Well, altho it's no longer a "head rest", but a safety measure, can't stand them. Have a v5 with the AT and absolutely love it except tor the head rest. Does not bother husband at all- and looking back at the change in the NTSA required head rests for the last several years- it does not bother men, generally it's women. Hits me in the back of the head and makes me curl forward making a terrible driving position. Ache in the neck and shoulders. I tried to alter my position/the "headrest" in a myriad of ways with no relief. Even turned it backwards. For anyone else that it bothers.....have found a solution after trying several methods. I bought a "Scandia" travel down pillow. It measures 16x20 inches. I place it on upper shoulders, upper neck. Ahhhhh....feels great. It may or may not offer the safety in a collision as without, but I could not drive the car long distances otherwise. My previous vehicle, 2006 MBZ SLK 350 had seat/head rest molded perfectly to body shape- heavenly. I watch my husband and he slouches when driving. I like perfect posture. Oh well. This works.
Can you install them backwards on a v? When I received my new Gen III the front seat headrests were installed backwards and were too far back for me. Might be what you want.
Just a thought, but is your seatback possibly too upright? There is some amount of degrees off vertical that is recommended. If it is too upright, it will hit your head. Reclining a little should help. Don't think can install backwards. I think the notches are keyed for them to be forward.
I love the headrest. I do keep the seat more upright now and It allows me to remember to sit up straight properly and reduce neck strain.
I was going to mention the same thing as a few others have - see if you can flip the headrest around - at least on the 2010 the headrest has a slight tilt forward - when flipped around it becomes a slight tilt backwards.
Might be a bad idea to flip the headrest around. it is an active or Whiplash Injury Lessening (WIL) headrest. Recline the seatback a notch or two first. My headrest is not too close. Different for everyone though. Maybe link will help? http://ergonomics.about.com/od/car/ss/adjusting_the_drivers_seat.htm
Thanks everyone for the kind replies. To answer everyone.... Yes safety is first! But I could not drive it the way the the headrest hits my head. Everything I've read says it really is a "woman's" thing, even according to the dealer who sold me the car. Husband is a physical therapist and his coworkers who are occupational therapists say they hear the same- from woman lol! It should not make any difference per se, but hubby says it's the way some of us are used to sitting. (But I did read a thread for another brand of vehicle from an male owner who is a machinist and physically altered his headrest. Now THAT would be a safety issue. For those who say that I can adjust the seat in a multitude of different positions- lean back, forward, up down, slide back forward etc. I've spent hours at it. Nothing works- and again have had a virtual team of occupational and physical therapists work at it and no one can get me from hitting back of head on head rest. And turning the headrests around-not that I'd do anyway, but tried that first off and they aren't installed backwards and doesn't help anyway. It's not something that happens gradually, creeps up, as I sit either. I get in and sit- and boom there that pesky thing is and makes my upper back and neck curl forward. The occupational therapists say it is the way women are used to sitting when we drive. I track my other car and the instructors laugh at the difference in the way women sit vs. men. Not going to track the Prius, tee-hee, but I'm out again next month-different vehicle. There is usually at least one other woman out there, so I'm going to look! Had the same prob sitting in a new Honda and Lexus so the issue for me is not the Prius. But other car is a 2006 MBZ and husband's is a 2009 S2000, and have no prob with either. Thanks so much for all the suggestions. Putting the little pillow there does the trick for me and according to the experts, because of the placement, it has no effect on the "whiplash injury lessening"headrest's effect. Thanks!
I test drove a Prius v on Sunday & will be buying, however also have trouble with the front headrest. It is tilted too far forward & is uncomfortable. Has anyone tried modifying this headrest or taking a backseat headrest & mounting its flat headrest pad onto front rods? Can't just switch back to front as rods are spaced differently. And don't want to drive around with a pillow behind my shoulders all the time. I want a permanent solution that matches the interior. Does anyone have any suggestions?
My last car I had to adjust the seat forward so, in a collision, my head wouldn't snap back and hit the roll bar. Different heights and designs strike people differently. How tall are you and are you long or short waisted?
Take a look at the dummy's head in this NHTSA frontal crash test video, then decide if you want to second-guess Toyota's safety engineers. Skip to about 2:25 in:
This has been a problem I've heard reported a number of places. One suggestion I've read was to flip the headrest around. It'll tilt slightly back rather than forward, which won't force your head downward all the time. Greater chance of whiplash in a crash, however.
I don't understand the problem people have with the headrests. To me, they are the best, most comfortable of any I've ever had. With the seat reclined, they are nicely padded, something I've never been able to claim of any other. Sitting upright in a driving position, they don't touch me head though if I tilt my head back jusf slightly, I come up against the soft padding of the headrest, indicating, I believe, ideal positioning. I wouldn't want to see them changed even slightly. I consider them perfect!
Thanks for the footage, ftp. Do you know what the speed was for that test? Although I miss the plushness and electric controls of the seats on my former Audis, I have found a comfortable position in my new v. Haven't taken it for a long trip yet, but anticipate no problems. I am 5 ft 7 in female, and utilize the driving posture recommended at the Audi driving course I attended in Austria--which is NOT slouching.
I am 4'10' tall. The head rest, in it lowest position, forces my head forward so that I cannot sit in a comfortable position. The top of the headrest is way above the top of my head. I am ready to just remove the thing and hope I don't get in a wreck. There must a solution of some sort. I too don't want to sit with a pillow behind my shoulders. I cannot tilt the seat back anymore than it is and still see out adequately or get close enough to the petals while not getting to0 close to the steering wheel.
At least reverse the headrest, rather than removing it entirely. That way there's still a headrest that will stop your head if there's an accident, even if your head does travel farther than it might with the headrest properly installed.
With the Prius I do this and get my seat comfortable but then I can't reach the steering wheel, there's not enough telescopic adjustment.
