Ben, I haven't heard anyone mention it before, in the 5+ years that Volts have been in production. The headrest is a good 3" behind the back of my head when I drive so I am not sure how it would cause you pain or discomfort. I hope you can remedy the situation!

 

I complained about the g1 seats being too far forward a week after volt ownership. I'm used to adjustable headrests with variable tilt. Alas, I've gotten used to it and love with it now.

 

Raising it up or down doesn't help? Hadn't heard that one either. There are federal standards (in the last 10 years) for headrest position that the automakers follow to minimize whiplash injury.

 

My '09 Impala LT had this issue. No matter how I adjusted, it hit my head badly. '14 ELR puts the headrest all the way forward if the seat is tilted to get in the back. Annoying but it adjusts back easy enough. Not a huge thing as I drive alone 90% of the time.

 

Maybe you can lower your backrest a little?

 

Does it look like this?

http://2011volt.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-is-headrest-not-headrest.html

Or you could try this....

Instructions for a Gen 1:

Tools needed: Small phillips head screwdriver.

Step 1:
Lean front seat back slightly so the the headrest will clear the roof of the car.

Step 2:
Kneel on the seat whose headrest you wish to remove facing the headrest.

Step 3:
Lift up the headrest to it's highest setting by pressing the button on the headrest.

Step 4:
Unscrew both black plastic washers (these are at the top of the place where the headrest goes into the seat) by turning them counterclockwise. Tape them to the headrest so that they're out of the way.

Step 5:
Pull the leather or cloth gently so that you can look down the hole that the headrest post is in. Notice a brass colored metal loop about 1" (2 cm) down into the headrest post hole (the brass-colored loop will be at the "4 o'clock" position if you're kneeling on the front seat facing the headrest).

Step 6:
Put your little phillips-head screwdriver into the brass-colored loop and carefully pull the loop backwards while pulling up on the headrest. Pull the headrest up as much as it'll go. This should "unlock" the side that you're currently working on.

Step 7:
Carefully focus your attention on the other headrest post (try not to move the seat as this will undo the work that you've just done in step 6!). Now do the same exact thing to the other headrest post while pulling up on the headrest. This will allow you to release the headrest completely and pull it out.

Maybe the gen 2 is the same or similar. The odds are good.

 

Or you could try this....

I'm pretty sure he's worked on a few of my vehicles. I remember the first time I saw him was when I purchased a used '77 Chevy pickup and my wife insisted on driving it home since she said it would probably be the last time she'd get a chance to drive it. He was the car detail guy and hosed down the seats and interior with a garden hose and my wife got a wet butt....

 

I bought a used 2013 Volt back in March and had the same problem. I always have the seatback positioned straight up and down, and with my shoulders against the seat, the headrest is forcing my head down like I am looking at my lap. I too thought about reversing the headrest,but the slider posts are not centered in the headrest. My fix was to remove the headrest, and straighten each post by squeezing them in my bench vise. They are hard to straighten, I have a 6" vice and it took all my strength to squeeze as far as it would go, and they still aren't totally straight but it totally fixed my problem.

 

I did find that the Gen II Volt does have a headrest position that is further forward than the Gen I Volt. However I do keep the headrest position slightly lower on my Gen II and have been able to adjust it to be comfortable.

 

Yes! The headrest on the Gen 1 was too far forward and gave me nechache/migraine problems unless I reclined the seat further back than I would otherwise have done. The Gen 2 is even worse and was almost a deal-breaker for me. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to continue to drive the car until I found the instructions posted above and got the headrest turned around. It's a little too far back now but what a relief! I can't understand why GM doesn't make headrests forward-backward adjustable, especially on a higher-end model like the Volt! Just as not everyone is the same height, not everyone's head and neck works with the extreme forward angle they're using. It's not like the technology doesn't exist -- the Ford Focus Electric has a ratchet in the headrest that adjusts forward-backward as well as the usual up-down slide with notches. I hate admitting that Ford has an advantage over Chevy but they sure do on this one feature! Chevy: PLEASE give us an option for adjustable (forward-backward) headrests!

 

I hate admitting that Ford has an advantage over Chevy but they sure do on this one feature! Chevy: PLEASE give us an option for adjustable (forward-backward) headrests!

I wonder if there's enough standardization in the seats across different GM models that adjustable headrests from a different vehicle would fit in the Volt? Perhaps an exploratory trip to an auto wrecker might be worth while...?

 

Hopefully you can solve this without reversing the head restraint, since that will probably eliminate most of the whiplash protection. I solved it on a previous car (a Honda) by installing a head restraint from a different model that fit and had a better angle. It took some detective work to find the right one, however.

Some people have used a cushion on the seat back. The link below shows an example of one possibility. The reviews at the link are full of people describing the same issue. Kind of expensive, but can be moved to other vehicles later, which may be handy since it seems this problem is affecting more cars all the time.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IKN33ZI?psc=1

 

This is what I did on my Gen2 2016 Chevy Volt with Leather:

1. Raise Headrest as high as it will go
2. Loosen plastic retainer rings on the top of seat and slide up the headrest shafts (Rotate firmly counter clockwise to loosen)
3. Tape plastic rings up out of the way
4. Push fabric gently out of the way where post goes into seat...Look for small wire loop protruding from plastic receiver (Looks like the head of a cotter pin sticking out). put small screwdriver through wire loop and while moving loop toward drivers side of the car, apply slight upward pressure on the headrest with the other hand. 1 side of headrest should unlock. Keep upward pressure and repeat to unlock the other side of the headrest.
5. Put one side of head rest in vise between 2 blocks of wood. Using 3' pipe, bend headrest post to desired angle (I made mine just shy of straight.
6. Repeat for other headrest post...make sure degree of bends is the same on both post.
7. Make sure that plastic rings are in place on headrest post and drop back into holes. Posts will snap in place on their own.
8. Drive comfortably without becoming a hunchback!!!


I would post pictures but i don't have any place to host them

 

Hi, KenBrown -

So you were able to simply reverse the Gen1 driver seat head restraint, once you pulled it out? I need to confirm, as this is a deal-breaker for me in the buy/don't buy decision. It seems like other instructions have been to alter the angle of the posts and I don't have the strength or tools for that (and would worry it would weaken the post's strength in a crash).

thanks in advance for your help on this.