drivers seat comfort

[pingman]

Let me start by saying I broke my tailbone a few years back and need something comfortable to sit in. I have a 2010 SE V6 with cloth interior. The drivers seat has been nothing but a problem for me since day one. When I demoed the car it was not for a long period of time, but now, even on short drives to work-1/2 hour- I get quite a bit of back pain and soreness in my legs. I am 5'10 and about 220 lbs., so I am not a small guy, but I just don't seem to have any luck getting this seat in a comfortable position. It is a power seat and the funny thing is the passengers seat feels better to me. I have also put a foam pad on the seat and this helps a little. If I can't find a solution I will probably have to trade out of the car. I would appreciate any ideas or input.

[bbf2530]

Let me start by saying I broke my tailbone a few years back and need something comfortable to sit in. I have a 2010 SE V6 with cloth interior. The drivers seat has been nothing but a problem for me since day one. When I demoed the car it was not for a long period of time, but now, even on short drives to work-1/2 hour- I get quite a bit of back pain and soreness in my legs. I am 5'10 and about 220 lbs., so I am not a small guy, but I just don't seem to have any luck getting this seat in a comfortable position. It is a power seat and the funny thing is the passengers seat feels better to me. I have also put a foam pad on the seat and this helps a little. If I can't find a solution I will probably have to trade out of the car. I would appreciate any ideas or input.

 

 

Hi pingman. :D In my opinion, it would cost you less to find a good, comfortable aftermarket seat and have it installed. Or another option would be to find a good auto upholstery installer who will work with you to pad/adjust the seat properly for your needs. Either of these would cost you less overall than trading out of the car, where you would take a huge loss due to depreciation.

 

Let us know how you make out.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

Edited October 21, 2010 by bbf2530

[akirby]

Hi pingman. :D In my opinion, it would cost you less to find a good, comfortable aftermarket seat and have it installed. Or another option would be to find a good auto upholstery installer who will work with you to pad/adjust the seat properly for your needs. Either of these would cost you less overall than trading out of the car, where you wold take a huge loss due to depreciation.

 

Let us know how you make out.

 

Good luck. :beerchug:

 

Ditto. A good upholstery shop can modify the foam to fit you better, hopefully without having to modify the cloth. The problem with trading it is you can't be sure the new one won't also give you problems.

[xmech2k]

Had a similar problem when I got my SE. It has so many adjustments, you should find a way to get comfortable. I tried little movements here and there, and out of frustration, went to some extremes and got lucky. Try this: Seat bottom back all the way down, seat bottom front elevated a bit. Recline the back a little more than you think you like, and crank the lumbar support all the way out. Now I can go on a 6 hour trip no prob!

 

Good luck!

[Kaleb]

You can get some pretty comfortable aftermarket seats. They look cooler too.

[11FusionSEL]

You can get some pretty comfortable aftermarket seats. They look cooler too.

 

I added Recaro aftermarket seats for my wife who also has a back problem. 2011 SEL Fusion with Recaro front seats

Edited October 22, 2010 by 11FusionSEL

[pingman]

I added Recaro aftermarket seats for my wife who also has a back problem. 2011 SEL Fusion with Recaro front seats

Those seats look great! I added some foam between the springs and the original pad. It raised the middle up a little and I am in the trial period. Hopefully this works and thanks for all the ideas. Btw, can you tell me where you got those seats and a ballpark cost?

[11FusionSEL]

Those seats look great! I added some foam between the springs and the original pad. It raised the middle up a little and I am in the trial period. Hopefully this works and thanks for all the ideas. Btw, can you tell me where you got those seats and a ballpark cost?

The ones that we have are actually 8 years old. We bought them for our 2002 Taurus. My wife liked them so much, I needed to take them out of the Taurus and put in the new Fusion. They wear really well ... the material still seems like new. Our discontinued model is Recaro SE. You can still find them on eBay used sometimes (~ $300/$400 range). Recaro's newer version that is similar to ours is called the Recaro Specialist. I think these sell in the $800/$900 range.

 

Good luck to you!

[pingman]

The ones that we have are actually 8 years old. We bought them for our 2002 Taurus. My wife liked them so much, I needed to take them out of the Taurus and put in the new Fusion. They wear really well ... the material still seems like new. Our discontinued model is Recaro SE. You can still find them on eBay used sometimes (~ $300/$400 range). Recaro's newer version that is similar to ours is called the Recaro Specialist. I think these sell in the $800/$900 range.

 

Good luck to you!

Thanks again for the info. The filler didn't really help so I will look at those recaros.

Edited October 23, 2010 by pingman

[SilverSport]

Before you do something drastic. I would suggest you rent several cars that you might think would solve your problem. It might be that with the issue you have with your tailbone is not the Fusion. It might be that you have an issue with sitting in general.

I have a similar problem but have been able to the adjust the Fusion seat in a way that lessens the pain I feel. In my Sport I do not have a power passenger seat and it does feel more comfortable than the drivers seat. This is mainly due to the tilt of the cushion of the passenger seat.

In the past have you had a vehicle that lessened the discomfort?

 

Just my opinion,

 

Silver Sport

[pingman]

Before you do something drastic. I would suggest you rent several cars that you might think would solve your problem. It might be that with the issue you have with your tailbone is not the Fusion. It might be that you have an issue with sitting in general.

I have a similar problem but have been able to the adjust the Fusion seat in a way that lessens the pain I feel. In my Sport I do not have a power passenger seat and it does feel more comfortable than the drivers seat. This is mainly due to the tilt of the cushion of the passenger seat.

In the past have you had a vehicle that lessened the discomfort?

 

Just my opinion,

 

Silver Sport

I agree with you about the passenger seat 100%! I thought it may be a different seat because it is not power. I just haven't found a comfortable spot to put the drivers seat in, but I can sit in the passenger seat anywhere! I am going back to the upholsterer this morning to try something a little different but may call the ford dealer to see if I can get a non power matching drivers seat. It will be a lot less expensive than trading the car in. Sticker was around $25,500, I paid $21,700, the car has just over 2K , miles and the most I have been offered on trade is $16,500-even from the dealer I purchased the car from!

[pingman]

Thanks to all who have replied. The upholsterer added new padding between the seat and the springs, which raised the middle of the seat and more or less flattened out the side supports. This has made the seat extremeley more comfortable and only cost me $70! If anyone else has this problem, after watching him, it is a very simple fix. One clip for the seat cover under the front and one on the right side, between the seat and the center console. Loosen both and pull the seat cover back slightly. Now you can lift the foam very easily and add padding between the foam and the springs. The guy used padding 2 inches in thickness and that was more than enough. Very easy to experiment with. So with all the information I just saved about $5000! :happy feet: :headspin:

[bbf2530]

Thanks to all who have replied. The upholsterer added new padding between the seat and the springs, which raised the middle of the seat and more or less flattened out the side supports. This has made the seat extremeley more comfortable and only cost me $70! If anyone else has this problem, after watching him, it is a very simple fix. One clip for the seat cover under the front and one on the right side, between the seat and the center console. Loosen both and pull the seat cover back slightly. Now you can lift the foam very easily and add padding between the foam and the springs. The guy used padding 2 inches in thickness and that was more than enough. Very easy to experiment with. So with all the information I just saved about $5000! :happy feet: :headspin:

 

Hi pingman. :D Glad you were able to solve the seat comfort problem with minimal cost.

 

Now you can truly enjoy your new car!

 

Good luck. :beerchug: