Poll: Are you Satisfied with the Prius Seats ?

There was no vote for I like my power seat as well as the regular fabric seats in other Prius

Mike

 

Yes, I've tried filling in the low area with fiberfill. I also got a wedge therapeutic seat with a hole cut-out in the back. That makes me ridiculously high with the seat bottom adjustment tilted forward (which means it's also raised.) (Then, of course any lumbar support is way in the wrong place. For some reason, the lumbar support has never felt good in a car for me.) Next is trying some fiberfill with the sheepskin cover, or taking some foam and making a smaller wedge. The back of the seat where the seam is also causes me problems, but if I fill in with a small pillow, it throws my alignment off. Starting day 13 of trying every power adjustment and putting in and taking out padding. Yes, I've tried the mesh lumbar support too. It stops in the area of the seam and aggravates that pressure point. I think this is hopeless. With all the buzz out here, I'm wondering if anyone will even buy my 2013 Prius four!

 

IMHO, the seats fit 99.9% of the humans involved, some(.01) just have bad posture, and never tried to correct it, who ya gonna blame?

 

Did you test drive the car before you bought it?

Mike

 

I have to ask the inevitable stupid question : if you have pain after a 5 minute drive, does that mean that you didn't test drive it for even that long? Especially if you knew the cloth seat would be uncomfortable, I'd think that I would have spent an appropriate amount of time driving the 'upgrade' choice.
Also, assuming more than a 5 minute drive home, you should have driven enough in the following day to ascertain the problem with the seat. Most dealers offer a 24-48 hour no-penalty exchange period.
IDK....

 

I used to get sore driving various vehicles in my travels and got tired of it. So I made an appointment with a good chiropractor and found out I had some nerve issues going on. That led me to a neurosurgeon and soon after that I went into surgery. Now I can't do anything to get a sore back no matter how poor my posture is

Maybe you have some medical problem that could be fixed to cure back problems?

Mike

 

The lumbar support in the Prius 2013 type 5 are very supportive and highly adjustable. As a matter of fact, they have the largest range (from flat to bulging) of any seat I've ever used. I do wish the fake leather seats were just a bit smoother as sliding in sometimes grabs my clothing.

 

It wasn't terribly comfortable and I talked to the dealer 2 days later. He said most people figure it out in a day or two. I talked with him the third day. He said it would cost be $4,000, with my 25 miles or 500. Guess I should have talked to higher up. Screwed now.

 

Have you gone to a chiropractor or had a surgeon check you out to see what is wrong? I used to think my sore back was just from hurting it until I found out it was a nerve that had compression on it. Now I live pain free

Regular doctors used to tell me to take ibuprofen and get some rest. Now I know that was quack quack advice.

Mike

 

I can get uncomfortable after exercise, but it goes away in a day or two. I don't have back problems in general, until this. If I don't drive for a few days, I feel like I'd be fine. Won't prove anything to my husband, he thinks since his back hurts that everyone is in pain all the time at age 60 and that it's either my imagination or I should just tolerate it. I'm sure if I went to a chiropractor he could find something, but it wasn't a problem before.... Question is, how do I sell it at this point? 300 miles. I bought at 120. Perfect condition.

 

Go speak with someone at the dealership that has some authority. I could see them taking it back either as buying it outright or trading it in at full value on another Toyota. Have you checked out the Avalon Hybrid? Pretty cool car and rated 40 mpg.

My back used to act similar in that it was sore one day and not the next but it was very easy to hurt it just doing simple stuff or riding in a vehicle that didn't fit my body just right. Now I can sit in anything no matter how good or poor my posture is and it doesn't hurt one bit. I also don't get the headaches I used to get so easily. Talk about a huge quality of life improvement. The best $20k I spent in my whole life other than buying my Prius last year

Mike

 

Another option is figure out exactly what in that seat design causes you the issues and correct the padding under the seat cover so it fits you like a glove and is oh so comfortable. Those seat covers come off and a good upholstery shop can reshape the padding to fit your body the way you like it. There is also aftermarket seat covers made for the Prius that are very affordable and down right stylish.

Mike

 

Thanks. I'll try this again.

 

Please keep us updated on what works or not and so forth. It might help out someone else

Mike

 

Thanks. Way back a week ago, I realized I was actually pressing hard on that dead pedal, something about being able to get my butt back enough in the seat for proper positioning I think. Now have the legs relaxed and bent, and arms relaxed. I'm only 5'6" and no car actually works for the arm rests. Do keep the hands down lower on the wheel to relax the shoulders. You'd think there has to be a solution. I've emailed a local physical therapist who works with ergonomics. Maybe he/she will take a look. No go with PT with my HMO, local home health care supplier or chiropractor. It's me in the seat. Me without the seat is not a problem.... or wasn't!

 

I bought a $17 lumbar support cushion at O' Reilly's and it works incredibly on my manual seat 2006. I just drove it 8 hours today and I feel fine. When I drove it on a 3 hour trip a few weeks ago my back was KILLING me