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2009 ACURA TL — SEATS

1 injured · 1054030 · 2014-04-07

Vehicle

Make
ACURA
Model
TL
Year
2009
Manufacturer
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Component
SEATS
Miles at failure
2,000

Severity

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

Narrative

THE FRONT SEAT HEADRESTS (AKA HEAD RESTRAINTS) CAUSE SEVERE NECK PAIN NO MATTER HOW THE SEATS ARE ADJUSTED. THIS PAIN IS CAUSED BY THE FORWARD TILT TO THE HEADREST THAT CANNOT BE ADJUSTED. THE TILT IN THE HEADREST CAUSES THE DRIVER'S HEAD TO BE PUSHED FORWARD IN A DOWNWARD-LOOKING ANGLE. THIS IS BOTH PAINFULLY UNCOMFORTABLE (I NOW SUFFER FROM CHRONIC SEVERE NECK PAIN) AND DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT: 1) IS PAINFULLY DISTRACTING, 2) CAUSES THE DRIVER TO BE DISTRACTED WHEN TRYING (IN VAIN) TO ADJUST SEAT AND DRIVING POSITION TO UNSUCCESSFULLY FIND A PAIN-FREE SEATING POSITION; 3) FORCES THE DRIVER TO EITHER RECLINE THE SEAT TOO FAR BACK OR TO HAVE TO DRIVE WITH EYES TILTED UNNATURALLY UPWARD (AS IF LOOKING OVER ONE'S GLASSES) WHILE THE HEAD IS PUSHED FORWARD AND DOWNWARD. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT MY PROBLEM IS THAT I DO NOT REALIZE THAT THESE ARE NOT HEAD RESTS BUT ARE HEAD RESTRAINTS AND THAT I SHOULD ENDURE CHRONIC NECK PAIN AND INJURY IN ORDER TO AVOID WHIPLASH IN A REAR END COLLISION. I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND IN ANOTHER CAR WITH "STANDARD" HEADRESTS AND SUFFERED NO INJURY; THE COLLISION WAS SO SEVERE (A PICKUP TRUCK HIT MY 1982 TOYOTA COROLLA STATION WAGON IN 1994) THAT THE FRONT SEAT BACKS WERE FLATTENED (I.E., WERE SACRIFICED TO ABSORB THE ENERGY). THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH THE 2009 ACURA TL IS EXTREMELY RIDICULOUS AND PAINFUL. IN MY 2007 ACURA TL AND I COULD DRIVE LONG DISTANCES WITHOUT PAIN. IN THE 2009 TL WITH THESE RIDICULOUSLY-DESIGNED HEADRESTS, I HAVE NECK PAIN DURING MY

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10577868
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown