NHTSA Complaint #10568446 — 2014 HYUNDAI EQUUS

THIS IS THE E-MAIL THAT I SENT TO HYUNDAI TO NOTIFY THEM OF A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE W. THEIR NEW EQUUS: I WANTED TO ALERT YOU ABOUT A POTENTIALLY SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE THAT HAPPENED TO OCCUR WHILE MY 13 YR OLD SON & I WERE EXAMINING THE EQUUS AT THE CHARLOTTE AUTOSHOW. I WAS SITTING IN THE DRIVER SEAT, MY SON WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT & ANOTHER COUPLE, WHO WE DID NOT KNOW, WERE IN THE BACK SEAT CHECKING OUT THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS. SUDDENLY, THE PASSENGER SEAT STARTED TO MOVE FORWARD & AT THE SAME TIME THE SEAT BACK BEGAN TO FOLD FORWARD. MY SON SHOUTED OUT THAT THE SEAT WAS MOVING, BUT NEITHER HE NOR I WERE TOUCHING ANY OF THE CONTROLS. THE COUPLE IN BACK NOTICED THIS, BUT CONTINUED TO EXAMINE/TRY THE CONTROLS ON THE REAR SEAT CENTER ARM REST. MY SON SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, WHICH HAD NOW MOVED COMPLETELY FORWARD, WITH THE SEAT BACK STILL CONTINUING TO MOVE, COULD NOT REACH THE DOOR HANDLE TO ESCAPE. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS HE BECAME PINNED AGAINST THE DASH BOARD & WAS CRUSHED BETWEEN THE SEAT BACK & THE DASH. I YELLED OUT FOR EVERYONE TO STOP TOUCHING BUTTONS IMMEDIATELY, WHILE I ALSO TRIED TO MOVE THE SEAT TOWARD THE REAR USING THE BUTTONS ON THE TOP/SIDE OF THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE SEAT STOPPED MOVING FORWARD & I WAS THEN ABLE TO MOVE IT REARWARD, FREEING MY SON. HE WAS GASPING FOR AIR AT THE POINT & ANOTHER AUTO SHOW ATTENDEE OPENED THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE, ALLOWING MY SON TO ESCAPE. I CALLED ONE OF THE HYUNDAI SHOW REPS OVER TO THE CAR TO POINT OUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE & HE TOOK NOTE. THE ROOT CAUSE WAS THE REAR SEAT COUPLE WAS TRYING TO ADJUST THEIR SEATS, BUT THEY WERE UNKNOWINGLY USING THE CONTROL THAT MOVES THE PASSENGER SEAT FORWARD FOR MORE REAR LEG ROOM. THERE APPEARS TO BE NO SAFETY SENSOR THAT PREVENTS THIS. THERE SHOULD BE A SAFETY SWITCH, USING THE FRONT PASSENGER WEIGHT TO DEACTIVATE THE REAR SEAT CONTROLS FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT.