I bought my 2012 accord LX a month ago. I’m usually a Toyota guy, but through I would make the shift to Honda because of its reputation as a reliable well engineered car. The Auto press just can’t praise it enough.

Anyway, the car is nice in terms of driving and overall quality feel. But since I started driving the car, I’ve been having neck pain. It is because of the ridiculously designed headrest. It protrudes into the rear of my head that I feel that I’m always leaning forward. I usually sit upright (Not 90 degree upright, but upright. This is what the ergonomic doctors recommend). I tried adjusting the seat by tilting the back a little and it helped a little, but not much. The headrest is still protruded way too much forward. I tried raising it up as far as it will go, but still, the pain is there.

I’m a very Safety-conscious person and I know that the intention of this new headrest design is to reduce whiplash injury in case of an accident, but I think Honda has taken this too far and the actions that some people may take to alleviate the discomfort of this headrest may end up causing more injury (I read on the net that some guy reversed the headrest. Another one suggested manually bending it back forcefully. Another one suggested replacing it with a 2003-2007 headrest which sounds reasonable).

What irritates me even more is that people have been complaining about this for the past 5 years and Honda has done nothing to address it. I can’t believe that all that Honda Engineering experience cannot design a comfortable, yet safe headrest. I’m very very disappointed. This will probably be my first and last Honda.

I’m not new to cars. I have been driving for almost 30 years and owned lots of different cars. This is by far the worst in terms of the headrest discomfort and pain-causing. I’m fairly healthy. I’m about 5’7 tall and weigh about 160lb. the people that don’t see a problem with this are probably young and therefore can tolerate improper body postures for long times (although eventually they will pay the price of that bad posture with severe pain and injury).

It is really sad to see a reputable car manufacturer such as Honda sacrificing their reputation to score a couple of points on the Safety scale when crash-testing with a dummy.

Whoever designed that car seat with this horrible headrest probably never sat in it.

Honda is so worried that we don’t get a whiplash, but it’s OK to get a herniated disc instead.

The headrest,seat,lumbar function of my 2012 Honda Accord SE is causing me severe neck, back, and even arm pain depending on how long have have to drive this car. I traded in my 1998 Honda Accord for this new model and ABSOLUTELY REGRET IT!! I purchased this car in Florida 11/20/2012. I first noted the problem the next day after purchase after about 1 and 1/2 hours of driving. On this road trip I googled replacement head rest and found all of these complaints. I called the dealership that day. They were no help. I told them I no longer wanted the car and I was bringing it back. Due to Florida state law they do not have to take it back so they did not. They would not even do an even trade. From my research this is what we all should do to make Honda wake up.

Take your car to your dealership repeatedly. Tell them about your problems with the seat. Make them check it out. Make sure it is not defective. Make them give you a work order detail in writing EVERY TIME. Keep this paper.

Call/write American Honda to place a formal complaint. They will tell you they have no record of anyone having this problem. I turned around and complained using twitter and which they gave me a reference #. American Honda phone# 1888-999-1009.

Contact the NHTSA who handles recalls and place a formal complaint with them. They will provide a reference #. They will mail you a hard copy of your phone complaint for you to sign and return before it is considered valid. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) phone# 1888-327-4236

Sign the petition at the below link;

http://www.change.org/petitions/honda-motors-replace-drivers-side-seat-bottom-and-upright

Use Twitter, Facebook, any method of social media to get the word out. The more info out there the less these people who are supposed to help us can deny this terrible ongoing issue. They can fix this; they have just chosen not to.

I am contacting the Flordia ATTY General in regards to my right as to the lemon law.

Please contact me if you wish. Together we are more powerful. Honda MUST fix this problems.

On my last visit to the dealership a person in the service dept let it slip to me that once a month a rep from Honda goes to each dealership to survey what is going on. Let the dealership and American Honda know you know this...demand a meeting with this person. I am trying to do this myself.

Update from Dec 5, 2012: CORRECTION!!American Honda Phone # 1-800-999-1009 Sorry about that

I purchased this ride looking for better gas mileage than the GMC truck I traded in. At first I thought the seats were ergonomic with the lumbar support. After purchasing the vehicle and reading the manual I found the lumbar in this model was not adjustable. The problem I have is the lumbar is too much and causing me discomfort no matter how I set the multi position seat. I have complained to the dealership and will see what happens. If you get a new Honda make sure the seat's lumbar is adjustable.

I have had the car about three weeks. I have had severe pain in my middle back since driving it for more than 10 miles a day. The seat bulges in the middle and the power seat adjustments do not help in any way because the seat continues to push into the back. The power lumbar support does nothing because it is below the bulge causing the problem. Some have suggested modifications that remove the bulge.

I have just filed a complaint with the dealership regarding this problem, and will follow up with their response. I plain on bringing the link to this web page with me when I go.

I love the car. It drives great, handles well for its size, no other complaints. Just pain. But that is a HUGE complaint keeping me from enjoying the car. And ironically, I bought it because I preferred the design of the interior over the competition.

I have a 2005 Honda Pilot EX-L and the leather seats are great. I have never experienced any pain driving the car and have driven it on a single trip over 4000 miles. Never a complaint about comfort.

If you are considering an Accord, rent one first and drive it for several days. Honda should fix this, no matter how expensive, because it is much too severe a problem to endure and more and more people will complain.

Another big disappointment is with Consumer Reports in that they did not report this problem. It is so glaring and yet nowhere in CR is it mentioned. If, in over 30 years of driving, I have never had a car cause back pain except this Honda Accord and other people are now complaining about the same thing, this isn't a fluke.

I purchased the Accord Honda EXL in February 2012. I started getting this gnawing pain in my right hip. After eliminating all things that it could possibly be....it was the Honda bucket seats! As long as I stay out of the car my hip will start to heal. My orthopedic dr. wrote a letter to the Honda dealership, but it did little good. I have developed bursitis in my right hip and must get rid of the car. I will take a huge loss, but I must never sit in those seats again.... the advice of my orthopedic doctor and physical therapist. I feel like a victim and the only concern the dealership has is sell me another car. The bucket seats were designed to hug the body...but there is no way you can have correct posture sitting in those seats.

I have been driving this car since 2 months now and use it mostly for commuting to work. I usually average 30 miles a day. But when I do make a longer trip sometime on the weekends, I feel this pain in the neck and the lower area below the neck and shoulders. I initially thought that this might be due to my seat not being set properly or maybe due to my own stress. But when this started occurring more frequently I started observing that and making numerous adjustments on the driver seat as well as the front passenger seat. But last week was really bad when I did a very long drive and the pain in the neck started even before I returned home and I was still driving on the highway. The pain was so strong that sometimes I felt it was really dangerous to drive and had to stop for short breaks, which was really annoying. Even after 4 days since my long drive I still have the pain as I am writing this. When I called the Honda dealership where I purchased the car, they said they never knew of any complaints and they actually advised me not to believe what forums or websites mentioned. I am really frustrated with this attitude of Honda which is not what I know of them. I ask Honda to fix this problem at the earliest and provide a solution for the most uncomfortable front seats I have ever known

FIRST OF ALL, I ONLY HAD THIS VEHICLE AS A DEMO.. I SELL HONDAS IN MANASSAS. ANYWAYS EVERYDAY DRIVING THE VEHICLE BACK A FORTH TO WORK I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT THE SEAT WAS HARD LIKE A ROCK.. I STARTED TO HAVE A LOT OF PAIN WITH MY BACK AND AFTER AUGUST I HAD TO GET RID OF THE THING. THANK GOD IT WAS ONLY A DEMO, ANYWAYS I SAT IN THE NEW 13 FUSION AND I WAS SO IMPRESSED HOW PLUSH THE SEATS WHERE. ANYONE WHO IS READING THIS GO TRY IT IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE! ALSO, IT HAD GOD AWFUL GAS MILEAGE.. I THINK I WAS AVERAGING ABOUT 19-20 MPG.. BUYERS BEWARE! EVEN FROM A SALES STANCE.

I love Honda products. Motorcycle, 4-wheeler and generator. Got excellent deal and courteous service so I wanted to try their car. Car jumps over bumps. Suspension stiff and seats are HARD. Back hurts so bad I drive my 2005 Montego to see grandkids which was one of the reasons I bought this car. Dealer couldn't change anything so I find myself looking for different springs and gel seats. I started asking other people and checking websites and noticed this problem has been around for a long time. Also tried to lower tire pressure but noted it came from dealer with only 28 psi in them. Is this normal? I bought this car on its name I hope Honda will HONOR their reputation.

retired toyota worker

Bought the 2012 Honda Accord after my beloved Civic wasn't worth the $1800 repair after 200k miles. At first, loved the car, especially because of the price tag. After a few days I noticed my hips becoming numb after a little while behind the wheels. The seats are not designed well nor made comfortable for long driving. My old Civic had more comfortable seats and costed about half of what I put out for the Accord.

Anyway, the car itself is nice...went to Walmart and bought cushions to place on the seats. This is not the best thing but it really makes a big difference.

I hope Honda will fix the problem by recalling the seats and maintain customer satisfaction. "Lots of used 2012 Accords for sale all of a sudden!!"

I purchased my 2012 Accord after trading in my 2012 Mazda 6 that had multiple issues with only 14,000 miles. I bought the car to have a trouble free ride and just do regular maintenance. I the first three weeks I had the car in the shop for the severe front end vibration that had the steering wheel bouncing all over the place. The other reason was due to the annoying pain that the drivers seat was causing. It looks the vibration has been fixed after months of consult with a dealership and Honda corporate, but there is no resolution for the unbearable pain the drivers seat caused. I believe that has to do with height and weight. I am of normal height and weight 5'8 180Lbs. The issue is the head restraint system is designed to work a certain way and unfortunately if you are average height and weight, the metal piece digs directly into your back, causing immense pain. I could have had the seat redesigned through a local custom shop, instead I gave the car to my fiancee and I took hers. She is 5 feet and average weight and has no problems what so ever. The reality of this is, is as a mass produced product it is not made for the average person, made for select people who can handle the incorrect placement of the head restraint system. I have read in other posts, that people have gone as far as being on pain medication, to deal with the pain that the seat has caused them. Hopefully, Honda will recognize this issue at some point, as others may not have the luxury of trading cars with someone else in the household. Will keep the car until I break even and then get rid of it, really disappointed in the brand, especially since I have owned so many of their different products. Good Luck to all of you that have the same issue and I have signed the petition for a recall and recommend you all do the same.

On Aug. 8 we went to a Honda dealership to purchase a low mileage, used Honda Accord. The salesman guided us toward the purchase of a brand new 2012 Honda Accord. The car is for my wife and in the first couple of days she complained that the driver's seat was causing significant back pain. We tried to adjust the seat but the lumbar support is rock hard and we cannot manage a way to make if feel comfortable. This car doesn't even have 100 miles on it yet and my wife HATES to drive it. We are informing the dealership of this and they say this is the first they have heard of this problem. We have shared links of hundreds of similar complaints coming in for the 2012 Honda Accord. Still awaiting solution.

My husband and I purchased this car a little over a week ago. The short test drive was fine, obviously we liked the accord and purchased it. I drove it around town after we purchased it, to the store, & boys to school. The couple miles here and there did not let me know how uncomfortable this car is. My family then took a trip over 300 miles away. My husband drove on the way and I ended up driving the last 4 hours home. After being in the drivers seat after about 45 min I start to have numb legs, hip pain, and awful lower back pain. It didn't matter how I position my 8 way power seats it was still horrible. Its now two days after the trip and I dread getting into the car! I feel like my back needs an alignment! I'm not going to keep this car nor pay for my new car seats to be refined" like my honda dealership recommended. Sure ill pay 26,000 for a brand new car then pay hundreds of dollars to redo the seats. If honda doesn't fix this problem I will never purchase another honda in my life!!!!!