C5 Seat back issues and MOT failure

[Dave R]

Recently had my 2003 C5 fail the MOT and declared too dangerous to drive on the basis of both the seat backs tipping forward before they lock, (as they do on all C5s and on the C6s etc. Same garage passed it last year and I believe the year before. Wouldn't listen to me,As this garage know him I got them to phone Stuart Graham from whom the car was purchased ans is only a few miles away.Wouldn't listen to him either. Told me that this is "a well known fault on these cars and is all over the internet" (It isn't of course, that' the famous "flop" where the mechanism fails and the seat can suddenly flop back)
Wnt home and phoned the the GM agents Parts USA in Manchester . They basically said"B*ll*cks and sent we a video clip made by GM for new owners demonstrating the seat and advising this was a design feature. The (very) reluctantly conceded to keep with my MOT docs saying that "With hindsight" ,(as they put it not me),they shouldn't have have failed it in the first place and it was never in a dangerous condition but they weren't prepared to back down on the advisory. Has anyone elses had this issue, and is there anything the club can do to ensure that this doesn't happen again?

 

[Daytona Vette]

Hi Dave

How about the GM Heritage Center

GM Heritage Center - Home

Drop them a line to technical, they will have all the Drawings and Specs archived and ask them to confirm that the spec movement of the seat is not an issue.

I have found them very helpful, the internet is full of corrupted technical information, but GM Heritage Center are the oracle.

Best of Luck

Barry

 

[FIVE RED]

I've had an '02 for 12 years now and have never encountered this problem. I could understand if the seat mounts were loose and the seat moved forward and back freely, but as regards the seat back I'd say providing the seat belts do their job their shouldn't be an issue.
I'd take it somewhere else, explain the previous issue and see what they say.

 

[Dave R]

I've had an '02 for 12 years now and have never encountered this problem. I could understand if the seat mounts were loose and the seat moved forward and back freely, but as regards the seat back I'd say providing the seat belts do their job their shouldn't be an issue.
I'd take it somewhere else, explain the previous issue and see what they say.

That, so far is the only thing I can think of, but I have had problems with other MOT testers ref the headlight alignment. Oddly the garage, the garage who didn't like the seats did an MOT for me 2 so ago after it failed with my usual garage on the headlamps who said they couldn't adjust them any further and set them up very quickly. They'd gone out of alignment again this year and this was also part of the fail along with dodgy bulbs, but they sorted both things out. I feel that their senior MOT guy had sort of backed himself into a corner, wasn't happy with me proving him wrong and was trying to save face or justify his position to his boss. He said rules on seats had changed recently which is probably the case, but you can't make these things retrospective. If it was legal when it was built, and hasn't changed, it's legal now.

 

[PhilV8]

I've had an '02 for 12 years now and have never encountered this problem. I could understand if the seat mounts were loose and the seat moved forward and back freely, but as regards the seat back I'd say providing the seat belts do their job their shouldn't be an issue.
I'd take it somewhere else, explain the previous issue and see what they say.

I agree, had my '03 Coupe 6 years now and it has never even been commented on (I always stay with the car when they do it, only chance I get to look underneath). Definitely go somewhere else, they'll only be looking for something else that isn't there next time........

Phil