A reclining mechanism for a vehicle seat includes first and second attachment members coupled with each other at their outer peripheries and connected by a hinge pin, a slide pawl slidably mounted within one of the attachment members, and a cam element mounted on the hinge pin in a space between the attachment members. The cam element is engaged with the slide pawl to maintain engagement with the ratchet portion of the attachment member when the hinge pin is retained in a torsion spring load position. This construction permits relative rotation of the attachment members for adjustment of an inclined angle of a backrest. In the reclining mechanism, a thrust member is coupled with one of the attachment members and welded to a frame structure of the back rest allowing the device to be assembled as a unit.