I'm looking for any help- we have a 2010 Prius and the seats are super uncomfortable!!! My hip is so tight from using the gas pedal with my knees higher than my hips. Any solutions or class action law suits to help- this is so horrible. We need a new car but can't afford it. The USDA recommended the hips being higher than knees- a wedge pillow makes it hard to see so one has to assume that horrid head forward posture to see out of the car. It's a crime- the prius seats- totally horrible.
[QUOT="Mjclarge, post: 2442788, member: 140446"]I'm looking for any help- we have a 2010 Prius and the seats are super uncomfortable!!! My hip is so tight from using the gas pedal with my knees higher than my hips. Any solutions or class action law suits to help- this is so horrible. We need a new car but can't afford it. The USDA recommended the hips being higher than knees- a wedge pillow makes it hard to see so one has to assume that horrid head forward posture to see out of the car. It's a crime- the prius seats- totally horrible.[/QUOTE]
I left Prius in 2014 for a Ford C-Max the seats in the Prius were horrible and no one cares. My last two Prius were awful Loved the car hated the seats I even had the seat repadded. I don't think they'll chang the seats They are horrible Toyota said that's the way they are
class action suit, here are the details: hopefully will net you enough for a new vehicle. all the best!
With certainty, the Prius line has a horrendous seat comfort. My first ones, a 2004 and 2008 had a recapped bottom seat to add more support under my thighs and I lowered the bottom part about 2.5". After this mod I felt more comfortable. My former PiP had better seat (driver side) adjustments.......
I think people are quite different in sizes, so hard to satisfy everyone. I think seats are ok, especially when commute less than 1h. If you are on a long distance, cruise control might be helpful. Also I found in ECO, it's need to press harder on acceleration, this is a source of irritation and fatigue.
It sounds like piriformis or sciatic, of which I am plagued by both. There are exercises. It certainly doesn't help that I spend 3 hours a day, every day, in my car. I think my Gen II seat was worse, or maybe after 3 years and 124K miles in that vehicle I was molded to the Toyota design. I did spend quite a bit of time getting my Gen III seat adjusted, and although not really comfortable it is tolerable.
The seats are fine in mine, at least for a two hour drive. I've even had a total hip replacement. I'm 55 years old, 6'1" and 195 lbs., and in the gym 1.5 hours x 5 days every week. I can see where the Prius seats will exacerbate any physical issue an owner might have. They're not great, but I feel they're adequate. Maybe as I get older I'll feel differently, but will still try to control my comfort through fitness as long as possible.
I"m utterly new, and looking for reasons why i should or shouldn't buy a used Prius--my wonderful 94 Accord suddenly needs mega repairs. This post makes me wonder if i should rent a Prius for a week before deciding. I fixed my Accord seat by using a thin wedge cushion with a soft donut cushion on top of it, and keeping the seat relatively upright. But the OP says that a wedge cushion makes it difficult to see. Can you explain this?
I had a similar thing, and it was due to the accelerator pedal being further to the right than my previous car. I had been rotating my leg so that my toe reached the pedal but it caused awful piriformis type pain. By moving my leg to the right and keeping my foot more upright, the pain went away.
It looks like you have a Prius Three. The Prius seats (front) are particularly bad on anything less than the Prius Four. I don't know if the Softex makes a difference in and of itself, but the extra 2 directions of adjustments allows for a better "custom fit." I've gotten used to my Prius Two, but I bought a "seat pad" from Wal-Mart and use it as an extra cushion that helped make driving it bearable. Maybe someday I'll get around to finding a way to "upgrade" to a driver seat from a 2013 Prius Four, but I've yet to bother.
It sounds like replacing the seat (with a Prius 5 motorized one, preferably) is too costly. While one option is to get the seat re-made/re-upholstered, another less expensive option would be to use an ergonomic seat cushion set with a hard shell, like the Obus Forme: Company Amazon Ebay I've found that the backrest isn't enough by itself, and the seat cushion without the backrest doesn't help at all, at least not for me. One of these days, I'm going to see if a re-upholsterer would be able to replace some of the seat foam with the backrest, and then put the regular seat cover back on over it.
My seat comfort got much better when I removed the headrest and reversed it. Really, I'm not kidding.
welcome! renting is a good idea, but you would want the same year and package as you're looking to buy. how many hours per day do you spend in the car?
if your knees are too high, all you need to do is to adjust the seat and specifically raise it up. if you are outside the range of adjustment, well, maybe you are too big for that seat (and/or the car). you know, Japanese are small people.
How long have you owned this vehicle? Really I'm not going to waste time...if you feel that uncomfortable with the vehicle, then you need to make a change. Sell it, trade it in, whatever....but make the pain stop! But two things: Number One, I sincerely doubt the United States Department of Agriculture has much to do with chiming in on Automotive Seat ergonomics. Too busy grading beef and trying to stop mad cow disease. Number Two: You can quell any chimerical dreams or nightmares about a "Class Action Suit" against Toyota for The Prius seats. Too subjective. You realize a lot of people are fine with them, some even like them? So if this post was made with any sincerity....I would sincerely return that it sounds like a 2010 Prius just isn't for you.
