NHTSA Complaint #10056644 — 2000 CHEVROLET PRIZM

I WAS INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT ON 9/1/2002 IN WHICH MY SEAT BACK FAILED. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH IN MY 2000 CHEVROLET PRIZM LSI. I WAS REAR ENDED BY A HONDA CIVIC TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 100 MPH. THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT WAS SUCH THAT WHEN I WAS THROWN TO THE BACK OF THE SEAT IT BROKE AND CHANGED THE POSITION OF THE ENTIRE SEAT FROM APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES TO 150 DEGREES. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES I WAS THROWN FORWARD AND TORQUE-TWISTED AROUND THE THREE POINT HARNESS. I THEN HAD TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE ALSO USING THE STEERING WHEEL AS A SUPPORT TO KEEP MYSELF UPRIGHT WHEN THE SEATBELT WANTED TO PULL ME BACK INTO THE SEAT BACK WHICH WAS NOT THERE. THE SEAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY REPAIRED; I'VE BEEN TOLD THE HARDWARE HAS BEEN REPLACED. HOWEVER, A NEW PROBLEM HAS MANIFESTED ITSELF. THE METAL FRAME OF THE HEADREST (A U-SHAPED PIECE OF METAL) HAS BECOME EXPOSED (AS OF 2/1/2004) AND NOW COMES IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE FABRIC SIDE WHICH THE DRIVER'S HEAD SITS AGAINST. I REMOVED THE HEADREST AND GAVE IT TO MY MOM, THE UPHOLSTERER, FOR REPAIR AS I HAD ASSUMED THE FOAM BUN HAD BECOME LOOSE AND MISADJUSTED. INSTEAD, SHE INFORMED ME THAT THE FOAM BUN ITSELF HAD SHATTERED INTO AT LEAST TWO PIECES AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO REARRANGE THE FOAM AND STILL HAVE IT FULFILL ITS SAFETY FUNCTION; I.E. IF I GOT REAR-ENDED AGAIN, THE BASE OF MY SKULL WAS GOING TO BE SLAMMED INTO A HORIZONTAL ROD. AS A RESULT, WE INSPECTED THE OTHER THREE HEADRESTS OF THE CAR AND FOUND THEM TO BE ABSENT OF THIS PROBLEM: I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THEREFORE, I'M MAKING THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE FOAM BUN HAD BEEN SHATTERED, NOT REPAIRED (IT'S NOT VISIBLE) AND THE SUPPORT FRAME EVENTUALLY WORKED ITS WAY TO THE SURFACE. BECAUSE I CANNOT SEE THE INTERIOR OF MY SEAT, MY CONCERN IS THAT THE FOAM UNDER THE FABRIC HAS ALSO BEEN COMPROMISED IN A MANNER WHICH RENDERS THE SEAT LESS CAPABLE OF PROTECTING ME IN ANY FUTURE COLLISIONS.*AK