NHTSA Complaint #10323920 — 2010 HONDA CIVIC

I AM WRITING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HEADRESTS IN MY CAR. I PURCHASED A 2010 HONDA CIVIC LX-S A WEEK AND A HALF AGO. AFTER DRIVING IT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, I NOTICED BY NECK AND SHOULDERS BOTHERING ME. MY HEAD IS BEING FORCED DOWNWARD BY THE HEADRESTS. THIS OCCURS IN ALL HEADREST POSITIONS, BUT IS WORSE WHEN ADJUSTED RIGHT BEHIND MY HEAD. I HAVE TILTED THE SEAT BACK AS FAR AS I SAFELY CAN AND STILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE. I AM 53 YEAR OLD FEMALE, 5'3" TALL, AND WEAR BIFOCALS. I AM HAVING DIFFICULTY FOCUSING FROM TACHOMETER TO SPEEDOMETER TO ROAD BECAUSE I CANNOT MOVED MY HEAD TO USE THE RIGHT PART OF MY GLASSES TO SEE. I CANNOT TILT MY HEAD BACK AT ALL BECAUSE OF THE HEADREST. I ALSO EXPERIENCED A HEADACHE THAT EVENING AS WELL DUE TO EYE STRAIN. THE NHTSA CHANGED THEIR HEADREST REGULATIONS IN 2008. TEST DUMMIES FOR LARGE MALES WERE USED AND THEN STANDARDS WERE PUT IN PLACE. AFTER SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON A NEW CAR, I AM UNABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE IT. I HAVE TO EITHER REMOVE, TURN AROUND, OR JERRY-RIG A REMEDY FOR THE HEADREST IN ORDER TO DRIVE AND NOT SUFFER NECK, BACK, SHOULDER AND VISUAL PAIN. THE COST IS MY SAFETY IN AN ACCIDENT. OR, I CAN LEAVE THE HEADREST AND DRIVE WITH MY POSTURE IN A HORRID POSITION. I CANNOT SIT UP STRAIGHT, MY HEAD IS FORCED DOWNWARD SO I CANNOT USE MY BIFOCALS PROPERLY, AND I CANNOT TILT THE SEAT BACK ANY FURTHER AND STILL SEE OVER THE DASHBOARD. THERE ARE COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET, SPECIFICALLY FOR HONDA ACCORDS AND CIVICS, AS WELL AS NISSANS, MERCEDES, FORDS AND OTHER MAKES. I BELIEVE YOU NEED TO REEVALUATE YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEADRESTS OR AT LEAST REISSUE NEW ONES, INDICATING THE RANGE OF THE TILT. YOU RECOMMENDED THE MINIMUM TILT NEEDED FOR SAFETY, BUT FAILED TO ISSUE INSTRUCTIONS TO CAR MANUFACTURERS FOR THE OUTER EDGE OF TILT - WHERE THE TILT WOULD HARM DRIVERS, ESPECIALLY SHORT WOMEN. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. *TR