Front Seat Head Restraint problems of the 2010 Honda FIT

The contact owns a 2010 Honda Fit. While the vehicle was parked the contact experienced a headache due to the head rest which was not adjustable. The contact stated that he experienced the headache when he drove the vehicle with the head rest and when the head rest was removed, he did not experience headaches. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 200. Updated 2/23/11.

My brand new 2010 Honda Fit sport is breaking my neck! the design of the headrest does not allow me to sit in a comfortable position. Because of chronic back problems, I normally drive with the seat back in an almost vertical position. The tilt of the headrest forces my head forward. Within minutes, the pain in my neck and back becomes unbearable.

I purchased Honda Fit and drove it home to realize that I have to either drive without a head restraint and compromise my safety or not be able to drive for more than 20 minutes a day. The head rest pushes my head forward and strains my neck to the point that I either have to sit upright away from the seat or stretch my neck far out in pain. Either way it is not safe, whether in case of accident or generally for my health. With no cool-off period on new cars in California, I cannot return the car which at this point has 12 miles on it, so I am forced to drive unsafely. I ran google search for Honda head rest complaints and found out that customers have been complaining about Honda's new head rests for the same very reason since 2007, for most of their models - from accord and odyssey to Fit. What makes the matter worse is that you cannot reverse the headrest as there are grooves only on one of the two support poles. By making head restraint extremely uncomfortable to use, Honda is forcing its customers to drive unsafely, specifically without head restraint. I spoke to service manager at my dealer and he told me that Honda does not have adjustable or reversible head restraint. He is also aware of the complaints from the customers. Solution should be easy to implement by making the head rest reversible for those like me with neck or back problems. I drove Hondas for 18 years and cannot believe that Honda has not responded to 3 years of continuous complaints by the customers. There is no injuries yet, as the car is sitting in my garage as I am afraid to drive it. I don't have VIN with me right now, but this issue is not specific to the car, it is widespread across the models of Honda.