Just picked up my new Prius - HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

aww, sorry to hear about the seats being so bad for you! i'm a little taller than average for a girl (5'8" or thereabouts) and have no trouble. i think it was designed for smaller-sized people.

if you're tensing your back, maybe you can find an appropriate back support for the seats? i don't know which direction you're tensing your back so i'm not sure what would help.

i have nerve damage in my back, leading to severe sciatica when i irritate it- we got a memory foam bed and it was the best thing we ever bought. not saying it is a miracle cure but it works for me. so if you consider it as an option, don't just toss the idea out because one person had a bad experience.

best of luck to you, i hope you find a solution that works.

 

[ I too found the seats rather uncomfortable. I am not as tall as you are. I had leather seats installed that are approved for the seat air bags and they have helped a lot with the disscomfort. They were a pricy add on though. I hope you find a fix so you can enjoy your new ride.
-Paul R. Haller-

 

Seats are among the most comfortable I've ever had in a car. But I'm not that tall. My last car was a Mercedes 190D and the seats were so bad I almost looked into a Recaro for that car.

I wound up taring the back apart and bending the springs till it fit me. Then I was OK. The lumbar support bump was too much for my back.

So as I see it you have four options:

1 Sell the car and get something else. Maybe a different hybrid?
2 Get a Recaro seat you like.
3 Find a car seat you like and see if you can modify it to fit. Say a Camry seat or Highlander seat?
3 Tear apart the seat and fix it to fit you. I would think tilt woud be easy. A lowering might be difficult but maybe possible if you just tear it all up and saw it till it is lower. Put in a new seat and some memory foam to replace all the seat uppolstery.

 

The seat comfort is very individualistic, based on previous cars owned, height (or lack thereof), and possible medical problem. I've very short, have herniated discs and was thrilled to find the Prius so comfortable for me. (It was the first issue I looked for while test driving.) I needed height and back support that wasn't too cushiony or deep. So far so good, though I've not driven more than 2 hours at a time. However, my husband's Saturn wagon feels just awful for me, and the sciatica shows almost immediately. Actually, my previous car, a Jeep Cherokee Sport, was wonderful for me with it's straight, truck-like back and awful for my husband and other passengers. It all comes down to individual comfort.

 

tho i had no real problems with the seats, they weren't as comfy as i like 'em, i had them re-done in leather and my local shop put in foam inserts to my liking, i tried one set-up, they opened up the seat and tried another, so now i'm happy with the feeling. at the same time i had them install an adjustable lumbar support.

 

I know you said you liked the Prius and wanted to keep it but I think in most states you have 3 days to return something. Buyers remourse clause?

When I drove off in mine I wasn't sure about the seats. They were certainly different than anything I'd had before. For a couple weeks I had back problems and worried that it was the Prius seats. But, it turned out to just be either stress (over spending that much money?) or I'd pulled something about the same time as picking it up.

Now they feel very comfortable to me. I only wish I had more places I had to drive to. We have gone on a couple short vacations that put me in the seat for 5 hours at a time a few times and I was fine.

Make sure the steering wheel is as far up as it will go. It seems low even at the max point but when it's down I'm not sure how anyone could drive it.

I think the lack of seat adjustment is probably based on Toyota wanting to build a lighter car more than not wanting to offer the option.

I hope you find a solution.

 

If you have the side airbags, a Recaro seat will mean you lose them.

 

Memory foam might be alright for some lightweight people who never overheat in bed, but that does not describe me so I would not used it in a mattress. What you want is not memory foam, but high-quality talalay latex. It can be made in a variety of firmnesses, although I was surprised--I used to light medium firm mattresses as long as they are not completely hard, but the latex mattress I bought is more along the lines of medium soft, and it is just amazing. These matresses are very heavy and very floppy to move, but boy do they feel good to lie in and sleep in. You never really notice how much spring coils are pressing against you until get a high quality mattress that doesn't need them. It feels kind of like the way resting your wrist on a gel-filled mouse support does, I suppose, if that makes sense. Really good, and really conducive to a good night's sleep.

 

OK....I'll chime in. I love my Prius and would never give it up...but I had to think seriously about that when I first bought it. I am 5'8" and 175 lbs and the seat was a living hell for a while. Another bizarre thing about me, and I don't know why this is, but to feel comfortable driving the car, I have to have the seat back tilted all the way forward.

The good news is, I have an hour commute each ay to work and travel down to VA fairly often (a 2 hour trip) and now my car seems fine. I guess I just got used to it.

My wife and I both agree that the passenger seat is fine. I wonder if it is the angle or height of the steering wheel as someone else suggested that is the real problem?

 

I was concerned about seat comfort when I ordered my '05 Prius in April, due to posts by this group. Not being able to test drive the car didn't help. I have had my car since June, and have had no problem with seat comfort. I am 6'5" and 187 lbs. My wife and I recently drove on a 425 mile trip (one way) and experienced no pain or discomfort. The biggest surprise of this trip was that in nearly 1,000 miles I did not see a single Prius. Interstate highway the whole way.

 

Roll up a small towel and wedge it down into the crack between
seat and back. Shape it so the overall surface transition is more
"rounded" between seat and back as opposed to two separated pieces
of foam with a deep chasm between them. It may be a simple matter
that some peoples' butt-bones and spine connection are happier
slightly bent over, and some are happy with a very upright position.
This trick has saved my nice person [literally] in numerous car seats over
time, whose otherwise well-intended "lumbar support" would have
become intolerable on a long drive.
.
_H*

 

I have a neuromuscular disease, very sore muscles and joints all the time. This is similar to what I do. I bought a chunk of foam from an upholstry business. When I need extra support in a particular situation I carve off a piece in the size and shape that will help. Towels work well also in some situations. The seats in the Prius are the most comfortable I have ever sat in, very interesting how people are so different in their opinions of the seats. My 80 year old parents have a Prius and they really like the seats being so high, easier to get in and out of the car.

The memory foam mattress is great for me, the only way I can sleep, but I am very light.

 

If it's just the seat position, I'm willing to bet there's some automotive shop out there that will be able to cut and weld the chasis such that ultimately the seat is lowered. IMO, I would try that route, as if you get something amongst the lines of a Recaro seat, it will be the odd one out, then you'll have to get two... Unless, of course, you're not bothered in the least with having one odd seat in the Prius.

 

They seem to be designed for people of average height...

...in Japan. Fortunately for us, we ARE about average height for a Japanese person,
so the seats are OK seem to be us. But we haven't tried any really long trips in the Prius yet.

The seats in our Ford Escape Hybrid are much better. Adjustable, including up-down,
leather, a bit firmer and not nearly so thin. Comfortable even after 6-7 hours behind the wheel.
Since it's factory leather, we still have all the airbags.

It's surprising that they don't offer leather seats as an option on the Prius.

 

As an official old-timer, I'll chime in. I agree with those that say you'll get used to it.
Nearly every car I've ever owned gave me a back-ache when I first got it. After about two weeks of trying out fore-and-aft, back tilt and steering wheel adjustments I found a "sweet spot" and the backaches vanished. Don't be uptight (makes it worse) and give it a couple weeks.

BTW, if your height forces you to tilt the seat back, try the steering wheel low and grip it at 7 and 5 o'clock.

 

I too agree on the uncomfortable seats. I figure if I'm spending my commute hours getting 50+ mpg and smiling at all the non-carpool drivers in grid-lock, I'd rather be smiling in confort. I just ordered a basic Recaro Trend fabric seat (hopefully* for $745 shipped) and will install it myself. From all the dealers I spoke with, the Recaro seat (any model) is very nice and are leaps/bounds above most OEM seats. I can't wait to get it and put it in.

* so Recaro upped their pricelist as of Oct 05 (from what one dealer told me) but some sites still have it listed for the old price. With this knowledge, I went ahead an ordered one hoping that I'd get it for the old price. Most shops do NOT inventory Recaros and when the order is placed, they'll get one made from the factory. Therefore turnaround is about 2 weeks. Recaros mount with a bracket, which attaches to your car, and a slider, which attaches to the seat. From what I gather, installation is pretty easy. The bracket number for our Prius is 2084 (driver-side) and 2085 (passenger). The bracket/slides go for about $140. Yes, the total package is not cheap, but I think it'll be worth it as I feel the OEM seats are that bad.

I heard that the airbag sensor can be connected to a resistor to make the Prius think that the airbag is still connected. I'll look more into this and post when I find the solution.

I also read that the Recaro's sit much lower than the stock seat. Even though I'm only 5' 5" (my wife says I'm 5' 4" but I like to round up), sitting on the stock seats seems like I'm sitting in a folding chair at my daughter's school play.

I'll post back with pics when I get the seat (yes, only the driver side for me) installed.

SteveO

 

Ahhhhh don't tease me .... sniff sniff

I can't help it. I really love the place, put a lot of work into it, and it's a wonderful escape from an ugly city. You're welcome to visit too.