I had just parked my 2002 Chevrolet Silverado extended cab pickup truck and stepped out to talk with someone. The keys were not in the ignition and the windows were down. My 4-year old son who was in the rear seat, unbuckled himself and reached over the driver's seat and pressed the seat position memory button. The seat retracted and pinned him between the seat and the B-pillar. As a result my son was asphyxiated and nearly died. Since his chest was immediately crushed, he could not yell for help and had I not turned to check on him for another minute he would have not recovered. Luckily for us and for the help of a quick responding rescue squad, paramedics, and emergency room staff, my son is alive and appears to be well. My complaint lies with the facts that the memory buttons are 1) accessible by a child from the rear seat, and 2) that (unlike a modern garage door openers) the motor mechanism which generates a great deal of power, does not sense any level of resistance. I have since disconnected the seat position memory buttons on the door panel. However, this design is present in all late model GM SUVS and given their popularity, this design represents a grave danger to many us families and their children. After some internet research, I found that this exact design has caused prior tragedies, as follows: The inquirer May 31, 2001 power seat kills girl, 5, playing in family's SUV willistown - a 5-year-old girl playing at home was killed Tuesday night after she climbed into the family's SUV and eventually became crushed between the driver's seat and part of the car's frame. The girl was pinned between the seat and a part of the frame known as the B-pillar behind the door of the 2001 Chevy Tahoe, police said. Chester county coroner said the girl most likely was climbing through the crack between the front seat and door when she pressed one of the buttons on a door console that moves the seat to pre-programmed positions.

- Belmont, CA, USA

While in motion, power seat would engage by itself, pinning driver against steering wheel.

- Albany, NY, USA