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Seat Height Adjustment

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by nyprius, Apr 1, 2007.

  1. nyprius

    nyprius Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Earthling @ Apr 6 2007, 04:27 PM) [snapback]418995[/snapback]</div>
    I sent in another note to Toyota through their website. If many of us do this, we might get a response.

    I was able to retrofit my seat so it slid back another 3 inches. It feels way more comfortable. I don't know why they restricted the backward motion of the seat. Maybe Toyota wanted the Prius to have a reputation for lots of legroom in the back seat, which doesn't make much sense since the roof is so low. Better to let the seat slide back a lot. You can always slide it up when needed to make room for passengers.

    I took my car to New England Wheels in Billerica, MA. They retrofit cars for Boston Celtics basketball players. It's an easy retrofit to make the seats slide back another three inches. The guy told me he could do it over the phone without even looking at the car.

    To do the retrofit, they removed both front seats, drilled out the 8 pedestals on the 4 seat rails, welded about 5 inches of strong steel to the front of the seat rails, welded the pedestals back on 3 inches forward from their previous position, painted the assemblies black, then reinstalled. Now the seat slides exactly as before. But the whole range of motion is shifted back three inches. Slid all the way forward, my 5'3" girlfriend has no trouble driving the car.

    Lowering the seat is much harder than moving it back. To do this, you have to go into the seat structure. This might affect safety. The retrofit I did doesn't affect it. For height, I think we're better off getting a different seat rather than trying to retrofit existing ones.

    For those that want the seat to slide back more without having to do the $300 mod I did, we could request retrofit seats from Toyota that have longer seat rails and height adjustment.
     
  2. nyprius

    nyprius Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Apr 6 2007, 05:16 PM) [snapback]419024[/snapback]</div>
    Thanks! I forgot that I qualified the 70% number with the word "probably".

    And I"m with you. I'd gladly trade in my useless foglights for the highly useful driver's seat height adjustment feature!
     
  3. Screaming Red

    Screaming Red Two Pri Wannabe

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    While we're on seats, Seat heaters! Ahhhhh, almost as good as a massage. :)
     
  4. harrv

    harrv Member

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    Include me in the 70%. I'd adjust the seat lower if I could. That mirror is RIGHT in my line of sight. Kinda dangerous sometimes.
     
  5. jgills240

    jgills240 Member

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    why don't we make this a poll and develop our own statistic.
     
  6. nyprius

    nyprius Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jgills240 @ Apr 8 2007, 01:03 PM) [snapback]419820[/snapback]</div>
    I didn't start this post to debate a statistic. The point was to get many people to push Toyota to provide inexpensive replacement driver's seats with height adjustment.

    However, maybe a poll would help achieve this goal by showing Toyota that many Prius owners would like to have seat height adjustment easily and inexpensively installed.

    Based on this, your idea sounds good to me. But I don't know how to set up a poll. If you know how to do it, go for it!

    Perhaps the poll question could be: For the safety and comfort of Prius owners, should Toyota provide replacement driver's seats with manual height adustment?

    Maybe a cheaper way to go would be to retrofit existing seats with manual height adjustment. I have no idea if this is possible. I think the retrofit mentioned earlier in this thread is WAY too complex. Perhaps Toyota engineers could come up with an easily installed dealer retrofit.
     
  7. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

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    :D :D Gotta laugh.... ;)

    "Made it up?" In my Engineering School days, there were SWAG's and WAG's. One is 'Scientific' the other just 'Wild'
     
  8. jgills240

    jgills240 Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nyprius @ Apr 8 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]419823[/snapback]</div>
    Oh, I know! and i really don't mind that you made it up, i just thought it would be interesting to see....
     
  9. mlkco

    mlkco Member

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    I'm 6'4" and bought my second (two Prius family) uncomfortable Prius.
    My dealer did retrofit seat heaters to the front seats.
    Leg room is very tight. My Highlander has 1" more but the adjustable seat makes a lot of difference.
    I am going to retro fit the seat myself but my request to Toyota would be for a 8 way adjustable seat with 3" more travel and a telescoping steering wheel. Make a comfort package and I'll pay whatever they charge.
     
  10. wendlyn

    wendlyn Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mlkco @ Apr 10 2007, 08:26 PM) [snapback]421224[/snapback]</div>
    Sent email to Toyota and this is what they have to say about the seat height adjuster(lack thereof). I say we all email them, so their database is full!!!!

    Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
    Ms., we apologize that your 2007 Prius does not have a height seat adjuster.

    We make every effort to manufacture a quality product by researching, testing, and constantly monitoring performance. Consumer opinion and perception also play an active role in our ongoing efforts to lead the automobile industry in quality, innovation, styling, and reliability.

    It is through communications such as yours that we become aware of the reactions and expectations of our customers.

    Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200704101389. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

    Toyota Customer Experience
     
  11. VTAllen

    VTAllen New Member

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    I wasn't able to locate a retrofit shop which would adjust our Prius 06 seats. Our family (5'8", 6'2", 6'0") drove 12 hours to Virginia at Christmas - it was a difficult trip, comfort-wise, except for the passenger in the back seat. No Toyota dealership or back-yard fix-it shop would touch the notion of extending the seat tracks. So after a year of Prius ownership, I traded it in for a hybrid Camry. The lack of seat adjustment had given rise to unbearable sciatica, and I couldn't drive 20 miles without excruciating pain. Fortunately, the pain's gone, I still have a Toyota product, and it's a hybrid!
     
  12. slaing

    slaing New Member

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  13. Beren

    Beren Junior Member

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    I literally feel your pain. The sad part is I started off with a Camry Hybrid and zeroed out the deal the next day for a Prius. Dumb move on my part, but the Camry center console was just too fat. It was like I was going to be squeezed one direction or the other. I'll have to try it for a year, see if the pain gets any better, then look at trading in the Prius or selling it. :(

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VTAllen @ Apr 11 2007, 06:13 AM) [snapback]421394[/snapback]</div>
     
  14. bredekamp

    bredekamp Member

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  15. FloridaWen

    FloridaWen New Member

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    Right before starting our FIRST "test drive" in an '07 Prius Touring, my Wife (the driver) reached down to adjust the seat height (move upward). She only found the lever that angles the seat back and NO height adjustment..... SHE WAS SHOCKED !! She is 5 ft. 2 in. tall and I am 6 ft. 1 in. tall. We liked the vehicle so much, in spite of this lack of driver's seat adjustment, that after visiting a few more dealers we made a purchase. Unfortunately our color and package choice was not in any local area dealer but was on it's way to port (Jacksonville, FL). This was good as we were able to cancel that expensive, ridiculous $699 "ToyoGuard Plus".

    Would it NOT be a GREAT idea if a Company, like the one that makes that chassis stiffening bar (BT?), make some sort of "kit" for '06 - '07 Prius DRIVER'S SEAT that would BOLT ON and ALLOW HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT ?? Would this be a difficult item to manufacture ?? I am sure ONE out of every FOUR Prius owners would buy one !! I know I certainly would !! An item that would allow the seat to go "up" about another inch and also be lowered maybe 1/2" ?? Would this NOT be a great item to manufacture (hint, hint, hint !!) :D
     
  16. ystasino

    ystasino Active Member

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    I'm 6 ft tall, 200pds had the car for two weeks and the wish more for steering wheel adjustment rather than seat height adjustment (which would also be good).
     
  17. FloridaWen

    FloridaWen New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ystasino @ May 13 2007, 09:32 PM) [snapback]441347[/snapback]</div>
    Yes, I agree with that too !! The FIRST Toyota Dealer we went to linked us up with a nice (friendly, personality-wise) but totally "Prius-Ignorant" Salesman. This is where we took our first Prius test drive. He was the guy that told my Wife (when she was in the driver's seat) that there WAS a driver's seat HEIGHT adjustment (which obviously there wasn't) and when I went to sit behind the wheel in a shopping center parking lot about half way through our test drive, he told me the steering wheel was "telescopic" so I can pull it out or push it in. After searching for that button (that was never there) for five minutes he said, oh.... sorry, I must be getting the Prius confused with another model of Toyota (duhhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!!!!!!!) :blink:
    Obviously he was NOT their "Prius man" !!
     
  18. nyprius

    nyprius Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 13 2007, 02:41 PM) [snapback]441135[/snapback]</div>
    Moving the seat back is relatively easy, assuming you find someone that knows what they're doing, compared to installing seat height adjustment. All the work needed to move the seat back is done at the seat rails. Installing height adjustment, or even just lowering the seat, requires getting up into the seat support structure. Given the thinness of the metal holding the seat up, it appears to be designed to shear off in a major accident. Keeping the same shearing characteristics would be hard I think. This isn't an issue with modifying the seat rails since they're obviously not meant to go anywhere in an accident.

    Nevertheless, it does look like it wouldn't be that hard to lower the seat by an inch or so. There are four pieces of metal coming up from the seat rails that support the seat. At the top of each is one bolt holding the seat. It looks like you could drill a new hole in the support metal one inch lower than the existing position, then rebolt the seat. If you did this, you'd need to keep a pillow in the car for the occasional short driver.