Front Seat Head Restraint Problems of Ford Explorer

On 09/11/2019, at approximately 6pm, we were traveling north on wv sr2 north approximately 2. 5 to 3. 0 miles north of the sr2 I-77 interchange. 2017 Ford Explorer was stopped, waiting on opposing traffic to clear, in order to make a left hand turn into the parking lot of church. Vehicle was rear-ended by a Dodge dakota pickup truck impacting slightly off center towards the driver side of the vehicle. There were 4 occupants of the Explorer. The driver was a 39 year old male. The front passenger was a 36 year old female. In the second row were the other 2 passengers. On the drivers side was a 4 year old female, forward facing in a graco extend2fit car seat. The passenger side was occupied by a 7 year old male in an evenflo booster seat. All passengers were wearing appropriate restraining devices. All passengers were shaken up, with external injuries to both drivers side occupants. The proximate cause of the injuries was due to failure of the driver's seat. The seat base experienced a failure causing the seat back to fall back onto the 2nd row passenger, striking the passenger, and the headrest bent and partially detached. Prior to the accident, the seat back was fully upright and the seat was resting upon the legs of the juvenile female after impact. She suffered contusions to her legs from the seat impacting her and she suffered a concussion and laceration (requiring 9 external sutures as well as some internal ones) above her right eye, caused by either the head of the driver or possibly the headrest. The driver of the vehicle suffered a laceration to the crown of his head requiring 9 staples to close. The driver and the juvenile female were transported to marietta memorial hospital in marietta OH where they received treatment and were released. Responding to the scene was the waverly vfd as well as the wood county sheriff's office and st. Joseph's ambulance service.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

While traveling on highway was cut off by another vehicle requiring me to heavily brake and sharply swerve to avert collision. Became immediately aware that headrests of front seats provided absolutely no (repeat no) injury (e,g. Whiplash) protection. When sitting in front seats the headrests cannot under any circumstances be positioned close to the head of the occupant. This, in turn, provides the perfect opportunity for severe injury such as "whiplash" to occur. Attempts to purchase safer replacement headrests from Ford and other automotive parts stores were unsuccessful as they were reportedly never manufactured.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Tl- the contact owns a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the design of the driver and front passenger seat head restraints pushed the occupants head forward in an uncomfortable position. She turned the head restraints around in order to assume a comfortable position while traveling. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 45,000. Rvk.

See all problems of the 2010 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The headrest on my just purchased 2010 Ford Explorer tilt so far forward that it is uncomfortable to drive. After researching this it seems to be a common problem. Sounds like to me there should be a safety recall to replace the headrests with adjustable ones. With so many complaints out there why hasn't something been done?.

The front passenger head restraints push the head forward, creating stress on the neck/back and could cause injury. Seating is uncomfortable unless the seat is reclined. . . . Which poses another risk and sight problem.

See all problems of the 2009 Ford Explorer 🔎.

If Ford ever decides to recall these forward leaning headrests please put me at the top of the list with all of these other complaints. For my safety??? they hurt! they are so uncomfortable no matter how I adjust the back of my seat. Please Ford send out more comfortable headrests or at least make them available for purchase at a reasonable cost. Thank you!.

The active head restraint system in the 2010 Ford Explorer pushes my head forward when I sit straight in the seat. I cannot find a comfortable position where the "active restraint" is not actively pushing my head forward. I understand the necessity of minimizing space between the head and restraint when in a rear-end collision, but car manufacturers have overcompensated, causing severe neck pain for those who sit straight in their seats. This is a problem not only because it's uncomfortable and potentially causes neck pain but also because drivers have no other safe option. The options are: 1) remove the head restraint, 2) turn the head restraint backwards, or 3) bend the bars so the restraint is not angled forward as dramatically. Please offer a solution to this problem. Otherwise, the restraint guidelines will create more safety issues than they were meant to remedy.

I have a 2010 Ford Explorer. The front passenger seat headrests are pitched excessively forward causing extreme head and neck discomfort. The only way to alleviate this stress is to recline the seat to the point where your head doesn't contact the headrest. This puts stress on your neck muscles causing stiffness and headaches. This is a defective design that must be corrected. When I brought the vehicle in for servicing at 4000 miles I informed the service manager who told me he gets lots of complaints about the head restraint and there was nothing he could do about it. Perhaps Ford can proactively cite a replacement headrest from one of its other models. I am now taking muscle relaxants every night to relieve the stress on my neck.

The headrests lean so far forward that I have to either lean the back of the seat way back or pull the headrest out as it is so uncomfortable I get a neck ache. I have never had this problem with any other vehicle I have owned.

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the head rest on the drivers side caused him extreme back pain and discomfort. He stated that it was a safety issue. The dealer was contacted and agreed with the concern and was trying to find a replacement for the head rest. The manufacturer was contacted and was also looking for a resolution. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 4,400. Updated 3/11/11 updated 04/29/11.

I rented a 2010 Ford Explorer yesterday (1-sept-2010) while my car was being repaired--I immediately noticed that the front headrests are designed so they lean forward way too far, hitting the back of my head and preventing me from sitting in a comfortable driving position. Totally ridiculous! glad I only will have it for a day or two; I would never buy such a vehicle, it hurts my back and neck.

The 2010 Ford Explorer headrest pitches your head uncomfortably forward. Forget about wearing a pony tail, your chin will touch your chest! please get Ford to replace the headrest! this is not a comfort complaint, this is a safety issue!.

Head restraint forces head into downward tilting posture causing moderate to severe discomfort after any extended period of driving. Only solution found was to remove or reverse head restraint, or to recline seat to severely reclined position. Unsatisfactory design for those individuals with straight posture. Very poor design.

The Ford 2010 Explorer front seat headrests aggressively push the drivers head forward when seated in a normal upright position. No seat or headrest adjustment is available to change this condition.

The headrest in my 2010 Ford Explorer forces your head and neck forward in a very uncomfortable postion. There is no adjustment for the position.

The headrests for the driver and front passenger seats in the Ford Explorer 2010 protrude into the back of the head at an extremely uncomfortable angle. I get headaches all the time if they are left in. The headrest angle is not adjustable. This is an agency fleet vehicle. I can't afford to risk a possible safety hazard by driving without the headrests in place.

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the front driver and passenger side headrests would protrude into the rear of the occupants' head at a steep angle. He was unable to adjust the headrests where they were not uncomfortable and protruding into the rear of his head. The dealer was unable to provide a repair to correct the design failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 154 and the current mileage was 3,232.

Just bought a new 2010 Explorer, trading in our 2006. Since this is our seventh Explorer, we didn't bother with a test drive. What a mistake!!! when we were driving home, we were both very uncomfortable - the head restraints were angled so far forward that we could not get comfortable. We primarily use the vehicle for long trips, so that will be a major problem. I just spent a few hours researching the problem, and there doesn't seem to be a solution; and it's not just a Ford problem. Apparently they have to be that way to minimize whiplash in a rear-end collision. The ones on the 2006 weren't like these, so they must have been defective or deficient (note to all you 2006 owners - maybe you can sue Ford if you get a whiplash injury) I've been driving for over 50 years, and never had a rear end collision, so I'm going to choose comfort over the unlikely chance that I'll need the head restraint and either reverse it (then it won't work) or take it out!!.

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Explorer. The headrest on the driver and passenger extends outward which forces the passenger and drivers head forward. The contact has experienced discomfort while driving even when he attempted to rest his shoulders against the back of the seat. The vehicle was purchased seven days ago without him test driving it. The dealer advised the contact that they were unable to make any repairs since all of 2010 Ford Explorers were designed with that type of headrest. The dealer recommended that the contact rotate the headrest; however, the driver stated that the headrest would not serve it?s purpose. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 100.

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Explorer. When the contact entered the vehicle, he noticed that the head rest pushes the driver's head towards the windshield due to its perpendicular design. The contact feels that someone with a short stature would have to drive with his/her head down. If the air bag were to deploy, the driver could become seriously injured. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was designed in that manner and no compensation would be provided. The failure mileage was 60 and current mileage was 800.

The vehicle didn't come equipped with an extended head rest for the driver/passenger side seats. This caused the occupants heads to fling backwards with force when vehicle was rear ended. Both occupants in the front seats sustained severe sore necks, and headaches.

See all problems of the 2000 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I purchased a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT with the sport bucket seats. These seats have no head rests and offer no protection to the back of my head. A week after I purchased vehicle Ford offered a 2002 and 1/2 that has head rests in the bucket seats. Ford would not switch seats to insure my safety against whiplash. I feel the sport bucket seats I have are not safe and should be replaced.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer 🔎.

If a person taller than 5'7 enters into this sport utility vehicle, the head restraint comes to the base of the neck right at shoulder level. Upon possible impact the drivers/passengers head will snap back and break. Also because of the seat height even at its lowest position, the driver and passenger's head touches ceiling of interior of the car. We do not feel safe driving this vehicle. The seat needs to be changed thank you.

The seat is designed wit a head restraint that is too low and caused a persons head to snap back resulting in injury. We would like to know if this has happened to opher people.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Seatback does not protect against whiplash. For people 6 feet or taller, vehicle does not have adjustable head rests.

The seats do not have a seperate head rest that is adjustable according to size. Accordingly, a person of average height sitting in either the driver or passenger seat is to far from the top of the seat to get adequate protection in an accident. Given today's safety standards, I expect more from a 2001 limited edition automobile. My husband was involved in a car accident and the majority of his injuries could have been mitigated if these seats were designed properly.

Front seat has no head rest support. If consumer was hit with airbag neck would break. Please provide any further information.