Back Hurting, Can't find good seating position.

That's a sore topic at times for me too. But, I think my back has adjusted better after 4k miles.
But, my discomfort is not as bad you describe it. Surprisingly, seat is better than my 11 Corolla base model. Supposedly, these seats in C are of newer and better types from Camry seats... so they say.

I was thinking of replacing the seat w/ aftermarket Recaro from an old Evo sports car that I bought used. But, no one seems to make the brackets and need to solve those airbag lights... I've tried different resistor combos but unlike Corollas those lights are not going off...

 

there are as many complaints here as there are backs. check out member 'cycledrum' 's threads. he is the king of back pain, and has come up with some very creative solutions. all he best.

 

I know a lot of people complain about the seats but I have lower back problems and I find the seats to be very comfortable. I guess I got lucky

 

It obviously depends on the person. I find the seats in my C to be the most comfortable I've ever had in a car.

I hope you find a solution because this is a great car.

 

I have a regular Prius Gen II, but since I see no other current back pain threads let me chime in and say I'm on the same boat... I have NEVER had back problems from a car. Admittedly, I only did short drive tests and never expected this to be the 'gotcha' of this car. I am 6'1" 240 avg build, somewhat overweight atm but nothing crazy.

I am getting dull pain in mid to lower back depending on how I sit and as I get into my nice comfortable office or home chair I have to wait through the pain for several hours.

Things I have tried so far:
-ExtendMySeat seat modification to push the seat back. It gave me more leg room, but no help for the back issue like claimed by some on that website.

-Purchased 2 cushions, search ebay for this number to see it: 251754581806 (I don't have URL rights to post it), for sake of someone looking at this post far in the future when those pages die, it is a small lightly curved pillow.

-Purchased this mesh back for cheap after reading around that is solves the problem for some, no go for me. Search ebay for this number to see it: 291433341369

After wasting about $25 so far it seems to me that no accessory cushion is going to solve this problem. I'd say they only help 10-20%, but once you start to feel the pain you know it is not solving the problem. I am hesitant to pursue this idea of seat accessories any further. There are hundreds of them out there to try. I have to do something though, if I cannot solve this back pain I will have to sell the car, it is too much of a problem. It really is sad because I love virtually everything about this car (besides uphill traction issues in winter!).

Other ideas on my list:
-coccyxx cushion, more expensive and again I am hesitant to believe, can't imagine its much different than when I tried putting the back cushion I purchased under my butt.

-Use longer bolts with washers underneath to raise the front of the seat and see if it helps by using my thighs more? I read someone did this.

-The dreaded idea of actually modifying the car by risking disassembling and taking the seat cover off and stuffing the seat with some kind of material (polyester fiberfill?)

-Sell the car =/

 

Maybe it's because I'm 5'5" that the seats are very comfortable for me. I'm overweight and I have bad lower back pain but I never get pain when I'm in my 2012 PriusC2. The only other option I would recommend is bringing your car to a place that Reupholstery place and see what they charge to change the cushions or what they recommend

 

I owned a "v" first and it killed my back, now own the c and it is only a little better

 

I can't believe you bought another one if that was your experience!

I'm not sure about fixing this, it just seems like there are too many issues with the seat. I read that the following could be contributors, at least for standard Prius:

-Your thighs aren't on the seat enough as its short, someone here wrote that Recaro says 3 finger widths under the leg, I have roughly 6.
-Your knees are higher that your pelvis
-The back of the seat is shaped in such a way to sink your lower back into a concave hole
-The lack of telescoping steering wheel making you want to go into a hunchback
-The top of the seat also shaped to make you want to go hunchback, headrest pushing you forward
-The sides are protruding too much makes you want to rest your shoulders forward and put more stress on the back

I think the seat is just terribly designed, its like trying to sit on the inside wall of an egg. No matter what I do, it seems I am just focusing on different muscle groups that are getting exhausted eventually and then the pain starts. I also notice if I swerve hard or do a lot of hard looking over the shoulder that my back doesn't like the movement. As someone said though, it was designed by a small Japanese woman I suppose, so maybe it is just designed for smaller people.

 

Ok. I am 73 years old 5' 10" 175 lbs. Just completed a 1300 mile trip to Erie,pa and back to Dallas,Tx. in my 2010 Prius 11. No back pain at all. Much better seats than our Honda CRV we traded in on it.

 

My back can hurt, due to a chronic weak zone in some connection between spine bone and muscle. I had a tear once, decades back, that healed but is still trouble prone. It comes and goes. I've never found the Prius seat particularly uncomfortable though, not a contributing factor. If you've got back issues, a drive in any car can be problematic: the upright position, coupled with road bumps.

 

we did have one customer here who had trouble fitting the C; finally got an aftermarket seat sand problem solved. fortunately for them there were a couple of dealers whon had seats to try. check ebay for potential suppliers and perhaps local sports car clubs; they may have cars with aftermarket seats they'll let you try sitting. and no the pedal postions wre OK but if yiu have to use an angle that might be a concern too.
good luck.

 

Sorry, there's probably nothing I can suggest that will help because I find the C seats to be quite comfortable. I'm only chiming in because I have a C (Two) and when I'm not kayaking regularly I often have trouble with my lower back. (OK, so there's something you could try: kayak a lot to work on your core.)

Many decades ago I replaced the atrocious seats in a 320i with Recaros and that was an effective fix, but the only thing I've needed in my C is a small lumbar pillow for long rides. I'm 6'2" and 185 lbs with a relatively short torso but long arms and legs. My seat is adjusted like this: base all the way back, seat "pumped" all the way down (to increase the angle and improve the meager support under my thighs), back rest reclined 3 notches (1 more than I'd prefer but it gets the annoying headrest out of the way). I move my lumbar pillow up and down as needed. Pedal position seems adequate and I prefer to stretch my left leg on long rides so I only use the dead pedal around town.

 

the v was mine, the c is my wife's

 

any update freak?

 

It's obviously very subjective.
If you experience discomfort and pain, and there seems to be a population that does, then you do.

If you don't...you don't.

Luckily at this stage in my life, the Prius seats are passable.

But for those experiencing a problem, I can only wish them well. Everything in one thread or another has been offered and I think tried by nearly everyone.

 

I feel your pain; literally. I've had 2 reconstructive back surgeries. One about 25 years ago when I was 25. The other about 5 years ago at 45 y.o. So yeah, getting into a comfortable position can be tough; especially in my case. And before finding the 2013 II I had looked at and drove a C. I did love the fact you can get such great mileage. But my intent was to be comfortable enough to where I could go on long road trips again like I used to. So yeah, I test drove a little C but I knew it wasn't right for me. Couldn't get comfortable. Plus at least for me it seemed under powered. The Prius Gen III HB is working out great. So far so good even on long trips. But I think you could probably swap out seats if you like the little car and intent to keep it. Hope you find a solution.