I have driven my 2005 XLE Limited over 2,500 miles now, and still can not get comfortable. I have tried all kinds of different combinations of seat bottom position, seat back position, settering wheel telescope, and steering wheel tilt.
It is bad enough that my shoulders and neck hurt after most trips (I use it for business, and average 125 to 150+ miles per day). I am 6' 1", 193 Lbs., with 34" sleeves and 34" inseam - nothing unsual. My back is fine, and I have never had seat problems with the many other vehicles I have owned.
I will either sell it or try going to some upholstery shops to investigate having the seats modified. Maybe I could simply raise the entire back of the seat up higher by having extensions welded to the support brackets?
Besides the discomfort, the cheap un-ventilated leather is way too hot, so if I keep it, I will also have the seating surfaces replaced with cloth.
I paid $33,507 for the thing, so I am certainly disappointed. I paid $1,000 less for my 2002 Mountaineer, and it has far better seats with higher quality ventilated leather.
Oh what a feeling indeed! My first and last Toyota.
well, for starters you could get a seat cover/pad with a spine support. the seat back is probably pushing your shoulders forward and allowing you spine to sink back. I have comfort issues in my brothers 04 sienna because of that same issue. basically my shoulders are too broad for the seat back. second leather and long drives dont go well together in my book, especially in summer weather. As to the comparison of a sienna to a mountaineer,its apples to oranges. the sienna is a mini van which was intended for soccermoms and the mountaineer is an SUV targeted for a more diverse market. if you want to compare the mountaineer to a toyota product then try driving a Sequioia Or 4Runner.
__________________ HAVE YOU DRIVEN OVER A FORD LATELY?
Team West SAWS (cranked up to 3.25")
Total Chaos UCA
ORS Manual hub kit
reese front receiver hitch
10,000 lb. winch on receiver hitch
Warn Quick connects front and rear
rear brake porportioning valve mod
3" perfomance products body lift
skyjacker AAL
wheelers urithane kit for front swaybar and steering rack
BFG AT's
Eagle101 wheels
CB radio W/ dual fiberglass 48" ant.
well, for starters you could get a seat cover/pad with a spine support. the seat back is probably pushing your shoulders forward and allowing you spine to sink back. I have comfort issues in my brothers 04 sienna because of that same issue. basically my shoulders are too broad for the seat back. second leather and long drives dont go well together in my book, especially in summer weather. As to the comparison of a sienna to a mountaineer,its apples to oranges. the sienna is a mini van which was intended for soccermoms and the mountaineer is an SUV targeted for a more diverse market. if you want to compare the mountaineer to a toyota product then try driving a Sequioia Or 4Runner.
Ah - that is what my wife says - the Seinna appears to be designed for short females.
I canceled a 2005 Tacoma order, thinking that a pickup would be ackward to use, as I would always be reaching in over the tailgate and in past a flip lid and over the sides to access the tools and supplies I carry. Maybe I goofed.
She and I just spent half and hour experimenting. The inner portions of my shoulder bladees hit a hard part of the seat padding, which my back below my sounder blades and my back above is unsupported. It is really bad with the "headrest" in the stock position, and better with it reversed.
you might be able to order a taco bucket seat and make it work...I think the interior colors are the same.
__________________ HAVE YOU DRIVEN OVER A FORD LATELY?
Team West SAWS (cranked up to 3.25")
Total Chaos UCA
ORS Manual hub kit
reese front receiver hitch
10,000 lb. winch on receiver hitch
Warn Quick connects front and rear
rear brake porportioning valve mod
3" perfomance products body lift
skyjacker AAL
wheelers urithane kit for front swaybar and steering rack
BFG AT's
Eagle101 wheels
CB radio W/ dual fiberglass 48" ant.
you might be able to order a taco bucket seat and make it work...I think the interior colors are the same.
If you do, get the sport seats. These are the best seats I've ever felt, they have side bolstering to keep you snug whilst off-roading. I have back and neck issues to, I adjust my seat to be almost bolt upright, and lift the headrest up a few notches so I am forced to assume a correct seating angle. I've talked with my physical therapist as well, she says that your pelvic "shelf" needs to be level and your upper body will rest upon that shelf. To that end, she suggested that I make some sort of foam wedge to make the seat bottom level, which isn't an issue in the truck but is in those crappy Ford bucket seats in the cruisers.
__________________
2005 Tacoma Doublecab TRD Offroad 4X4 shortbed - Modifications - Fog light mod, Debadged, Black Toyota grille emblem, Map Light Mod, DRL mod
Factory Accessories - Tacoma Bedmat, Extra set of D-rings installed in front bed bolts, Extra set of factory tie downs
Optional Options - FilterMag, Fumoto valve, Westin Suregrip running boards w/LED lights, WeatherTech Floorliners, WeatherTech window visor vents, Prestige remote car starter w/keyless entry, SilverStar headlight and turn signal bulbs, Toytek 2" lift, Muth heated signal mirrors, WAAG grille guard (center only, I'm old school), Taillights tinted by JonsTintedTails.com, Anthracite FJ Cruiser wheels w/ 265/75r16 BFGoodrich A/T
I agree that the Tacoma sport seats are wonderful!
I partially disassembled the seat back in the Sienna today and it is obvious that it will not be difficult to modify it. By the way, the seats are made by Lear. I will remove the leather covers on botht he driver's and front passenger's seaat and have the parts which contact the person sitting replaced with fabric like that used on the Tacoma sport seats. I will also add padding and may add a spring or two, as there is one heavier spring in the back and the rest are very thin.
I will take photos of the seat as I disassemble it and as it is modified and post them.
I have driven my 2005 XLE Limited over 2,500 miles now, and still can not get comfortable. I have tried all kinds of different combinations of seat bottom position, seat back position, settering wheel telescope, and steering wheel tilt.
It is bad enough that my shoulders and neck hurt after most trips (I use it for business, and average 125 to 150+ miles per day). I am 6' 1", 193 Lbs., with 34" sleeves and 34" inseam - nothing unsual. My back is fine, and I have never had seat problems with the many other vehicles I have owned.
I will either sell it or try going to some upholstery shops to investigate having the seats modified. Maybe I could simply raise the entire back of the seat up higher by having extensions welded to the support brackets?
Besides the discomfort, the cheap un-ventilated leather is way too hot, so if I keep it, I will also have the seating surfaces replaced with cloth.
I paid $33,507 for the thing, so I am certainly disappointed. I paid $1,000 less for my 2002 Mountaineer, and it has far better seats with higher quality ventilated leather.
Oh what a feeling indeed! My first and last Toyota.
Go to K-Mart and purchase the beaded seat cover they have. It will definitely take care of your seat ventilation problem and I personally find them very confortable. They are also very inexpensive, costing about $10, here in South Carolina. I have them in my Tundra and in our Sienna.
Find a shop that sells Recaro seats and go and try some. If you do a lot of driving (as you do) there is NO comparison. Their not cheap but neither is back health/safety. The difference is that the seat is much more supportive and does not have to accomodate everybody. I drove my friends Sienna and found the same issue you have which I do with MANY factory seats. The problem is that they need to fit the 5' 1" 90 lb person and the 6' 5" 300 lb person. They seem to lack shoulder and thigh support as well as being too flat on the bottom. The Recaro's dip down slightly where your butt is which keeps you from sliding forward and constantly needing to readjust to keep your back against the cushion so your back stays straight. I have a set of Flo-Fit seats (imitation Recaro style) that are now 14 years old, have been in 3 different vehicles and have seen about 400,000 of my butt (which isn't a real pretty picture). I find them to be extremely comfortable and supportive and would rather take my Corolla on long trip than my Sequoia just for that reason. Go to the recaro site here and read through the "know how" links and check the seats. When I have the extra I WILL be getting THIS seat for the Sequoia. The model name is "style" and once I sat in it that was it. My wife is ok with the seats in the Sequoia but agrees that my Corolla is more comfortable (at least for driving). She hates them for sleeping and prefers the way too soft and unsupportive factory seats then so I'll probably just get the one for the drivers seat and possibly cover it with factory material of which I have extra. By the way the vent option is REAL NICE as it draws cool air through the seat!
My BIG concern also would be safety of modifying the factory seats in case of accident or other. Raising the back puts more leverage possibly causing the seat to fail. I've was driving a vehicle when the "factory" seat broke and almost lost control and into on coming traffic. Not a fun experience.
I finally determined the cause of the upper back / neck pain. Besides the top of the seat back curving forward, the Sienna is made with a steering wheel slanted to one side (the left side is closer to the front of the vehicle). I had no choice but to sell the Sienna after 4,500 miles at a $8,440 loss.
The Sienna had more seats than I needed, but the storage space was very convenient, and I thought it would get good gas mileage. Even though it was rated way higher than my Mountaineer V8, the real mileage (on the same roads and same speeds) was just slightly better. That was also a disappointment.
I should have bought the Tacoma.
However, since Toyota's poor design (and the dealer's not wanting to allow test drives over a few miles, not long enough to detect the problem) cost me $8,440, I did not want to do business with them again.
I considered an SUV, but with gas prices going way up and SUV resale values going way down, instead bought a completely loaded Chevrolet Malibu Maxx hatchback for $24,003. It even has three features missing from the $33,507 Sienna XLE Limited - OnStar, which is wonderful for safe hands free phone service, XM radio which is a real treat for the excellent sound and variety, and a DVD player for the rear seat passengers. I still didn't escape seat problems, even thought the Chevy dealer didn't complain about a 30 - 40 mile test drive. The bottom cushion and back of the Malibu's seats are way too soft / cheap to provide good support (I average 150 miles per day in southern CA traffic), so I am trying to fix that, but the steering column is straight and true, and it gets excellent fuel mileage on regular. I just wish that it had the Tacoma sport seats.
My co-worker has a MAXX that he bought last year. He just had the Dealer replace his seat for the same reason. He was actually feeling the metal because the cushion broke down. He's 5' 11" about 180 and only drives about 45 miles a day. Good luck and seriously consider looking at a Recaro to replace the seat. You might be able to work it into some sort of business expense.
My co-worker has a MAXX that he bought last year. He just had the Dealer replace his seat for the same reason. He was actually feeling the metal because the cushion broke down. He's 5' 11" about 180 and only drives about 45 miles a day. Good luck and seriously consider looking at a Recaro to replace the seat. You might be able to work it into some sort of business expense.
Thanks for the suggestions. The springs broke through the seat of my 1996 Impala and my 1984 Sunbird, so I guess GM still has problems with seat quality (I only weigh 190, and have never weighed more than 226, so it is not due to overload).
I own the company, so it would be easy to make anything related to driving for business a business expense. I am trying to be thrifty, but I could have bought an LS430 (collapsed, my 15' ladder does fit in that huge trunk) and avoided all of these problems.
I have already taken the Maxx seat apart and added more foam, but the basic design is pretty pathetic. I am going to order various cushions today to try to see if any of them help before I try anything more expensive.
The side air bags do complicate things, but the Tacoma seats are also available with them, so putting them in the Chevy is one of the more expensive options, but cheaper than buying yet another new vehicle. I put Porsche brakes on my Impala, so am not shy about modifications, but re-engineering the steering column to rack linkage on the Sienna was more than I was willing to tackle, given the safety and warranty issues.
How did you come to determine the steering wheel is slanted?
Many vehicles have off-centered steering wheels (closer to center of vehicle). But slanted steering wheel is the first for me.
LS430 still has tilted headrests but not as bad as Sienna due to its thicker seatbacks.
Just curious, where did you find cross-reference info on Porsche brakes on Imapala? I've tried to find Toyota OEM brakes to upgrade Tacoma's with no success.
How did you come to determine the steering wheel is slanted?
I read it in a post on another forum, then went out to the Sienna and checked. I have tripods which I use for work, so set one on the wheel and extended the post out towards the headrest. It is quite a few inches off by the time it reaches the headrest.
Many vehicles have off-centered steering wheels (closer to center of vehicle). But slanted steering wheel is the first for me.
LS430 still has tilted headrests but not as bad as Sienna due to its thicker seatbacks.
Just curious, where did you find cross-reference info on Porsche brakes on Imapala? I've tried to find Toyota OEM brakes to upgrade Tacoma's with no success.
I learned of the brake kit from my membership in NAISSO, the owner's group. The brake kit I used was from MOVIT:
On the Impala, the kit required modifying the stock knuckle by sawing off the old caliper supports and drilling and tapping holes for the new caliper suport bracket. I chose to upgrade to the police/Cadillac knuckles with a larger lower ball joint at the same time. The front brake kit cost $3,000, but it stopped much better than stock.
Aching back and neck, horrible seats
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