When a defective seatback collapses rearward during rear impact, a driver can lose control of his/her vehicle, causing serious injuries and death. A seatback failure can also hinder with the restraint system, allowing passengers to impact rear seat objects in a collision because they aren’t correctly restrained. In some circumstances, the passengers can be completely ejected when they slide out from under the safety restraints. A front seat collapse can injure the rear seat passengers in a rear-impact collision and the rear seat occupants can become trapped underneath the collapsed seatback.

These types of injuries can be prevented if the seatback designs and manufacturing defects are replaced with proven safety measures that have been available for many years. Problems with automobile seatbacks can be attributed to non-sturdy and defective parts, including seatbacks, seat tracks, and recliner mechanisms.
Seatbacks should be able to keep the vehicle's occupants safe by keeping them from moving forward and impacting the interior of the vehicle in a collision, or even worse being completely ejected. The safety standards for automobile seats are viewed as being too lenient and out of date to protect vehicle occupants from injuries. It is not required for automobile seats to go through crash tests and is so weak it leaves safety experts wondering why new standards are not made. Tests that have been conducted on vehicles show that most seatbacks are unable to safely withstand impacts, especially bucket seatbacks and split bench seatbacks.

Seatbacks are most affected by rear-impact collisions because a number of seatback defects can occur. A particular study found that in rear-impact collisions that had a front seat collapse, occupants ended up being ejected from the seat even at low speeds. Some experts feel that if seatback strength were increased, it would limit the number of seatback defects that result from collisions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wishes to strengthen the federal seatback requirements.

If you were seriously injured in an accident that involved a defective seatback, contact our defective seatback accident lawyers for a free, confidential consulation. Our attorneys fight for victims of defective automobiles and parts.