This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
When I exit the driver's seat and step down, my thigh sometimes hits the power seat reclining control and causes the seat to recline. The switch is spring loaded and would normally automatically jump back to the neutral position when released. For some unknown reason, it's possible to nudge it with my thigh at just the right angle that the switch does not return to its center/neutral position. I've tried to reproduce this manually by pushing it in this and that direction and I just can't do it. There seems to be some cause related to body positioning and the right amount of pressure in the right direction. I'm 5'-10", about 180 lb so it's not a case of being over/underweight or above/below height. This problem has happened a number of times. The first few times it happened, I exited the van and returned to find the seat reclined all the way. Needless to say, I was confused. I thought the seat support had broken. One time, I exited the vehicle, to check something in the rear of the car and heard my son crying. He was seated in a car seat behind the driver's seat. The driver's seat had reclined and the handlebar behind the driver's seat was pressed firmly against his legs. Luckily he was ok; but this incident highlights the potential danger of this defect. Something is wrong with the design or manufacture of the switches and/or seat. They should not be so easily activated. The switches are located close to the foam of the driver's seat which compresses easily. The switches should either be relocated further away from the cushion or the switches themselves should redesigned to be more robust.
When exiting the drivers seat, the seat angle switch is depressed, which lowers the seat back. We had noticed the seat was in a reclined position each time we reentered the vehicle, but until the current incident when I remained in my seat with one leg outside the vehicle, the seat began to recline on my son directly behind the drivers seat in a child safety seat. This of course scared us and he cried for some time due to the pain of this incident. After about an hour he seemed to be ok other than some bruising. I will contact my local service department about this, but the position of this switch or the switch itself needs to be corrected to prevent injuries.
- Inman, SC, USA
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- Westborough, MA, USA