Texas residents who own a new GMC Sierra or Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with a 2014 year model may have gotten a recall notice from the manufacturer. This is because General Motors Co has issued a recall of nearly 20,000 of these trucks due to issues related to defective seatback designs. Vehicles that are being recalled were manufactured between Aug. 1 and Sept. 10.

The issue is that, due to a possible defect in the reclining mechanism of the front seats in these trucks, they may not comply with federal regulations for head restraints. Based on information from a notice posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, if these vehicles are hit from behind, occupants of the trucks may not be properly protected by the head restraint. This can lead to greater risk for injury in a car accident.

The recall is likely to be an especially distressing one for General Motors because the roll-out of these new vehicles is one of the most important since the manufacturer went through a bankruptcy restructuring in 2009. Sales numbers for the newly designed 2014 pickups were up 20 percent between January and October, with more than 42,000 Silverados and 16,000 Sierras having been sold, but sales growth was reduced due to the government shutdown that took place in October.

If someone is in an accident and their vehicle contains defective seat belts or other safety features, he or she may end up with even more severe injuries than what would have otherwise been suffered. This can lead to large medical bills, lost wages and other expenses. A personal injury claim may be possible to recover these expenses.