NHTSA Complaint #10451337 — 2000 HONDA ACCORD

FRONT DRIVERS SEAT CAME LOOSE, CAUSING THE SEAT TO SUDDENLY LEAN BACK AS MY WIFE WAS BACKING OUT OF OUR GARAGE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS IF OUR DRIVEWAY WASN'T AS LONG AS IT IS. IT TOOK HER A WHILE TO READJUST HERSELF (SEAT WAS MOVING UNDER HER) TO GET HER FOOT BACK ON THE BRAKE PEDAL - WHEN THE SEAT REARED BACK. UPON INSPECTION, THE MOUNTING BRACKET THAT ATTACHES THE DRIVER SEAT ASSEMBLY ON THE LEFT FRONT CORNER HAS BROKEN WHERE THE BRACKET BENDS UP TO MOUNT TO THE SEAT ASSEMBLY. IT LOOKS LIKE METAL FATIGUE. IT IS AMAZING HOW THIN GAUGE METAL WAS USED FOR THE MOUNTING BRACKET? WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF THE CAR ; THE CAR HAS BEEN VERY WELL CARED FOR AND HAS NOT ENDURED ANY HARD CONDITIONS OR ACCIDENTS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE DISASTROUS HAS SHE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACTUAL ACCIDENT. IT SCARES ME TO THINK OF HOW MANY 2000 HONDA ACCORDS MAY BE OUT THERE WITH THE BRACKET THAT HAS METAL FATIGUE AND WILL NOT HOLD UP IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION. I NOTICED THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET (EXACTLY THE SAME THING OCCURRING) AND THERE WAS A PREVIOUS INVESTIGATION DONE IN 2003 ( # PE02072), I BELIEVE THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD BE RE-OPENED ASAP, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING HOW MANY OLDER HONDA ACCORDS ARE STILL ON THE ROAD. THIS FAILURE LOOKS TO BE A GRADUAL IN NATURE AND APPEARS DIRECTLY RELATED TO METAL FATIGUE OF A THIN GAUGE METAL USED ON THE BRACKET. THE HIGH LEVERAGE FORCES CAUSED BY PASSENGERS PUSHING BACK ON THEIR SEAT BACK ( E.G., GETTING IN THE CAR, OR PULLING SOMETHING FROM THEIR POCKETS WHILE SITTING) WILL TAKE A TOLL ON THE THIN METAL BRACKET; EVENTUALLY THE BRACKET IT WILL FAIL AND MOST LIKELY AT A TIME WHEN THE INTEGRITY OF THE BRACKET IS NEEDED MOST (DURING AN ACCIDENT) FOR PASSENGER SAFETY. *TR