Can I add lumbar padding to existing seat?

You can peel the backrest cover up to its middle attached point. From there you can check out the back support. I added a little to my cloth one in my 04. I do upholstery.

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I thought the Two Eco only came with cloth seats from Factory. Your profile indicates you are in the US, unless there is a San Francisco in some other country.
The only other Prius seats I know of in the US are Softex, not the real leather ones that are in the UK, for instance.

 

I'd be putting a full lambswool/sheepskin seat cover which you can tuck padding between it and the leather without damaging it.

 

Remember that both front seats contain airbag modules; see the illustrations and warnings in section 1-1 of the Owner’s Manual, including the warnings against extra cushions, accessories that cover parts where the airbags inflate, or modifications to the seats or seat upholstery.

I urge you to consider two issues before making any changes:

• How would your modification affect the occupant protection provided by the seat–airbag–seat belt system in a collision? Without proprietary design information and an extensive program of destructive testing, this could be difficult to determine. It’s possible that a modified seat could do better, but are you willing to take the chance that it would do much worse?

• If you decide to work on the seats, what precautions must you take to avoid injury from inadvertent airbag deployment? This information is in the factory Repair Manual, available by subscription to techinfo.toyota.com. The manual also has complete procedures to remove, disassemble, reassemble, and reinstall the seats, including steps for the back and cushion covers, and the torque specifications for the seat fasteners.

 

Since your dealer must have had some local business install the leather upholstery, perhaps that same company could safely improve the support for you.

 

Well the seat will need to come out for starters. Then you can see how to get the bottom completely open. From there if like the cloth there is plastic straps wrapped from the front around the bottom and back. Hawg rings hold them in place. Which you'll need to replace after it's done. A upholstery shop is best for this job.

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Lumbar support involves the seat back, not the bottom. Would they need to remove the seat to access the back only?

 

Remove the whole seat from the car to work on the back. The back rest can stay connected.

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Well haven't crashed to really know but no. Just unplug wiring from underneath seat and plug it back in when done. No need to unplug anywhere else.

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I think the cord holding backrest cover is orange. Holds it down along the wings of the backrest.

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Before you pull it apart, you need to have ready what packing you need to insert FIRST. Because if you go to great pains dismantling it etc, and it's not quite right, you're back either to square 1 - or even have made it worse.

That's why I suggested you put it between a seat cover and the seat. I've done that on a few cars, and in some cases, you need very little packing to make a huge difference. You can experiment without a seat cover - just put various items behind your back to work out what helps.

[ I've had Lambswool/Sheepskin seat covers on most of my front seats since about 1980 - they protect the seat itself, are much easier to clean than if you stain your upholstery or if the children kick the back of the seat, and even by themselves, make the seat more comfortable. They also mean you can tuck something - start with a folded flannel or small folded hand-towel to start working out what you are needing.
]

 

That's a good suggestion actually. Getting the wright amount important for the back. I used a 2 inch by 10 inch wide 1/2 inch foam, than a 5 inch over the 2 inch strip. Need to place the height of it correctly to line up with curve of your back.
Taking the seat apart not a problem for me since I do upholstery for a living. Worked on many car seats.

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With foam - and you'd know being into upholstery - there are so many different densities and cell structures that it becomes a fiddly thing to get the right one. I find that I often adjust the LUMBAR on my seat during the day - harder later in the day.

Which reminds me of something my (now deceased) Mother-In-Law had - it was a small cushion backrest on her lounge chair which she adjusted by squeezing a rubber bulb. She had a chronic sore back, and was always fiddling with it to get comfortable - give it a few pumps, then 10 mins later, we'd hear the hiss as she was deflating it a bit.

 

Correct, foam and people's backs all different. The Prius backrest is fairly flat so I needed to add some curve.

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