Front Seat Head Restraint Problems of Honda Accord - part 2

No incident. This complaint is about the headrests which are not adjustable and force heads into an unnatural and uncomfortable position. We have a long trip coming up and am concerned about sitting in unnatural positions for extended periods. I understand that these headrests must comply with NHTSA specs and there's no allowance for customizing but the safety issue (whip lash) may be cancelled by muscle fatigue, discomfort (and thus driving distraction). This needs to be corrected for safety sake.

See all problems of the 2013 Honda Accord 🔎.

The seat/headrest is the main issue. It pushes my head to far forward and makes it very comfortable to drive. The long-term safety issue is that so many people are complaining about the seats/headrests that many are modifying/removing the headrest to avoid pain/discomfort which will create an unsafe restraint system.

The seats and head rests has been poorly designed. It looks that these has been designed for men having a height of more than 6 feet. I have a standard height of 5'-9'. When I rest my head to the head rest, it touches only less than one cm to the head rest. I can not lower down the height of head rest because the back of the seat is too high. There is a big gap between neck and head rest. I have made a rough sketch of this situation but I don't know how to send it to you. The most dangerous aspect of this design is that if a speedy car or truck hits my car in the back, my head will stop with head rest and body will stop with back of seat but neck, having no support backward, will bent and may be broken and ultimately may cause of death. I faxed it in details to Honda customer service, torrance, ca90501 on 12/3/12 with sketch and faxed three times every week. I also advised them to make an experiment: have a dummy of man made of broken glass, seat it in the car, buckle up and hit the car forcibly in the back, the neck of dummy will be broken. I told them that the car was garaged for the last more than one month at 8024 miles odometer reading, take this faulty car back and return my money. After more than 40 days, I received a phone call from Honda customer service that my claim was rejected as the car was not found faulty. I request you to please check this fault and take necessary action at your end. I am ready to hand over the car to you. I am not using this car any more.

See all problems of the 2012 Honda Accord 🔎.

Near miss at 1300 miles. Did you know owner filed NHTSA safety complaints related to seats/head restraints for the 2012 and 2013 Accord are occurring at a rate 49 times higher than the combined rate for altima, camry, elantra and taurus? most Accord complaints include the same elements: awkward posture, pressure on head and neck, pain and distraction caused by the seat/head restraint. Honda tells owners that all manufacturers get the same complaints, and blames NHTSA fmvss 202: both are untrue! aforementioned 4-12-2013 complaint count shows this is a very severe problem for Accords, but not all other manufacturers. The seats in my 2013 Accord are painful partly because they provide no backset between the head restraint and my head; instead, they impose a “push” of a least 13 mm. This yields major distraction in 30 minutes, severe pain in 2 hours; both impair driving. Other seat ergonomic features exacerbate the problem. •during fmvss 202 rm, umtri research showed “a 50 mm backset would result in head restraint interference for 13% of the driving public”. The majority of manufacturers, including gm, magna, johnson controls, aiam, the alliance, Nissan, Porsche, daimlerchrysler, and Ford, stated that a “backset of 50 mm may cause significant intrusions into the space where these occupants typically place their heads, forcing their heads into an unnatural forward-tilting position”. Nhtsa listened, allows 55 mm. Honda ignored these findings, is solely responsible for bad seat design. • a 1997 cdc report found strong evidence of a causal relationship between awkward neck and shoulder posture/ prolonged static loads and musculoskeletal disorders (msd); more research reveals the impairments from msd: pain and fatigue. • the Accord is a danger to me, my passengers, bystanders and other drivers and should be recalled as soon as possible. Formal petition sent 9/6/13.

Near accident at 1300 miles. Did you know the rate of owner filed NHTSA safety complaints related to seats/head restraints for the 2012 and 2013 Accord are occurring at a rate 49 times higher than the combined rate for altima, camry, elantra and taurus? almost all Accord complaints include the same elements: awkward posture, pressure on head and neck, pain and distraction caused by the seat/head restraint. Honda tells owners that all manufacturers get the same complaints, and blames NHTSA fmvss 202: both are untrue! aforementioned 4-12-2013 count shows this is a very severe problem for Accords, but not for all other manufacturers. • the seats in my 2013 Accord are very uncomfortable partly because they provide no backset between the head restraint and my head; instead, they impose a “push” of a least 13 mm. This causes distraction within 30 minutes of driving, and within two hours generates severe pain which impairs my driving. • during the fmvss 202 process, umtri submitted a research finding that said “a 50 mm backset would result in head restraint interference for 13% of the driving public”. A majority of the manufacturers, among them gm, magna, johnson controls, aiam, the alliance, Nissan, Porsche, daimlerchrysler, and Ford, stated that a “backset of 50 mm may cause significant intrusions into the space where these occupants typically place their heads, forcing their heads into an unnatural forward-tilting position”. Honda ignored these findings,is solely responsible for bad seat design • a 1997 cdc report that found strong evidence of a causal relationship between awkward neck and shoulder posture/ prolonged static loads and musculoskeletal disorders (msd), and additional research reveals the impacts of msd, including pain and fatigue. • the Accord is a danger to me, my passengers, bystanders and other drivers and should be recalled as soon as possible.

Please, please back off on your head rest requirements for safety. Please allow the consumer to choose the position of the head rest. Not only Honda, but Ford, gm, Chrysler, all manufacturers are creating very painful car seats since 2009 due to this awful headrest requirement. Seatbelts are a law, but I choose to wear them. Motorcycle helmets are no longer a law, but I choose to wear them. Now let me choose my headrest position. I think these new designs are going to cause far more injuries and insurance claims from people having their heads cocked forward, in a forced improper posture. I had migraines due to my headrest before I resolved this issue in my car by making modifications. I sit with proper posture and my head is forced forward. The only choice I had was to sit improperly in order to try to avoid the terrible discomfort this new law forces on me. Please change this law.

The seats are horribly uncomfortable. The way they are designed, they make you hunch over, where your spine is in the shape of a c, instead of how it should be. The headrest pushes your head forward that furthers the pain. I got a lumbar cushion (to make driving the car bearable), but now there is an gap between my upper back and the seat. I've also had to turn around the headrest, because it was hurting my neck pushing my neck so far forward when the rest of me is set back. Please fix this!!!!! no one should have to go through this pain with a new car or any car. Make the headrests adjustable and seats with ergonomic support standard!.

The head restraint is too far forward and causes neck pain. I've only had the car a week, and I'm having the same issues as others who have filed complaints and hundreds of people in online forums.

See all problems of the 2009 Honda Accord 🔎.

1). "acceleration" - my daughter drives this vehicle most of the time and she has complained to me on several occasions that this vehicle is hesitant in its acceleration speed (0mph at a stop, up to 55-60 mph getting onto highways). For an example: she has advised,on several occasions when as she goes on the "highway" into merging traffic, the car looses power and does not accelerate up to proper speed to get on highway to merg into traffic . She stated pushed the gas pedel down to the floor, then a couple of seconds, the car will pick up speed. Also, when at a "stop sign" once she presses gas pedel to go,the car hesitates to take off and then it goes. We reported this to the Honda warrenty department in Feb/March 2013, was told "take vehicle to Honda dealer". We did and mechanic advised-could not find anything wrong with the car. To date as of (4/20/2013 my daughter still experiences this hesitant acceleration problem. Its not right and I am paying $560+ dollars a month for a new vehicle with these problems. This is a serious safty concern I have for her, driving this car. I saw a tv commercial about a recall on Honda Accords and I was quite suprised that when I logged onto the NHTSA website the number of people who are having the same problems with there 2012 Honda Accords as we are experiencing. 2). "headrest" -while driving the vehicle on a highway trip-October 2012, I noticed that I could not properly rest my head on the "drivers seat headrest. I am 5ft-5 &1/2 inchesi tall. I tried to adjust the driver's headrest up and down, but I could not place it in a comfortable position to help support my head and neck. It was very uncomfortable and I could not properly fit my head on the rest for ease of driving, especially for suppoort of my neck. It was extreamly painful and stressful on my neck as I have already had pre-esisting conditions with this part of my body.

After driving off the lot with the 2012 Accord my wife and I noticed a "lump" in both the drivers and passenger seat. We had not noticed these lumps during our 15-20 minute test drive. By the time we got home, approximately 30 minutes, the lumps had become uncomfortable. The longer the drive the more uncomfortable the seats are. We have had the car just over a week and the lumps are still there (no settling in) and we have not acclimated to the seats. The lumps are above the adjustable lumbar support on the drivers side. Pulling forward on the headrest make the "lump" disappear. This leads me to believe the lump is associated with the active head restraint system.

I purchased a new Honda Accord less than 2 weeks ago. The seat doesn't seem to be bothering me at this point, but it is difficult to tell, as I have hip and knee issues I am working on. However, the headrest is extremely uncomfortable/painful. While driving on the freeway, I sit back, lean my head on the headrest and cruise. The new style of headrest is forcing my head too far forward, and is causing me neck and shoulder pain. There is no adjustment between the seat back and the headrest, so I cannot adjust this angle. If I lean too far back, causing a natural forward lean to my head, I cannot drive comfortably, as I must move the seat too far forward, and my arms are overextended. I cannot adjust to make long distance driving comfortable -- and I commute 60 miles, and over 1. 5 hours, daily. My 1999 Honda Accord had no such problems. I am extremely disappointed with this situation, and the dealership is no help. My husband has back and neck problems (service-related), and he was ready to throw the passenger headrest out the window on our first freeway trip to our daughter's house -- only 12 miles down the freeway.

On a six hour vacation trip, I began to experience acute middle back pain. I had begun a new job about a year prior to this trip, in which I made commutes of about 1 hr. And 15 minutes round-trip on 4-5 days a week. I had noticed over the course of my new commute that my car seat became increasingly uncomfortable. However, while on this long six hour trip, about 3 hours into the trip I began to feel severe back pain. I don't think we had taken a rest break by this point in the trip. It became uncomfortable for me to rest my back in the seat, as my middle vertebrae felt very sensitive to the touch. It then became more difficult to sit in a chair for more than a few minutes, and of course the driving posture became increasingly painful and uncomfortable. After some chiropractic treatment, the intensity of the pain has lessened, but the discomfort has never fully gone away. In recent months a physician has treated my back pain by with a prescription strength topical neuro/inflammation ointment. The physician has not yet given a specific diagnosis to my condition, but the pain and discomfort seems to be lessening very gradually. I believe the pain and discomfort is caused by the pronounced "cupping" shape of my car's seat and headrest, which keeps me from finding a comfortable posture while driving, especially on long-distance drives.

See all problems of the 2007 Honda Accord 🔎.

I owned a 2003 Accord and loved it. When it came time to get a new car, I only wanted a new Accord. I didn't even test drive it. What a mistake! for the first week, every time I drove the car I tried to readjust the seat to make it more comfortable. Nothing worked. I have beautiful leather seats, but I sit on a wedge and have a lumbar pillow stuffed behind my back. My hip and back were thrown out of line to the point that 4 months after buying the car, I was using a cane. I no longer use the cane, but I no longer take this car for long drives. The seats cause pain in my back, hips and legs. In my 2003 Accord I was able to tip the seat so my knees would raise up or down. The new "improved" seats did away with that feature. In addition, the head restraint pushes my head forward and down causing neck pain. My pregnant daughter is in the market for a 4 door car to replace her 2 door car. I offered to give her the Accord and pay to have it shipped to l. A. For her. On a recent trip home for a wedding, she drove the car for half an hour and refused the gift. Can you imagine how bad the seats are to turn down a 1 year old car with 11,000 miles on it because it's so uncomfortable?? Honda has lost me as a customer. When I called Honda to complain several times, they made me feel as if I were the only one who had ever complained of this problem.

See all problems of the 2011 Honda Accord 🔎.

The driver seat in my 2009 Honda Accord is horrible!!!!!!!!!! the active restraint is killing me. I plan on removing the safety device if it is not plugged into a sensor. It causes my to squirm around while driving effecting my driving. What a joke this is my first Honda buying because of style and great history of reliability. Like everything else on the vehicle. Hope I can remove seat cover and bend something or remove the safety device. What a joke Honda.

My 2005 Accord had an illuminated supplemental restraint system (srs) light. The Honda dealer diagnosed it down to a broken driver seat sensor harness; fault codes 71-10 (drivers seat pos sensor) and a2-10 (faulty pwr supply). This condition is exactly the same as described in Honda service bulletin 07-002, "safety recall: driver's seat position sensor harness replacement. " just as described in the bulletin, the wires on the harness become damaged and in fact were completely broken away from the plug end. However, my VIN falls outside the affected VIN's listed in the service bulletin and is not covered under this action. Furthermore, I feel the dealer charged more than necessary for the repair: they charged 1. 96 hrs of labor (at $97. 00/hr), or $190. 00, and $15. 20 for the part totaling $205. 20. In comparison, the service bulletin calls for 0. 6 hrs of labor, which when added to the part cost would have totaled $73. 40. Bottom line: Honda did not provide the proper fix for damaged driver's seat position harness's in later production vins. Since they continue to cause the same unsafe condition, Honda must be compelled to increase the scope of this recall.

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Head restraints are uncomfortable and cause neck and back problems.

Nothing happened yet. The headrest is in such a bad position that it would no support my neck were there to be an accident. And the seats are so bad that I am developing back and hip problems.

The 2010 Honda Accord headrests lean forward at such an extreme angle that they cause a significant number of drivers enough discomfort that they (myself included) frequently modify or remove them completely, nullifying any safety gains that might have been realized with a forward-leaning design. Nhtsa standards should require manufacturers to allow drivers to adjust the headrests to a comfortable position to avoid drivers modifying or removing them entirely.

See all problems of the 2010 Honda Accord 🔎.

I just purchased my new 2011 Honda Accord ex manual transmission car on 8/12. I'm very satisfied with the car except for two things. The front seats are very hard and the headrest is at a severe angle that forces my head forward with my chin down. I normally sit with my back against the back rest with the back rest at a fairly upright position. In my other cars (1994 Saturn sl2 and 2002 Hyundai santa fe), this was not a problem. With the 2011 Honda Accord my neck gets stiff after about 30 minutes. There is no adjustment allowed on the headrest and the only relief is to set the back rest to a reclined position and sit upright with my back away from the back rest. I know other 2011 Accord owners are complaining about this problem but no response has been made from Honda. I've complained to my dealership about this problem but they have no solution. I need Honda to respond by providing a replacement headrest with a less angle of incline and/or a headrest that allows for adjustment to other angles. The front seats are very uncomfortable. During the 10 minute test drive my wife and I had no problems with these seats. During a 1 hour trip we both realized we were very fatigued and our legs were starting to become numb. On the return 1 hour trip home we felt the same sensations and by time we returned home we were both feeling back and leg pain and fatigue. I've been assured by two sales people at the dealership that the seats will 'break in' and become softer and more comfortable. I've never had this problem in the other new cars I've driven or rented. I've never heard other drivers with this problem in their new cars either. I cannot believe a new car with many great features and a great driving experience can have such uncomfortable seats. I also understand that these seats have airbags installed and cannot simply be replaced with non-standard seats or with seat cushions or covers. This cannot be normal and should be resolved by Honda.

I want to make you aware of how new ntsa regulations for the design of head restraints have injured me physically and financially. I traded in a 2000 Toyota for a 2011 Honda, only to find that the head restraint gave me severe neck muscle spasms. The dealer explained that since 2008, all new cars must follow updated nthsa regulations in head restraints. I went to many dealerships to find a head restrain that I could tolerate. All of them had the same pain-producing, federally-mandated style. Finally, after much searching, I found a Ford SUV that had a more tolerable head restraint. I was very relieved because I was afraid that I would have to buy an old used car in order to continue driving. I have mild neck arthritis, and your new style of head restraints caused me such discomfort that I was willing to sell my 5 day old Honda Accord (with 225 miles) and lose thousands of dollars (due to depreciation)! in addition, I worry that the head restraints are hurting other people. I am a physician, and I know that chronic repetitive stress can sometimes lead to severe injury. With so many dealers and customers complaining about the new head restraints "not being comfortable," I suspect that the new restraints are causing neck strain to many people. I just happen to be more susceptible because of my neck arthritis. Perhaps you can use me as a sentinel chicken to realize the problem that you have created. Please consult with your advising physicians about whether the nthsa could be inadvertently causing neck strain and eventual neck injury to millions of people. I don't want this experience to happen to anyone else. Regulations should help not hurt. Yours have hurt me physically and financially. Please allow manufacturers to redesign the head restraints so that they are comfortable as well as safe, or at least give options to people like me with medical problems.

The seats are so uncomfortable they are causing neck, back and leg pain. I have to have the seat leaning way back in order to drive the car. If I place in an upright alert position the headrest pushes my head forward.

I never had back pain. I now have back pain after driving the car for a week. It felt like a solid piece of wood or a brick was in the seat. There is no seat adjustment that is comfortable. It turns out the new design for the headrest to push forward in a rearend crash has included a big plastic panel held on by 2 metal bars located in the seat just behind the cushion (I removed seat back to see this). This bars attached to the plastic pulls the headrest forward if your back is pushed against the seat. The lumbar is also attached to this plastic. If you sit in the seat and pull the headrest forward you can feel the lump go away for the most part. Removing the plastic is the only thing that made the seat comfortable. However that disables the safety feature so I can't do that permanently. However that showed me the plastic in the seat back is the problem. Updated 6/26/12.

Driver's seat of my '99 Honda Accord has become loose, rocks and pulls away from steering wheel upon acceleration, causing lack of control since momentum pulls driver away from wheel. When seat is not occupied, this is evident by pushing on headrest, causing seat to 'rock' backwards approx 6". Mechanic said that a piece of steel on the bracket under the seat is broken (& seat bracket is the same for all 1998-2002 models). Dealer said this isn't a recall or anything so repairs would be at my expense. Car cannot pass state inspection until this is fixed, so looks like I now have no choice but to try & locate a replacement bracket at a junkyard & pay someone to install, costing me at least $300 (with no guarantee that the replacement bracket will not have the same problem). Big safety issue here with lots of complaints reporting the same problem (per online search)- why has this not been properly addressed?.

See all problems of the 1999 Honda Accord 🔎.

Have had to block seat restraint from working digs into back causing constant movement while trying to drive causing to not paying attention to road ahead. Honda says they cannot make adjustments to seat to allow to drive with seat restraint active.

Headrest complaints. Trying to buy a new Accord 2010 or 2011. Headrests force the neck into an uncomfortable forward position. 2005 Accord was perfectly comfortable but has been totalled and trying to get a newer car but it seems all the headrests have that forward thrust.

Front driver and passenger seats are extremely hard and uncomfortable. There's a hard piece of plastic that runs the width of the seat that digs into thighs/buttocks and causes chronic hip/back pain and sometimes numbness. The seats are also too long which causes the front of the seat to dig into the back of knees. The headrest pushes head/neck forward in an awkward position which also causes neck and shoulder pain. There are no adjustments that can be made to remedy these pains and discomfort. Just driving or riding for short distances cause this discomfort/pain. Now, after 6 months of driving the car, the back/hip pain for me and my 16 yr old son is deemed chronic and there is really no relief other than not drive or ride in the car and we don't have another car. Honda should come up with a solution and at least offer an affordable fix. Numbness and pain of this sort for drivers is dangerous.

The head rest/head restraint is in such a position as to cause awful neck ache!!! I put the seatback backward to give my head more room and I feel like I'm in a lawn chair or lazy boy. If I put the seatback in upright, alert, healthy position and the &@d head rest makes me lean my head forward and makes my neck ache! it's awful! did I say my neck is stiff and aches.

My 2010 Honda Accord seats are so bad my back hurts all the time now, the lumbar jams in to my lower back and the headrest pushes my head forward. This is something that you find out after a few days of driving and then it's to late the dealers got you and when you complain they try and upsale you with a huge loss on your new car or you get sorry about your luck we've never heard of this. I started to drive my 1996 explorer to relieve my back pain and let my new Honda sit in the garage. So much for saving fuel, and now I have a car payment on top of it.

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the driver side head rest was not angled correctly. When she would sit in the seat, the head rest would push her head forward. She stated this would cause her to feel fatigued and cause a sore neck, affecting her ability to operate the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 9,700.

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The contact owns a 2010 Honda Accord. The contact stated that she had a problem with the head restraint. The head restraint pushed the top of her head three inches from the upright position and made it difficult to see the roadway when driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed her that was the design and they could not repair it. The vehicle was not repaired; the dealer only replaced the head restraint with one from another vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 188.

2009 Honda Accord sedan. Consumer states design problem found with head restraint. The head restraint was very uncomfortable.

I have had upper back and neck pain for about 3 years now and could not figure out why. I've recently gone to a back pain specialist and found that my problem has been caused by my posture, mainly from the newer cars I've been driving the past couple years. I've now bought and sold several cars in the past 3 years thinking "I just need a larger more comfortable car" however that I not the case. The known fact that automobile seats are "very uncomfortable" made so by the forward design of the headrest, causing your head to bent forward while driving. To correct the problem, I've turned my headrest around backwards "not too safe" to relieve my neck pain and this has worked, but it is very unsafe. . . . . But I have no choice another example, I am renting a car because my Honda is at the body shop. The rental car company gave me a 2012 chevy malibu "it is even worse" I started driving this car at 5am this morning and within 10 miles, I was in severe pain. The problem now is I cannot turn this headrest around backwards as it appears you are not able to remove the headrest to turn it around. To resolve this, I'll be turning this car back in today in an attempt to get a different car that might allow me to drive without severe neck and back pain. Please - change the headrest requirement "now" to allow a safe but more comfortable ride while driving. I've now driven a 2006 civic, 2009 Accord and a 2012 mabilu in the past 3 years and all three vehicles are very uncomfortable. At least the Honda's you can remove the headrest and turn them around. Please help.

I have recently purchased a 2009 Honda Accord lx-premium and believe that the front seats are unsafe. I believe that the feature to move the headrest forward in the event of a rear-end collision puts the upper-back region of the seat too far forward, creating a very uncomfortable region with little lower-back support. I find that my lower-back aches after an hour of driving, and needed to lean up against the steering wheel while driving to relieve the pain. I believe this is unsafe if the airbag deployed. I have resorted to putting a bolster pillow in the lumbar region, but this again places me too close to the airbag, on the edge of the seat, and no more seat adjustment is possible. I have seen these comments on-line as well, and some have been cutting into the seats to disable the headrest feature, with mixed results. I dont want to open the seats to perform these actions since the side airbags are in the seatbacks. I think these front seats should be promptly recalled in order to fix this design defect.

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 10 mph on normal road conditions proceeding into an intersection, suddenly, an opposing vehicle crashed into the passenger side rear of the vehicle. The front driver side head-rest detached from the seat which ejected into the rear of the vehicle striking the occupant. The driver side rear passenger sustained minor injury to the face and neck. The police was called to the scene. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 32,000.

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The 2009 Honda Accord has a problem with the drivers side front head rest. I continually place the headrest in the down position however because of it's design, when I get into the car and my back makes contact with the back of the seat it also makes contact with the headrest causing the headrest to rise up to the highest position making it hard to look behind you when you back up. I had a minor, parking lot fender bender because I could not see over my right should while backing very slowly. This is a very dangerous condition and should be fixed right away.