NHTSA Complaint #11511371 — 2014 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE

The Active Headrest Restraint (AHR) busted open with the broken clip issue and cannot be fixed without a dealership replacement. The car is available for inspection. This was not the result of an accident or collision, as the car was parked. If I were sitting in the seat, it most likely would have given me a concussion or a hospital visit. Since the AHR is supposed to reduce the occurrence of whiplash in the event of a collision, I am now at increased risk of whiplash if something were to happen. Multiple reports claim it has caused injury, and I am now worried for my passengers if their headrest was to also pop out. As of 2023, the NHTSA has received nearly 500 complaints of headrests bursting open, with at least 71 of them involving injury. The vehicle has not yet been inspected, but will need to be taken to a dealership and paid to be fixed since there is no recall at this time, and I expect a costly repair. There were no previous warnings or indications that this would happen. This is a dangerous situation, and I am scared to drive my car in fear of my headrest not working properly in the event of a FUTURE COLLISION, and am now scared the headrest on the passenger side will bust open and injure someone else. In a proposed class action lawsuit, "65-page complaint states the defect can be traced back to the failure of a “cheap plastic component” inside the AHRs that are unable to withstand the 75 pounds of constant pressure applied by the AHRs springs. The plaintiffs claim this 'cost-saving measure' puts the AHRs at risk of failure and vehicle occupants at risk of injury." Here is a link to a perfectly good summary of this issue. The article was published in 2020. https://thomasjhenrylaw.com/blog/nhtsa-investigates-headrests-bursting-open-in-dodge-jeep-chrysler-vehicles-71-injuries-reported/