Deal killing drivers seat

This mostly depends on body size and build. If you are the right size, the seats are fine. If you're not, you are out of luck because they aren't adjustable. I have had better seats, but I've had worse ones too. The seats fit us just fine, but we are both small to average size with standard proportions. On several occasions I have driven eleven hours in a day in our Prius, and did so without any discomfort.

The best car seats I've ever used are in our Ford Aerostar. They are big and soft and wrap around you like a large friendly hand. They are also large and heavy. You couldn't fit something like that in a Prius without adding booster springs.

Blanket statements about Prius seats should be taken with a grain of salt. They work fine for some, and not for others. If you are thinking of buying a Prius, you need to try one and see how they work for you.

Tom

 

Example: while I know this doesn't help the OP and similar folks,
I like the Prius seats more or less as they are and can easily spend
10 or more hours at a stretch in the saddle. Anyone's butt and knees
will get a bit sore in any car at those lengths, but periodic stretch
breaks help. But my neck's fine, my back is fine... I do have a
small wedge-shaped pillow stuffed into the seat/back crack to sort of
round out the support under my bum, which makes it more comfy for me.
Others may need support in different areas. There's no harm in
creatively adding some pads where you think you might need them --
there's probably no car seat available anywhere that would be just
right for everyone.

_H*

 

I decided to write a letter of compaint to the Toyota CA headquarters. Here it is. I hope you do the same. If enough letters come in hopefully they will feel pressure to make changes.
Send your letter to:
Toyota Motor Sales, 19001 S. Western Ave., dept. WC11, Torrance, CA 90501.

“I so agree about the neck pain. My neck and the top of my shoulders ache after I have been driving 20 minutes. Whoever designed those seats should be shot!!! I thought the headrest was pushing my head forward in an unnatural way and you just validated my suspicions. Thanks. I will try reversing the headrest like you did to see what happens. Have you tried removing the headrest altogether? Of course it would be unsafe. But the daily neck pain vs. the chances of an accident are hard to talk yourself out of.

What people don't realize is that having the ablility to move the seat up and down and sideways will NOT make the difference we hope to see. The seat itself is all wrong. It should hug or turn in toward the hips to give stability. It should give more thigh support. It should not cause neck and shoulder pain. When will Toyota listen to us?????????
I have written them a complaint letter. Hope you all do too.†Priuschat.com 4-5-08

Dear Toyota Design Department:

I am a woman, 5’9†of normal weight and perfect health. I purchased a 2008 Touring #6 Prius. Here is my letter of complaint to validate the one above. There are hundred of similar ones at Toyota Prius Online Community with News, Forums, & Research - PriusChat and other online sites. Please listen to your consumers. I love my Prius which is only a couple of weeks old. Still, I am about to go on a 3,000 miles trip and I am dreading it. Why? Because I know how painfully uncomfortable I will be.

What is wrong with that picture?? Poor design. It is causing back and neck pain, the body is getting out of line, and people are selling their cars after only a few hundred miles. I can not understand why you don’t realize this is a major drawback to your car. I have heard that other Toyota car seats are not comfortable too.

You can not have a neck rest that pushes your neck forward. You can not have a seat that makes you feel like you are floating with no support for the thighs or the bottom of the body. People mistakenly think that having the ability to move the seat back and forth or up and down will solve this problem. I have a PT Cruiser that does not have automatic seats and I do NOT have the problem I have with my Prius.

Your customers are so desperate they are trying to alter the seat themselves. They are putting washers under the seat to try to raise it for thigh support. Some are moving the seats back 3 inches with lots of drilling and new hardware. They are spending hundreds of dollars buying all sorts of cushions that don't help much if at all.

Not only that, but they will all tell you immediately put out the money to buy a stiffening plate to help keep the integrity of the car together. They say it is totally necessary to buy a tower bar strut to control the steering. Neither says much favorable about your design department. These are expensive additions for the consumer to bear because you haven’t done your job.

I would suggest you have your design and marketing people all over these sites and learn what isn’t working and what is. Sure we would like to see better mileage in the 2009 and 2010 models but we would most prefer to have seats that are livable and support our bodies correctly. My friend sold his new 2008 Prius after 500 miles because his chiropractor said he had no choice, if he didn’t want to ruin his back. There has to be thousands out there that are just like him. Word of mouth on the street is that the Prius is a great car if you can stand the seats. Even the dealers have agreed with me. When I bought the car I said I had ridden in a Lexus and got a backache so decided not to get one. The salesman admitted he had the same experience. I should have asked about the Prius seats.

I am taking time from my busy day to write to you. I hope it isn’t a waste of my time.
Thank you.

 

I don't see the problem with the seats. I'm 6'3", 190 lbs. and I have a bad back with two herniated discs and I don't have the complaints that some here are having with the seats. I also don't have a problem with headrests pushing my neck forward. Sometimes I wonder if these people are really talking about the same Prius that I drive. Sure, it's not the most comfortable seat that I've ever owned, but it certainly isn't the worst either. Makes me wonder about people who say they can't drive 20 minutes without neck and back pain. I drive 130 miles each day in my commute and spend about 2 hours in traffic each way due to Los Angeles traffic. If the seat was that bad, I'd be complaining about it. I'm not.

 

I'm sorry, but I would never send such a letter to Toyota. Your comments about the stiffening plate and tower bar struts are false. Further, the chiropractor that told your friend to sell his car should be ashamed for making such a comment. The letter sounds the the rants of a hysteric. Sorry, but that's how I see it. Do yourself and everyone around you a favor and sell your car. Trust me, you'll never like it.

 

We have a 2006 Prius & that was my biggest complaint. I also am big on leather seats as my Honda Accord has them- (They are 6 way power of course). We are buying a 2008 Prius & went to the dlr. to sit in a Prius with leather seats. What a difference vs. the cloth seats. Far more back & butt support than the '06 cloth seats. To us it was worth the $1100 extra to get a car with leather. You might want to go & sit in a car like this. As we are getting a pkg. 2 car it's a good solution to the problem for us. And what's $1100 if the daily driver is more comfortable? Just a thought. We are on our 2nd Prius & are looking forward to the "New" ride. Perhaps this is a doable solution to your problem. We'll miss the 6 way power seats, but @ 54.5 MPG the Honda is going- it has a 6 cyl. that gets about 22 MPG.

It sounds like you are really a prime Prius buyer. If you buy 1 you won't be sorry. Hope this helps.

 

one thing about the prius that rock's is the leg room! I've been in town car's with less thigh/leg room, you know how you want to bend your knee out towards the driver side door? well in a 04 town car i rented..you could not at all..it was uncomfortable in that regard. The seat's where amazing though in the lincoln..like fall asleep

the prius seat's are very basic..hopefully the 09's will have an updated seat with lumbar. It's not a deal breaker for me though, the seats dont really bother me much, but most of my commutes are 15 miles or less

 

damn, ya'll are scaring me a little bit.

i have yet to pick up my car, let alone drive for extended periods. i remember test-driving it thinking 'what are these guys crying about,' though. it did not seem all that bad to me. certainly not preferably comfortable, but not worrisome.

i will go mess around with the seats again tomorrow, i suppose, in another prius to get a better feel for it.

 

I think some people are just gettng far too upset about this. I've taken four 4.5 hour trips with the car so far, and I've never had a problem with the comfort of the seat. It's not quite as good as my old Lexus was, but I didn't really expect it to be.

 

I wish the OP luck with their letter. Writing letters to manufacturers doesn't cost much and sometimes you are surprised by the results.

Personally, I and my family of four have no problem whatsoever with the seats. I understand very well that the seats are bothering some folks and wish that there was a good way for a prospective buyer to see if they like the seats or not -- a 30 minute test drive probably won't help you make up your mind and I had trouble finding a Prius to test drive. I would hate to waste money by renting a Prius but it might be the best option for someone thinking about buying a Prius and questioning the seats.

 

When my wife and I went to test drive the Prius, I opened my big mouth about the seat problem people are having. I found that info after reading this forum.

We went for a test drive in a Prius with cloth seats. She hated the way they felt. It hurt her back in the short test drive we did. I have to say I hated them also. Then we got into a Prius with leather seats. Wow! What a difference. Our Prius has leather seats and mama bear is very happy

 

At the Adelaide Motor Show on Saturday I had the pleasure of sitting in a 2008 Prius iTech with leather seats and I must say they were more comfortable than the seats in my 2004 base model. We have a couple of iTechs at work, maybe I need to steal the seats but I think people may suspect it was me as I am the only private owner of a Prius there and I guess they could see them in my car.

 

Out of much curiosity, I test drove an 08 Prius last week, then rented one for a day and a half today and yesterday...

it's a very endearing little car with a much needed improvement -

I'm 6ft 3in tall, so I needed to tilt the seatback ..back a little more to create view under the rearview mirror (swiveled it up high as possible).
This made the driver seat bottom feel even more flat. IMHO, Toyota largely blew it to not make a seat bottom tilt feature / handle.

I've been looking a lot at the 09 Matrix .. even that car at a few thousand less has a seat bottom tilt feature.

With the Prius, I just felt a little bit awkward all the time, and I did try hard to adjust it the best.

Don't know when I'll buy a new car, but I'd give another look to a 2009 or 10

 

I kindly let Toyota customer service know that I would not consider buying the current Prius due to the fact that -

even the $28k Touring Prius does not have -

adjustable driver seat height
telescopic steering wheel

both features are found on a $15k Corolla. My '88 Toyo pickup has adjustable tilt/lumbar support.

Some nerve calling it a Touring car without a fully adjustable driver seat.

Year after year they could have put that in, but they refuse.

or, this is a case of the quantum physicist who can't tie shoelaces ... too much emphasis on technology, forgets basics.

 

I rented a Prius (likely an 08 regular model with package C ... JBL, etc...)

I had the car for 30 hours and drove more than 200 miles ... it cost me a whopping $43.30 for the rental with tax.

This car would easily cost $25k otd, so 25k / 43 = 581

One could spend 581 times the cost of rental for a day, then realize 'these seats largely suck'.

Renting is peanuts in cost, buying is anything but

 

Not a deal killer for me, but I DID have to mod the travel backward. Sweet John (my car pool acquaintence) just bought a Prius, but it was close, due to the seats. My other part time car pool person, David, just went down to check out the '08. The seat WAS a deal breaker ... saying his back hurt before he returned off the test drive. Oh well Toyota, I can only do so much . . .

 

I would be highly disappointed if the '10 doesn't have seat height adjusters. Toyota's Corolla, Matrix and Yaris all have seat height adjusters. Beats me why not the Prius.

 

Interesting comment about the head rests. MFGs try to keep the head rest as close to your head as possible, because they are more effective in a crash that way. If they hit your head (strange) you should be able to get the bars bent to get the pad away from your head.

I dont really like the seating position too much either, but I survive without any pain. (I'm 6'-1")

I wonder what a car upholstery shop could do? If they could remove 1" of foam from under my but, and and inch from the back, I think I would be really comfortable.

 

ive read the leather option seat's on prius are a tad more comfy..but still no adjust.

IF it's a deal breaker look into the civic hybrid..i sat in one at the dealer and will admit the interior is a bit better, and the seat is better.

and of course if you are in for toyota, the camry is a nice FE car..if you drive it proper

 

I just bought a Memory Foam lumbar support at Walgreen's for $15. It is from HoMedic. (sp?) It is a good, and inexpensive, way to try something simple. For me the seats are fine around town. It is the long trip that kills my back.

I'm only 5' 7" so thigh support isn't a big deal for me.

Bob