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2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE — SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT

crash1 injured · 549126 · 2005-08-11

Vehicle

Make
PONTIAC
Model
BONNEVILLE
Year
2002
Manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Component
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:HEAD RESTRAINT
Speed
15 mph

Severity

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

Narrative

DEAR SIR OR MADAM, I WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR-END COLLISION IN A 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE AND RECEIVED A CASE OF WHIPLASH, WHICH I BELIEVE WAS DUE TO A POORLY DESIGNED HEAD REST. WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR I DID NOT CHECK OUT THE HEAD REST AS I DON'T USE HEAD RESTS DURING THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING. IT WAS NOT UNTIL A FEW MONTHS LATER THAT I NOTICED I COULD NOT TOUCH THE BACK OF MY HEAD TO THE HEAD REST UNLESS I LEANED SO FAR BACK THAT THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD DRIVE, AND IT WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. THERE ARE NO ADJUSTMENTS TO BRING THE HEAD REST FORWARD ONLY ONE ADJUSTMENT TO RAISE THE HEAD REST HEIGHT. OF COURSE THIS MAKES THE HEAD REST EVEN MORE UNUSABLE BECAUSE THE HIGHER YOU RAISED IT THE FARTHER YOU HAD TO LEAN YOUR HEAD BACK TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE HEAD REST. I COMMENTED TO MY WIFE THAT IF WE WERE EVER INVOLVED IN A REAR-END COLLISION THESE HEAD RESTS WOULD PROVIDE NO PROTECTION AND OUR HEADS AND NECKS WOULD TAKE THE FULL IMPACT OF THE COLLISION. WOULDN'T YOU KNOW THAT ON FEBRUARY 14, 2005 I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND ON THE WAY TO WORK. THE OTHER DRIVER WAS GOING NO MORE THAN 15 OR 20 MPH, BUT MY HEAD NEVER TOUCHED THE HEAD REST AND I RECEIVED A CASE OF WHIPLASH FAR MORE SERIOUS THAN ONE WOULD PROBABLY EXPERIENCE IF THE HEAD REST HAD ABSORBED SOME OF THE IMPACT INSTEAD OF MY HEAD AND NECK TAKING THE FULL FORCE OF THE COLLISION. THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR WAS ONLY ABOUT $600, SO THE OTHER DRIVER'S INSURANCE COMPANY SAYS MY INJURY COULD NOT BE A SEVERE AS I AM CLAIMING. THEREFORE,

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10132500
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown