NHTSA Complaint #10944053 — 2012 HONDA ODYSSEY

I'M SUBMITTING THIS NOW IN RESPONSE TO AN EVENT THAT HAPPENED SEVERAL YEARS AGO, TRIGGERED BY A DEC. 27 2017 RECALL NOTICE. MY VEHICLE IS NOT LISTED AS AFFECTED BUT I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED TO ME ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. ON THAT DAY, A SECOND ROW OUTBOARD SEAT TIPPED FORWARD AND BANGED AGAINST THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT DURING A SUDDEN DECELERATION (WE WERE GOING DOWN A SMALL HILL TOWARD A STOPLIGHT, WHERE A VEHICLE APPEARED IN CROSS-TRAFFIC AND UNEXPECTEDLY BLEW THROUGH ITS RED LIGHT, REQUIRING A SUDDEN STOP BY OUR VEHICLE). MY THEN-3-YEAR-OLD WAS SEATED IN HIS FORWARD FACING CAR SEAT, A BRITAX MARATHON CONNECTED USING THE LATCH ANCHOR SYSTEM, AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE SEAT/CAR SEAT COMBINATION FLIPPED FORWARD. HE WAS SHAKEN AND SLIGHTLY BRUISED BUT OTHERWISE FINE, I BELIEVE AS A RESULT OF THE PROTECTION FROM THE SIDE WINGS OF THE CAR SEAT. AT THE TIME THE SECOND ROW SEATS HAD NOT RECENTLY BEEN MOVED. ABOUT TWO WEEKS PRIOR THEY HAD BEEN REMOVED FOR HAULING A LARGE PIECE OF FURNITURE. AFTERWARD I REINSTALLED THE VEHICLE SEATS AND BELIEVED THEM TO BE FULLY AND FIRMLY AFFIXED TO THE VEHICLE. I WAS EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED BY NOT ONLY THE TIPPING EVENT ITSELF, BUT BY THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE SEAT HAD BEEN DANGEROUSLY UNATTACHED DURING THOSE TWO WEEKS. I INTENDED TO SUBMIT A REPORT BUT THEN DOUBTED MYSELF. HOWEVER, THE CONFIRMATION FROM THE RECENT RECALL NOTICE THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR SOME HONDA ODYSSEY VEHICLES (AND THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A REPAIR AVAILABLE) IMMEDIATELY MADE ME WANT TO SUBMIT THIS REPORT.