Seats Related Problems of the 2009 Acura TL

Front Seat Head Restraint problem

The front seat headrests (aka head restraints) cause severe neck pain no matter how the seats are adjusted. This pain is caused by the forward tilt to the headrest that cannot be adjusted. The tilt in the headrest causes the driver's head to be pushed forward in a downward-looking angle. This is both painfully uncomfortable (I now suffer from chronic severe neck pain) and dangerous because 1) is painfully distracting, 2) causes the driver to be distracted when trying (in vain) to adjust seat and driving position to unsuccessfully find a pain-free seating position; 3) forces the driver to either recline the seat too far back or to have to drive with eyes tilted unnaturally upward (as if looking over one's glasses) while the head is pushed forward and downward. I have been told that my problem is that I do not realize that these are not head rests but are head restraints and that I should endure chronic neck pain and injury in order to avoid whiplash in a rear end collision. I was hit from behind in another car with "standard" headrests and suffered no injury; the collision was so severe (a pickup truck hit my 1982 Toyota corolla station wagon in 1994) that the front seat backs were flattened (I. E. , were sacrificed to absorb the energy). The problem I have with the 2009 Acura Tl is extremely ridiculous and painful. In my 2007 Acura Tl and I could drive long distances without pain. In the 2009 Tl with these ridiculously-designed headrests, I have neck pain during my 15-minute commute to work and it continues when I'm not driving. This headrest design is producing cumulative injury that is causing damage to my neck and cervical spine. The excuse that Acura uses is that this design is mandated to reduce whiplash injuries. I have driven over 400,000 miles in my life and have never experienced whiplash injury. Sent: April 7, 2014 with 55,000 miles on the car.