Originally Posted by
veggie_lover
How come seat controls on airplanes often are broken? It is mostly the video control electronics that never seem to work properly. It kind of makes you wonder if the engineers couldn't make these simple things robust, what faith should you have in the rest of the aircraft design?
One has nothing to do with the other. Seat controls are made by a different company than the rest of the aircraft.
I know because I happen to work for a company that makes seat controls, so I know what I am talking about.
As to why they are often broken, the answer is probably poor maintenance by the airline.