I just found out today that my dad has been in an accident in his beloved Regal. Now, I already knew the car was having electrical problems (blinkers, turn-signals, fans, cd player), but the extent of the car's problems made itself all too apparent in this accident:

He says that he was on his way home, when the car supposedly wasn't turning enough (I have yet to find out in which direction), which could be due to the recall if it wasn't addressed (We bought this car used, I forget when, so we never knew about the recall and don't know if it was already addressed or not).

So... the car went over the guard-rail on the turn... rolled several times down the embankment... and stopped over a creek. As if that weren't bad enough, the airbags did NOT deploy at all! AND... THE DRIVER'S SEAT BROKE OFF!

That's right... my Dad, who is in his 60's with bad back and shoulder problems, was thrown back through the car and ended up lying on the trunk with his feet on the back seat! Because the driver's seat broke!

Thank GOD he's alive at all, and especially that his injuries only included being covered in cuts and bruises, broken ribs, and a chipped/dislocated elbow. He's extremely lucky, we all are.

Now, the cause could have been anything from a braking problem (he's always had to slow significantly for that turn), to a steering problem, to just plain accidental error. But how the car behaved in the actual accident is just plain dangerous! Please, are there any other cases where similar has occurred with the airbags or the seat? We've gotta find out, because the insurance company refuses to cover the car's being totalled simply because a deer or another car wasn't involved. :( We're still trying to look into whether or not the steering problem was the cause.

Thank you...

I haven't been in an accident with my '95 Regal Coupe (was your dad's a 2dr or 4dr?) but I have known for quite some time that the left upper rail under the driver's seat is cracked but not broken completely off. The seat sits a little loose as a result. It is hardly noticeable to the driver but I'm sure it would definitely impede on its ability to restraint the driver (especially a big guy like myself) in a serious accident.

I am not a mechanic but to the best of my knowledge the Air Bags will not and should not deploy unless certain strict physical criteria are met such as angle of initial impact, rate of speed, G-force, etc. In many cases if the back of the car is hit first then the Air Bags will not deploy because they are only useful for frontal impact accidents - I had this occur with a Saturn I once owned.

If you know the VIN of the car you can call a Buick dealership and see any recalls or warranty work that has been done to that car.

If you're looking for similar cases go to www.nhtsa.gov . That will probably be much more useful than any info on this forum, and you can get the government involved if necessary.

Sounds like the insurance company is being a little assholish (is that a word?). As long as the insurance policy includes comprehensive coverage and you have a police report then I would think that they would have to cover it unless they suspect fraud. But even then they should at least be willing to investigate. Of course I'm sure they'll find some technicality somewhere in the policy that will deny your dad coverage for the accident.

Sorry to hear about your father, but glad to hear he's alive given the circumstances.

I hope this helps.

Thanks very much, already found at least one other case of seat breakage, though not during an accident. Hopefully will find more with more searching. I'll bring this up to my parents; they'd know more about this stuff than me. Thanks very much.