[MMAG4X4]

I agree with jimntempe, there needs to be a solution before the failure occurs. It's disappointing that the NHTSA in the United States opened an investigation in Sep 2019 and it looks like there has been no additional action since Nov. FCA requested an extension of time to respond to the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) due to the scope and complexity of the request. FCA proposed to respond to the request on December 6, 2019. Even if you replace the part at a $700 plus cost now, the part number may still be identical, so you would be installing the same potential fault again.

These are going "off" because the plastic gives way, not because they are "activated". So disabling them wouldn't prevent anything other then making them not work when you need them to work. It would be nice if Jeep came up with a TSB for a repair to them that could be done before the plastic breaks.

 

[Donna G]

Hi. First time on here. My passenger side headrest was popped open when I got in my 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee this afternoon. Googled how to pop it back in and found all these issues with the Active Headrest deploying. It did not deploy, there's a plastic piece that is very clearly broken. I've sent in a complaint to the NHTSA and to Jeep.com. I can't believe there has not been a recall for this issue. I'm just glad no one was in the seat when it happened.

 

[BradWK2]

Was it ever determined if Maxcare covers replacement on these?

 

[MMAG4X4]

Hi. First time on here. My passenger side headrest was popped open when I got in my 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee this afternoon. Googled how to pop it back in and found all these issues with the Active Headrest deploying. It did not deploy, there's a plastic piece that is very clearly broken. I've sent in a complaint to the NHTSA and to Jeep.com. I can't believe there has not been a recall for this issue. I'm just glad no one was in the seat when it happened.

Welcome to Jeep Garage. Great to know no one was hurt.

 

[kidkotic2001]

My happened about 1yr ago, I called Chrysler was no help they still wanted me to pay they would only do 35% and I would have to pay first in order for part. I was not happy, this will be my last Jeep, I have been very loyal to. I owned two others but I guess Loyalty is not a big thing for Chrysler. What I ended up doing was JB welding it back and putting it back in place. The only thing that sucks now is that my son removed the headrest before I disconnected the negative terminal and now my airbag light is on. Sucks big time mine is a 2015 Overlnd.

I remember going to one of the dealers and they literary laughed in my face and told me that I would be paying 125 for diagnostic.Instead of at least humoring me.

I would love to get this recalled going.

 

[Immunosmo]

First time here and first posting. While I‘m glad I found others with the same issue, I’m sorely disappointed that a recall hasn’t been issued..... My passenger side headrest deployed on it’s own while I was driving to work last week... I plan on filing a NHTSA report ASAP to add one more log to the fire in hopes it will help the cause.... The timing sucks; I’m still averaging 70 hrs a week as a front line healthcare provider to fight COVID-19, and I don’t know when I’ll even be able to get it fixed... but at least I still have a job.... Stay safe everyone!

 

[Johntheman3007]

My wife as well had the passenger active headset pop out thingy pop out. The pin was still in its retainer clips. The plastic hooks on the seat had failed. We will ask regarding a recall. This is nonsense. Its a 5 year old car.

 

[dcarrig]

Just purchased a 2015 Compass for my niece. I was inspecting a loose cover on the outer side of the passenger seat bottom, and accidentally released the seat back lever. Since the seat was unoccupied, the seat back sprung forward, and the Active Headrest sprung open. The plastic tabs have broken, and the unit cannot be put back together. I used 3 wire ties to restrain the two sections and hold them somewhat in place. So, please be careful not to release the seat back lever while the seat is unoccupied!!!

 

[coiahlgw]

My situation is a little different, but effectively I am in the same boat. I have a 2014 Limited, and I had a problem with my driver's seat to where the metal frame in the back of the seat bent and the plastic clips of the back cover broke off. After a $1600 quote to repair/replace the seat, I figured I had to do something different.

Fast forward my story to this week, where I was able to find an identical drivers seat on eBay. I had many pictures of the seat, but in the pictures it was not able to see that the AHR had deployed. Nor did I know to look for an AHR deployment. Or perhaps it could have happened in transit. None of my clips appear to be broken, and maybe the head rest just needs to be plugged back in to power to allow it to move from its supposed locked position. Who knows if this was the case to begin with, but in hindsight I would have certainly checked.

However, I am in the fortunate position to have a replacement seat to where I can reuse my original headrest, and swap it out with the seat where the AHR has deployed. Just an extra pain to have to deal with. I will be sure to disconnect the negative from the battery first and then reverse all of my steps once the "new" headrest is in place.

 

[Kgaltman2068]

Hi. New here! 2014 GC with 95k miles. Had this AHR on passenger side pop in the garage overnight. What is the fix for this?

 

[BradWK2]

Hi. New here! 2014 GC with 95k miles. Had this AHR on passenger side pop in the garage overnight. What is the fix for this?

Currently unfortunately its to the dealer for the $800 per seat repair. NHTSA has had an investigation opened on it for a year now but I dont think there has been any movement on it since some letters last fall. You could check with them, rattle their cage a little and see what the status is.
Did any one ever confirm either way if maxcare would or would not cover this until they issue recall which will likely happen at some point

 

[Kgaltman2068]

Welp, I did a case to the NHTSA and then glued the cover back to the seat. Zip tied and then hoping for the best. I did price out a replacement for under $300. I’m smart enough to replace it myself,however, didn’t know if there was a free fix out there. I refuse to go to a stealership if I can help it!
I love my Jeep and typically love all Jeep products, but I will say from the whatever kind of gear shift this year has in it to the head rest......some design flaws for sure.

 

[REDGC2014]

The same thing just happened to my wife's 2014 GC Limited.

Her driver-side AHR went off while she was driving. It gave her a pretty good jolt but fortunately didn't cause a serious accident or injury.

We filled a case with NHTSA. A few law firms are picking this up as a class action opportunity. We don't want to go that route, but it would be nice if Jeep was willing to fix it.

Thanks, everyone for sharing your feedback.

 

[notell55]

Same thing just happened to mine. Driver's side while I was driving and almost swerved off the road. Passenger side a week later with my wife sitting there. Both of us injured out necks when it happened. Contacted FCA Canada and they didn't care since it was out of warranty.

 

[DW2020]

Deployed/Broken tabs with passenger Active Headrest on my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I did not have any accidents so I am confused on how it could have even deployed. I was in my vehicle and noticed the headrest was deployed. I am concerned because it is the same system with my airbags, I do not know if my airbags are faulty at this point. I called the dealorship and they said there were no recalls for this problem. Looking for a goodwill replacement of the headrest. If someone has information on what direction I should take, please help. It is a safety concern.

 

[Scottyk]

Deployed/Broken tabs with passenger Active Headrest on my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I did not have any accidents so I am confused on how it could have even deployed. I was in my vehicle and noticed the headrest was deployed. I am concerned because it is the same system with my airbags, I do not know if my airbags are faulty at this point. I called the dealorship and they said there were no recalls for this problem. Looking for a goodwill replacement of the headrest. If someone has information on what direction I should take, please help. It is a safety concern.

My 2014 GC Altitude just had the same thing happen this past weekend. I have spent way too much time researching and the most common problem is one of plastic failure. Look inside the head rest for the small metal, horizontal pin and if it is still held in place by the metal retaining hooks then the plastic failed in the headrest. NHTSA has had an investigation opened on it for a year now but, I don't think there has been any movement on it since last fall but, will hopefully result in a recall at some point. There are also several class action law suites that have been started but, no resolution there either. You can choose to take to dealership for replacement cost of anywhere between $650 and $1,300 per seat depending on your VIN. At my local dealer, my headrest Part was $865 + $120 Diagnostic + Install but, they were unwilling to quote me a price without seeing vehicle. I found part on-line for approx $500 shipped and after some more research I plan to swap out myself. Hope that this helps and hope that NHTSA or One of the Class Actions helps everyone recoup some of the cost for this poor design.

 

[Scottyk]

Welp, I did a case to the NHTSA and then glued the cover back to the seat. Zip tied and then hoping for the best. I did price out a replacement for under $300. I’m smart enough to replace it myself,however, didn’t know if there was a free fix out there. I refuse to go to a stealership if I can help it!
I love my Jeep and typically love all Jeep products, but I will say from the whatever kind of gear shift this year has in it to the head rest......some design flaws for sure.

As you mention, once you get the "Active" part of the headrest back into place with a little effort and then strap or zip-tie it is only temporarily. The only solution I have found beside the dealer is going on-line to a mopar parts site armed with your VIN for a replacement headrest. With a little research, the online part was between 35% and 60% less than what my local dealer was looking to charge me just for the part. It took me 5 minutes to figure out how to remove the headrest which would have cost me another $120 Diagnostic + ?? Labor at the dealership. There are several YouTube videos on how to replace but, the main key is to disconnect the battery first to avoid tripping the head rest collision compute fault. Without that step, you can't avoid the "Stealership."

 

[DonandPatty]

As you mention, once you get the "Active" part of the headrest back into place with a little effort and then strap or zip-tie it is only temporarily. The only solution I have found beside the dealer is going on-line to a mopar parts site armed with your VIN for a replacement headrest. With a little research, the online part was between 35% and 60% less than what my local dealer was looking to charge me just for the part. It took me 5 minutes to figure out how to remove the headrest which would have cost me another $120 Diagnostic + ?? Labor at the dealership. There are several YouTube videos on how to replace but, the main key is to disconnect the battery first to avoid tripping the head rest collision compute fault. Without that step, you can't avoid the "Stealership."

Same problem with my 2015 Jeep GC. When the AHR is replaced,,,,,Is it upgraded or do they use the same faulty plastic parts???

 

[Scottyk]

Same problem with my 2015 Jeep GC. When the AHR is replaced,,,,,Is it upgraded or do they use the same faulty plastic parts???

Great question that I regretfully don't have an answer for yet. My part has not arrived, but I will have the replacement in the next couple of days. Regretfully, I fear that it will simply be the same part manufactured more recently.

Since the NHTSA investigation is still open, FCA has not acknowledged a problem with the AHR. My hope is that a newer part will provide me with added time until either the NHTSA investigation forces FCA to Redesign and Recall or one of the Class Action Lawsuits forces FCA to take responsibility.

 

[[email protected]]

I had a similar issue a few months ago with my 2015 Overland. I made the mistake of putting my hand on the driver's side headrest as I turned around while sitting in the passenger seat. Those impeccably designed clips broke and I thought "well that sucks but I have a bumper to bumper warranty. They'll take care of it." Silly me. Took it to the dealer, they charged me $60 to look at it, said they couldn't repair it under warranty but they would contact corporate to see if they would cover it under warranty. You know, the one I paid extra for (yeah, I know stupid move). Well that was 8 months ago and I never got a response. I love what my Jeep can do but I don't think I'll buy a new one ever again since FCA (or Stellantis soon) doesn't really care about customer loyalty. Why pay them the premium for a new vehicle that they won't support.

One difference I had from most other failures is that it was the clips at the top of the unit that failed that hold the front of the headpiece to the extension arm (the larger bar above the release pin). I'm going to try and repair that this weekend with some safety wire and JB Weld and in the process tie down the release pin with a zip tie per some of the other members here. If that doesn't work I'll just buy a replacement unit from Tasca but then of course I can potentially have the same problem again since it's the same part as well as the risk of the system deploying and hitting me in the back of the head. I'll update with pictures and status this weekend.