. The recall covers 2026 K4, but inclusion depends on the specific VIN. Enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm whether your exact vehicle is covered.
Does recall 26V135000 make my Kia a lemon?
Depends. The recall itself is rarely the claim — the failed repair, the delay, or the rest of the repair history usually is.
What does it cost to have a lemon law attorney look at this?
Nothing. Case reviews are free, and under California's Song-Beverly Act the manufacturer pays your attorney's fees on a successful claim. You keep your recovery.
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Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Is your Kia a lemon?
A recall is one data point. If your Kia has been back to the dealer for the same problem, or has sat waiting on parts, the recall may be the least of it. Speak to a Kia lemon lawyer before you agree to another repair attempt — our Kia lemon law attorneys will tell you straight whether you have a case.
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