Removing the rear seat headrests for better visibility

As long as you make sure to put the headrest back on if you have an adult riding in back, I'd recommend it. Do all you can to maximize visibility!

In Gen2 and Gen3 there was so much effort to increase visibility back there that removing rear headrests only made a very minor difference. Then when Prius C came out there was almost no visibility if you didn't take the headrests off.

I suspect Gen5 visibility is probably closer to Prius C issue than original Prius issue?

 

Depends on how you use the car. If you rarely have people in the back seats(like me), it's a great solution. It also makes dropping the rear seats more convenient(sometimes the right side rear seat has trouble dropping flat if the passenger seat is all the way back).

But if you regularly have older kids or adults in the rear seats, then either the digital rearview mirror or just living with the visibility is the better option.

 

Also, in gen 3, the rear headrests are made so if you lift them to the top position you can flop them forward and they are out of your sight, without any need to remove them. Have you checked whether yours might also be like that?

 

We removed and stowed the headrests for our Prius c, it made an enormous improvement in rear vision.

I put each one in a freezer bag and stowed them under the front row seats. That way we always have them in case we need them for surprise passengers, and they stay clean.

 

I also have an alternate plan that I may or may not(probably not - lol) ever accomplish.

I've got a red Limited. I'm playing with the idea of swapping my interior with that of a salvage yard Prime(red accents and stitching). One problem is that the rear seat bottoms are different between the HEV and the PHEV because of the different HV batteries. However, both versions of the Prius in Japan are available with every interior color option. So I could order a JDM HEV rear seat bottom with the red stitching. But if I go that far, I'm almost considering switching to the Japan/Euro rear seat back with the three smaller headrests.

I probably won't do it due to the prohibitive costs, but it's fun to think about.

 

If you go that far you oughta just find some auto upholstery talent in your region to redo as much of the interior as you can afford. You'll get way more quality and beauty that way and with they'll charge you to ship a seat bottom from Japan it might even be cheaper.

 

If I were to only get the seat bottom, it would be just the fabric cover, so shipping wouldn't be that bad. Something like $185 for the seat cover and probably $50 or less for shipping. It's the 60/40 seat back and headrests that would be the nightmare. Probably $1k in parts and another $1k-$1.5k in shipping to convert from the two big headrests to the small three.

 

Some newer cars have head rests that fold down for visibility leaving the seat uncomfortable if you sit in it while the head rest as folded down. Passengers have to folded em back upright in order to sit in a normal/comfortable position.
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I removed the rear seat headrests in my Prius C and Gen 5 Prius Prime, it definitely improves visibility out the back window. I rarely have passengers in the back seats so it was a no-brainer for me to do so, but I do keep a headrest in the trunk just in case.

 

That's reasonable for seat bottom for a near brand new vehicle upgrade... But given your headrest cost, I'd encourage you to find someone in the upholstery business and work with them for an entirely custom design for the entire interior. If you find the right person, you'll have a whole new vision that goes way beyond what you can do searching for products to buy. And it sounds like you're the kind of person who has good taste in design and is worthy of working with someone skilled at interior customizations.

 

Nah, I'm interested in staying stock. If I start doing the full red switchover(and it's a really big if), I'll do it by finding a Prius Prime that's been wrecked but with a perfect interior. Then I'll work a deal with the salvage company to either swap entire seats or just the seat covers for a reasonable price(also the gear shift and the steering wheel). The only part I won't have for a perfect USDM conversion would be that bottom seat cover for around $225-$250(inc. S&H). I'm shooting for a complete USDM conversion cost of $500-$1000(steering wheel, gear shifter, both front seats, complete rear seat).

At that point I'll confirm the prices on importing the JDM rear seat back parts. I'm sure they'll be prohibitively high and I won't do it, but it will only be a couple hours of my time to check. I might go so far as to import a pair of the smaller headrests to see if they fit in the USDM slots(I'm guessing they'll be around $50-$75 each* + reasonable S&H). If they work, I'll just live with the integrated center headrest. (that reminds me, I think only the 60 side of the 60/40 split is different; the 40 side is the same in both the JDM and USDM versions IIRC)



*That might sound really low, but there are huge price differences between buying from Toyota USA and Toyota Japan. A replacement front headrest for a gen5 XLE/LTD runs $585 MSRP from Toyota USA. A replacement front headrest from Toyota Japan runs about $107(16,000 yen). The rear JDM headrest is about 1/3 the size of the front headrest, so I figure they'll be a little cheaper; though the part number for the rear one isn't showing up in Impex so I can't be certain.

 

I took mine off and have the seat backs folded down. All the time.

 

For 15 years the middle seat headrests of my Sienna were in the garage ( and the rear seats folded down) for better visibility.
Now, with the '24 Prius Prime the rear window is so small that added visibility is hardly worth it. The backup camera is better for judging distance (when parking) than the windows or mirrors ever were. The rear window (and center mirror) suffice for telling me that the driver behind me is too close, and that is enough.

 

Can you access the back up camera when not in reverse in a 2024? Seems like that would be valuable now that they've removed so much visibility back there?

 

They're smaller because of less strict whip lash regulations.
Sure you can order them from overseas. Seen such for other cars.

 

They're only $584.16 MSRP each. ($403.87 each with discount)

71940-47790-C1 - Black leather with red stitching (XSE, XSE+)
71940-47790-C2 - Black leather with silver stitching (XLE/LTD)
71940-47790-B1 - Gray leather (XLE/LTD)
71940-47780-C1 - Black cloth with red stitching (SE)
71940-47770-C1 - Black cloth (LE)
71940-47770-B0 - Gray cloth (LE)

Probably get a much better price ordering them from a parts importer.