drivers seat

Buy a new (2004 or 2005) Prius!!!

I have just bought a Prius 2006. The driver seat is SOOOOO UNCOMFORTABLE (acutally all seats int he car are), it is almost unreal. My bakc hurts and, like the other poster in this forum, it has no reason to hurt since my back has not given me much trouble in the past. The culprit is the stiffness of the foam in the seat. I called Toyota and they told me the could not help.

I am looking into aftermarket options to get the seat altered or changed. As for Toyota, they have not heard the last of me; LOUSY customer service.

Real sad, but so far I have a brand new car I basically cannot drive.

I drove a Camry for 5 years and bought a Prius in April. I am 6' 2" and I have found the Prius as comfortable to sit in as the Camry which had a 6 way power seat. The back has even more room than the Camry.

Hi Robin,
I just bought a 2004 Prius and cannot believe how uncomfortable the drivers seat is and I do not have MS (yet!) I have to do something about it. Please lets share any research.
Jacqueline.

hey guys. i had a friend with that problem and he solved it by just buying a lower back pillow that sort of acted as a lumbar support since the prius does not have it. he got it at one of those discount auto part stores. most of the people do not have any problems with the seats because it was made to fit the majority of people. but, every body is different and some people will have problems with the seats. so, give the pillow a try and good luck!

To me it looks like the Prius front head rests are the most likely culprit. They seem to be canted more forward than other cars. (Look at VW Jetta front seats -- IMO the Germans get seating in smaller cars right, and besides my back and neck are 50% German and 100% European.) Another possibility is the seatbacks are too flat and the posters suggesting lumbar support are onto something.

Now for the cheap part -- go to WalMart or Target and get a couple or 2-3 cheap kitchen seat pads and patio chairs. Think about things you can put between the seat and your back to adjust the fit. It may not appeal for a long term solution but I have definitely been there in a full size Ford of all things and am using just such an interim hack, a seat back removed from a patio chair! Cost about $20 -- a lot less than a doctor's visit co-pay.

I'm incredibly uncomfortable too. It took me about 3 weeks to start having serious discomfort. I've spent about $50 so far on cushions and supports from auto parts stores and I think they made it worse. They don't easily fit between the sides of the seat. I think it bothers me the most because of the way the seat is scooped out in the middle. It's like you sink into a hole and it pushes your head and shoulders forward. I called Toyota and had no luck. It's the only seat they have to fit it. I know someone else who has a Prius with leather seats who finds the seats are comfortable. So my cloth seats might be the problem too.

We bought our Prius in Oregon to save the $4K-$6K premium Orange County Toyota dealers are adding on. The trip home was a killer on the buns and back. A back store sells an add on seat cushion for $135 that is very comfy but it doesn't stay in one place getting in and out of the car. Costco sheepskins could hold memory foam pad in place but the expense keeps rising. Come on Toyota, give us some help?

For me, the seat only becomes uncomfortable if I'm drivng a couple hours straight. The seat doesn't have good lumbar support. I bought a support insert for my car.