Seats too relaxed/reclined?!

Below are instructions for removing the driver’s seat and inserting foam padding between the springs and existing seatback pad. I am very confident that if you have average DIY skills you can do this.

Prius Driver’s Seat Removal:

1. Disconnect the negative terminal from the 12V battery in the rear hatch area. (This is optional. I have done this many times without disconnecting the battery.)
2. Press in the headrest adjustment button and pull up to remove the headrest. Removing the headrest will make it easier to get the seat out of the car.
3. Lift the bar under the front of the seat and move the seat to its foremost position.
4. Remove the two trim caps that cover the seat-to-floor mounting bolts on the rear of the left and right seat tracks.
5. Remove the two rear seat-to-floor mounting bolts with a ratchet wrench and 14mm socket.
6. Lift the bar under the front of the seat and move the seat to its rearmost position.
7. Remove the two front seat-to-floor mounting bolts.
8. Lift the bar under the front of the seat and move the seat to the center position.
9. Operate the reclining adjuster release handle and move the seatback to the full upright position.
10. Tilt the seat back to gain access to the underside of the seat.
11. Disconnect the electrical connectors under the seat.
12. Lift the seat, rotate it to the left and remove it from the car through the driver’s door opening.

Open the Seatback Cover:

1. Place the seat upside down on top of a piece of carpeting or cardboard to protect the fabric or leather.
2. Unhook the rear seat cover flap on the underside of the seat.
3. Remove the three hog rings at the base of the seatback. Two needle-nose pliers work good for opening the hog rings.
4. Unzip the two zippers at the base of the seatback.
5. Pull up the unzipped seatback cover.

At this point you will have access to insert foam padding between the back seat springs and the existing seat pad. I inserted a 1” high density foam pad above the lumbar support. I think it was about 8” X 12-14”. One inch of foam provides a good deal of support, more that what you might think; so install it, turn the seat over and give it a try. It may be all you need; it was for me. If you need more foam, I think you can add another ½” to 1”. When you get to this point it is just a simple matter of inserting foam and trying the seat until you get it to where you are comfortable. Reverse these instructions to close up the seatback cover and reinstall the seat.

 

I believe the Toyota instructions for seat removal would include disconnecting the 12V auxiliary battery, then waiting at least 90 seconds before disconnecting any connectors, the airbag especially, under the seat.

 

The Toyota manual does call for disconnecting the negative battery terminal as the first step. I have removed the seats on my Prius and numerous other cars without disconnecting the 12V battery. It is really not necessary. The air bags cannot be set off by moving or working on the seat and are completely disabled as soon as the electricity is disconnected. However, it is always a good idea to disconnect the 12V battery or take any other safety measure that you deem necessary. I will amend my prior post to include this. Thanks.

 

Just a flat rectangular piece of foam.

My wife has the car today. I'll see if I can click a photo and post it tonight; however, there is no significant change to the appearance of the seat after the foam is added. If anything, it looks better because the leather is bolstered up and not wrinkled.

Yes, and it improved its comfort also. I also added foam to the seat bottoms because they needed it after over two years and 33,000 miles of driving.

My wife also liked the change to the seats, which is remarkable because she, as a 5'6", 125 lb. woman, has a different body/back shape than I and isn't always comfortable in chairs that I find comfortable and vice versa. I suggest you have your wife test the seat(s) along with you to insure the changes you make are comfortable for both of you.

You have correctly diagnosed the problem. The sooner you correct the contour of your seatback, the sooner you will get relief. Also, the longer you contort your back in a way that causes you pain, the more you risk injury.

If you follow my instructions, you will find it to not be as difficult as you may be thinking. Things become obvious as you go through the steps. You will become expert at it by the time you finish.

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Attached are pictures of the driver and passenger seats after 1" foam was installed in the bottom and back of both seats. The foam was installed about six months ago at about 33,000 miles. The car now has 43,000 miles and the seats are still very comfortable, more so than the 2007 Camry XLE that I recently traded-in.

 

The steering wheel definitely adds to the problem -- Both in design of the wheel and the fact that the movement is limited based on its orientation.

 

i used to feel awkward in my seat... i pushed it up strait like you have yours... but then it's too much pressure on my lower back.. so i added in one of those cheap 2 dollar black mesh back supports. this pushes my butt forward a tad bit. gives me better support (side support too!)... in the end it feels more comfortable as a full package. i get the support i want... the seat up like i want it.. but doesn't make me feel like i'm being folded into a piece of paper.

btw.. side note.. i hate the seat bottoms of my genII... as with most cars.. too bouncy..

 

The larger craft stores also sell foam.

Don't worry about getting the seat cover back on; it will not be a problem.

Tip: To disconnect the electrical connectors under the seat, use a small thin blade screw driver to push in the catch and then push off the free end (not attached to the seat) of the connector.

Hope all goes well. Let us know and post some pictures when you have completed the job.

 

I've had my seats upholstery off. Your instructions look good. One thing I would add is to be sure to use high quality dense foam so it won't fail with use.

 

Glad to hear that the foam worked for you. It has worked for me in every car I used it. You may have to replace the foam in a couple years, but now that you know how, it will be a snap.

Along with relieving your physical pain, isn't wonderful to also be relieved of the psychological stress of thinking you made a mistake purchasing the Prius.

 

I agree - I find the Prius seat very uncomfortable as well. I drive a minimum of 150 miles per day and after the first week of owning the car I could hardly stand up straight - my back ached so badly. I also previously owned European cars and find their seating much superior. Even all the American cars I've owned were much better. I found that my problem was poor lumbar support. I purchased a VARILITE Portable Self-Inflating Back Lumbar Support Pillow which I place behind my back and it works great! I couldn't drive this car as much as I do without it. I will be installing an after-market permanent air adjustable lumbar support into the seat as soon as the weather gets warmer.

 

rmi did you ever post up those pictures? any long term updates on the comfort?

 

I could definitely see this being a problem for some people. The whole thing works well enough for me.

I have to keep my seatback reclined somewhat. If I put it forward, angle between seat cushion and seatback is too little and I'll feel like I'm sitting in a bucket (no pun intended).

In my opinion, the 3rd gen liftback mechanical adjust seat cushion bottom has a lot of tilt to it (front edge of seat angled up quite a bit). I'm really tall and had to give about 3 pumps up on the height adjust handle to take a little tilt out.

One problem is mechanical adjust driver's seat are in my opinion a 'crap shoot'. There's hardly any way to make them work for everyone.

* It would really help a lot to have a good seat bottom tilt knob at the left front side of the seat cushion. That way you could increase or decrease the seat bottom tilt. Little bit more expensive seat, but really not much.

Other than that, best to get a good power adjustable seat. btw, my 1988 SR5 Toyota 4WD pickup has seat bottom tilt knob. I've seen it in FJ cruiser too. Prius ought to have one.

 

When you loosen the steering wheel adjustment lever and move the wheel through all its positions, it's comical how little the adjustment range is.

 

Sitting on an office chair for computer use is quite different than driving position. So you are quite wrong about 90 degree (nose over steering wheel). Having said that, I use a (cheap) lumbar support in my Prius and it really makes a difference when driving long distances on hot days.