Front Seat Back Failures – a Potentially Serious Vehicle Safety Issue
This is an aggregate website offered as a public service to bring attention to a potentially serious problem with the design of vehicle front seats: the failure of the front seat backs in certain types of rear end collisions.
The issue of collapsing seat backs and the resulting injuries is largely unknown by the public, although documents reveal that the car manufacturers have known this to be an issue for decades.
We recommend that you contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the vehicle manufacturers, and elected officials to express your concerns and to request action in the interest of public safety.
The Center for Auto Safety has petitioned the NHTSA to require the following or similar warning notice be added to Owner’s Manuals:
If Possible, Children Should Be Placed In Rear Seating Positions Behind Unoccupied Front Seats. In Rear-End Crashes, the Backs of Occupied Front Seats Are Prone To Collapse Under the Weight of Their Occupants. If This Occurs, the Seat Backs and Their Occupants Can Strike Children in Rear Seats and Cause Severe or Fatal Injuries.
Here’s a link to a news account of the tragic injuries to two children who were riding in the back seat of their parent’s 2002 Lexus ES300 sedan in 2016 when their vehicle was hit from behind. The front seat backs collapsed resulting in the parents slipping out of the seat restraints and hurling backwards into their children. Severe brain injuries to both children occurred. The jury in the Dallas court found Toyota liable for gross negligence and awarded the family $242 million dollars in damages at the conclusion of the trial in 2018. The amount was later reduced to $202 million. Unfortunately, no safety recall has been issued by the NHTSA.
Texas jury finds evidence of “gross negligence” by Toyota in seatback collision https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-jury-finds-evidence-of-gross-negligence-by-toyota-seatback-collision/
This is a link to a letter sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by the late Clarence M. Ditlow, a long-time advocate for Auto Safety. It is ironic that this letter was dated March 2016. The tragic crash mentioned above occurred in August 2016. https://www.autosafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Seat-Back-Petition-FINAL.pdf
Is NHTSA Ready to Strengthen Seat Backs? http://www.safetyresearch.net/blog/articles/nhtsa-ready-strengthen-seat-backs
Congress, Crash Victims Want Action on Deadly Seat Back Failures https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/05/congress-victims-want-action-deadly-seat-back-failures/
Ford recalls 550K vehicles because seat back may fail https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/ford-recalls-550k-vehicles-seat-strength-problem-n1048236
The Hidden Danger of Riding in the Back Seat https://www.thezebra.com/insurance-news/2903/seat-back-failure/
Audi Hit with Verdict Over Seatback Failure https://www.classaction.org/blog/audi-hit-with-verdict-over-seatback-failure
Letters to Automakers on Seatback Safety https://www.markey.senate.gov//letters-to-automakers-on-seatback-safety
Markey, Blumenthal, DeGette to NHTSA: Update 50-Year-Old Seatback Safety Standard to Prevent Fatal Collapse, Investigate Automaker Compliance with Reporting Requirements: https://www.autosafety.org/markey-blumenthal-degette-to-nhtsa-update-50-year-old-seatback-safety-standard-to-prevent-fatal-collapse-investigate-automaker-compliance-with-reporting-requirements/
“No excuse”: Safety experts say this car defect puts kids in danger https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seat-back-failures-injuries-deaths-auto-safety-experts-demand-nhtsa-action/
Car Seat Back Defect Suggests Potential for Widespread Litigation https://www.theexpertinstitute.com/car-seat-back-defect-suggests-potential-for-widespread-litigation/
Seat Back Collapse: 15 Years Later Feds Still Fail To Address A Deadly Problem https://www.forbes.com/sites/jensen/2016/11/29/seat-back-collapse-15-years-later-feds-still-fail-to-address-a-deadly-problem/#7f663104333e
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We’ll be adding additional links in the near future. Please spread the word that something needs to be done to address this potentially serious issue. The vehicle manufacturers should be required to remediate these defects in older vehicles and to thoroughly test the seat back integrity on all new vehicles.
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By chance I stumbled upon the CBS News article on the verdict in the 2016 crash of the 2002 Lexus ES300. Since I currently own an identical make and model, I became concerned and started to research the issue and found it is a largely unknown problem in the minds of the American public, although this is no doubt potentially a worldwide problem.. I’ve discussed this issue with mechanics, colleagues, family, and friends. Not one of them seemed to be aware of the seriousness of this particular issue. My mechanic even hosts a radio show and recently had as a guest a representative from the IIHS; my mechanic was sympathetic and thoughtful, but did not seem to be fully aware of this aspect of auto safety. I spoke to a representative of Lexus about my concerns; he was respectful and listened, but it was basically a typical corporate response. What are your thoughts? What can be done to educate millions of car owners who may not even be aware of this potential danger? What are the safest vehicles to own, in respect to this issue? How can we know?
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