Chevrolet recalls 17,000 Cruze models for janky seats
Nobody wants whiplash...unless you're into that sort of thing. No judging.
When a car part runs afoul of the volumes of government regulations, an automaker is basically forced to issue a recall. Something along those lines spurred Chevrolet's latest recall.
Chevrolet issued a recall covering 17,197 examples of the 2016-2017 Chevrolet Cruze. It's unclear if this recall affects just the sedan, or if it covers the new hatchback model that was introduced for 2017, as well.
In the meantime, I suggest not getting into collisions until you get the seat-back issue resolved.
The issue stems from the front seat head restraints. Some of the affected vehicles may have an incorrectly welded bracket in the recliner mechanism. This bad weld may reduce the seat's capability to maintain its position or manage loads in the event of an accident, and the seat may even separate.
A failure of the seat back will increase the risk of injury in an accident. This compromised assembly puts the seats in violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 202a, "Head restraints." Thus, the recall.
Remedying the issue starts with notifying the owners of affected vehicles, which GM will do in the near future via first class mail. From there, owners will bring their cars to the dealership, which will replace seat-back frames with the incorrect weld. GM has not yet provided a notification schedule to the feds, so it's unclear when this will start.
