NHTSA Complaint #11604578 — 2017 KIA OPTIMA PHEV

This car was purchased [XXX] and has been in my possession for 3 years and 4 months. It has sat in a dealership repair facility for 13 of those months to replace the engine and high-voltage hybrid battery. Meaning I have actively driven this vehicle for approximately 27 months and the retraction system for the seatbelts is malfunctioning and as its a safety issue I feel the need to report this and see what other alternatives are available instead of paying out $1121.58 for something that malfunctioned under the first 10 years of the vehicles life sounds more like a design flaw than a user issue or uneasy wear as I am a [XXX] average build individual. As the vehicle went into the dealership for routine scheduled maintenance I noticed the driver and passenger seat belts don’t lock or retract properly. Service tech stated the retraction system is malfunctioning and they will both need to be replaced. With this system not working the driver and passenger are not able to be restrained properly in case of an accident. No lights or warnings appeared just noticed while driving in rush hour traffic in Buffalo, New York. *With this being a “more rare” PLUG IN HYBRID variant instead of a conventional ICE many issues don’t carry over so I would really like this to be investigated for the safety of the owners of this car.* INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)