10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

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problem #1

Jul 052002

(reported on)

Grand Am

  • miles
I am filing this complaint not because of a failure that has occurred with my vehicle, but soley a safety concern. I have a brand new Pontiac Grand Am GT 2 door coupe. I have noticed that the front seat belts ride abnormally high on the shoulder, impinging in the neck. Upon inspection of the seat belt unit, I noticed a design flaw that I feel could cause serious neck injuries when in a collision. The seat belt on this car has a guide which is mounted between the headrest and the backrest of the seat. This guide extends from the top portion of the backrest to about the mid section of the headrest (estimate of 4-5" total height). This guide is where the seat belt runs through, placing the shoulder harness in the proper position. However, there is a major problem with this design. This guide is so large, that it does not guide the seat belt over the shoulder in the proper position. For this reason, the seat belt sits high on the shoulder, partly on the neck. I am a normal sized male adult, so this problem definitely should not occur. I noticed that on previous years of Grand Am's that this seat belt guide is smaller in size, thus guiding the seat belt to the proper position. I fear that if I were to be in an auto accident, this seat belt would cause serious cervical spinal cord damage. I contacted the dealership and requested that the problem be fixed. The dealership denies that there is a problem and has not offered a solid solution. I suggested that they replace the guide with a smaller one from a previous model, but refuse to do so stating that the vehicle warranty would be void. I have also contacted Pontiac at 1800 pm cares. My complaint has been documented and I highly doubt that they will do anything with it. This is why I dedided to file this complaint. Being a fiirefigter/paramedic, I see a huge potential for injury due to this design flaw. I hope that you are able to research this complaint and enforce a proper resolution.

- Perrysburg, OH, USA