GM adjustable side-support headrest patent (2026): how it works

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General Motors has received a U.S. patent for an unusual car headrest with adjustable side support. Instead of a single fixed pad, the design features a central section and two pivoting «wings» that can be brought closer to the driver’s or passenger’s head.

The wings’ position is held by ratcheting mechanisms with gears, latches and springs. This allows them to be set at different angles: in the normal position the sections sit nearly flat, while in the folded position they hold the head more securely during side-to-side movement. The central section still performs the headrest’s usual job — limiting rearward head movement.

The patent also describes more elaborate behavior during hard braking or an impact. In one version, weights built into the wings use inertia to rotate them into the extreme position, after which springs pull the elements back. Another version uses a longitudinal acceleration sensor and electromagnetic actuators that unlock the latches, letting the wings return to a flat position.

GM Global Technology Operations filed the application on June 27, 2024. It was published on January 1, 2026 under patent number US 12,715,351 B2, and the company was granted the patent on August 25 of the same year. For now, this is only a patented design. The filing does not name specific GM models, a timeline, or production plans, so its appearance in upcoming GM vehicles should not be treated as confirmed.