NHTSA Complaint #10088170 — 1995 SATURN SC1

MODEL: 1995 SATURN SC2 COUPE THROUGH NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, THE DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARDS, THE INTERNAL METAL IS BENT, AND SO THE SEAT WILL NOT RETURN TO THE NORMAL POSITION. THE SEAT WAS ALREADY PARTIALLY BENT BACK WHEN THE CAR WAS RECALLED FOR REPAIRS. THAT RECALL CONCERNED THE FAILURE OF THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM. SATURN REPLACED THE MECHANISM, THE SEAT WAS UPRIGHT FOR A TIME, BUT THEN COLLAPSED FULLY AFTER MILD BACKWARD PRESSURE. IN RESPONSE TO THIS PROBLEM, SATURN SAID THAT THE METAL OF THE SEAT WAS BENT OUT OF SHAPE, THAT THE SEAT WON'T LOCK INTO AN UPRIGHT POSITION, AND THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL. THEREFORE I SHOULD PAY FOR A REPLACEMENT SEAT. I CONTEND THAT THE FORCES APPLIED TO THE SEAT ARE INTER-RELATED TO THE PROBLEMS OF THE RECLINER MECHANISM, AND THAT FAULTY ENGINEERING DESIGN HAS LED TO THE PROBLEM.