These Eames chairs are notorious for structural problems thanks to what I would politely call an “ambitious” design i.e. the design goes beyond the practical limits of the components in my opinion. 

 

As plywood delaminates it puts stress on weak points causing more delamination and ultimately catastrophic failure – aka it can snap in half as in this example.

 

These chairs were manufactured under license in NZ in the early 1970’s and are quite collectable because they have some unique features from the time (an extra reinforcing arm around the back, a great addition).

 

Rebuilding torn plywood to make it strong and then look nice as well is a complicated and time-consuming process but the popularity and collectability of these chairs justifies the time and expense.