Drivers Seat Issues

[earossi]

I just purchased a 2007 ES350 and am very pleased with the car except for the comfort of the drivers seat. AFter driving the car for about an hour, I noticed that my butt was very uncomfortable. I know that this is a very subjective statement, but after owning two other Lexus' and three Mercedes Benz's, I think that I know what to expect in the way of seating comfort.....and the ES 350 is not only uncomfortable, but makes the driving experience poor for any distances that keep you in the drivers seat for more than about 20 minutes. The rear part of the seat cushion seems like you are sitting on a concrete step. I don't know how else to describe it.

In addition to the lack of comfort ( more later), I noticed that there seems to be a very limited amount of adjustment available from all of the seat controls. I first thought that if I could increase the angle of the seat cushion in the front that I could make the seat more comfortable, but the amount of seat movement seems very little.

I was able to confirm all of the above by sitting in the passengers seat which appears to be infinitely more comfortable and has a much greater magnitude of adjustment from the controls.

Has this been a problem with the ES350? And, if so, what will the dealer do to correct it? I have an older RX300 that is infinitely more comfortable, which doesn't seem right.

Please help with your experiences and suggestions. I have not taken the car into the dealer yet, but plan on doing that shortly.

[rjt65]

yo ER... i think it may be user related. :) . y would the passenger seat have more controls than the drivers ? the one thing maybe u do not like is the lumbar (severely stiffens up lower back area) control may be on.. disengage that.

I dunno why your drivers side would not have all the controls a passenger would have. maybe they work different?

I have ul 2008 and my driver seat has every single adjustment tilt etc.... plus the lumbar...

so g'luck!

Ps - i am a big dude 6-2 240 lb--wide shoulders-long legs and fit in fine... this was a big consideration for my purchase (previous maxima 99 wife has had various trucks custom vans etc)

I just purchased a 2007 ES350 and am very pleased with the car except for the comfort of the drivers seat. AFter driving the car for about an hour, I noticed that my butt was very uncomfortable. I know that this is a very subjective statement, but after owning two other Lexus' and three Mercedes Benz's, I think that I know what to expect in the way of seating comfort.....and the ES 350 is not only uncomfortable, but makes the driving experience poor for any distances that keep you in the drivers seat for more than about 20 minutes. The rear part of the seat cushion seems like you are sitting on a concrete step. I don't know how else to describe it.

In addition to the lack of comfort ( more later), I noticed that there seems to be a very limited amount of adjustment available from all of the seat controls. I first thought that if I could increase the angle of the seat cushion in the front that I could make the seat more comfortable, but the amount of seat movement seems very little.

I was able to confirm all of the above by sitting in the passengers seat which appears to be infinitely more comfortable and has a much greater magnitude of adjustment from the controls.

Has this been a problem with the ES350? And, if so, what will the dealer do to correct it? I have an older RX300 that is infinitely more comfortable, which doesn't seem right.

Please help with your experiences and suggestions. I have not taken the car into the dealer yet, but plan on doing that shortly.

[earossi]

yo ER... i think it may be user related. :) . y would the passenger seat have more controls than the drivers ? the one thing maybe u do not like is the lumbar (severely stiffens up lower back area) control may be on.. disengage that.

I dunno why your drivers side would not have all the controls a passenger would have. maybe they work different?

I have ul 2008 and my driver seat has every single adjustment tilt etc.... plus the lumbar...

so g'luck!

Ps - i am a big dude 6-2 240 lb--wide shoulders-long legs and fit in fine... this was a big consideration for my purchase (previous maxima 99 wife has had various trucks custom vans etc)

I just purchased a 2007 ES350 and am very pleased with the car except for the comfort of the drivers seat. AFter driving the car for about an hour, I noticed that my butt was very uncomfortable. I know that this is a very subjective statement, but after owning two other Lexus' and three Mercedes Benz's, I think that I know what to expect in the way of seating comfort.....and the ES 350 is not only uncomfortable, but makes the driving experience poor for any distances that keep you in the drivers seat for more than about 20 minutes. The rear part of the seat cushion seems like you are sitting on a concrete step. I don't know how else to describe it.

In addition to the lack of comfort ( more later), I noticed that there seems to be a very limited amount of adjustment available from all of the seat controls. I first thought that if I could increase the angle of the seat cushion in the front that I could make the seat more comfortable, but the amount of seat movement seems very little.

I was able to confirm all of the above by sitting in the passengers seat which appears to be infinitely more comfortable and has a much greater magnitude of adjustment from the controls.

Has this been a problem with the ES350? And, if so, what will the dealer do to correct it? I have an older RX300 that is infinitely more comfortable, which doesn't seem right.

Please help with your experiences and suggestions. I have not taken the car into the dealer yet, but plan on doing that shortly.

I think that I was not clear in my description of the driver's seat controls. Both of my front seats have the same controls. The problem is that the controls on the drivers seat give the seat much less movement than the same controls do on the passenger seat. No, the lumbar support is not an issue. What is an issue is that the seat bottom appears to have what feels like a hard item under the leather. Consequently, most of the seat cushion has give, except for the portion in the very middle of the seat cushion which is so hard that you might as well be sitting on a concrete step. My car has the UL package which should have an upgrade on the seats. I'm trying to see if others have had the issue with seat cushion comfort.

[lowrideraz]

My wife has an '08 ES, and I put 300 miles in one day on it last month. I noticed no such issue.

Lou

[rjt65]

thanks for clarifying---no such issue did u not notice it the day you picked upo the car? I have no issues 08 350 UL package.... comfortable all the way...

I would not have accepted delivery on it.... you may have to fight with the dealer, hopefully not..

g-luck

[wassmang]

earossi, I agree with you completely.

I have had my 2009 ES 350 for four months, and the driver's seat is so uncomfortable I want to get rid of the car. To be blunt, my !Removed! hurts everytime I get in the car now, and I have a shooting pain down the back of my right leg (sciatic nerve?), which I never had prior to getting this car. I'm 5'10" and 160 pounds, in good shape (run, basketball, hockey), and love my car except for the fact that I'm uncomfortable or in pain when I'm driving it.

The seat bottom doesn't seem to have enough cushion so it feels like I'm sitting on something hard with just a thin piece of foam on top. There is also a lot of direct pressure on my very low back (the sacrum), even when the lumbar support is fully deflated. Moreover, the lumbar support is, in my opinion, positioned too low to do what it's supposed to do.

In addition to the seat bottom problem, which is the worst issue, there is inadequate support for the upper back, the seat sides force the shoulders forward, and the head cushion doesn't allow for a neutral neck position; it pushes my head forward instead.

That's 5 significant problems with the driver's seat that I couldn't immediately identify from a couple of test drives before I leased this car, but I'm suffering through them now.

I hate to whine because this is such a beautiful car, but I think the seat is an ergonomic nightmare. You're not alone.