Moveable back panel for a vehicle seat

A vehicle seat having a back rest for supporting the back of a seat occupant, the backrest comprising:

• a seat back support assembly;
• a cushion attached to the seat back support assembly;
• a back panel that is positioned at an external surface of the back rest to face in a rearward direction and is movable between a flush position in which the back panel is secured flush to the seat back support assembly and in which the back panel forms the external surface and a spaced position in which the back panel is retained in a spaced relationship relative to the seat back support assembly;
• a linkage operatively connected between the back panel and the seat back support assembly, wherein the linkage facilitates movement of the back panel between the flush and spaced positions;
• a resilient member that biases the linkage to move the back panel toward the flush position, wherein movement of the back panel from the flush position to the spaced position in a collision event is opposed by the biasing force of the resilient member, and wherein the resilient member automatically resets the linkage after the collision event by returning the panel back to the flush position.