Headrests Interfere With Good Posture

[anasazi]

Recently replaced my 2007 RX350 with a certified used 2010. Like the new vehicle very much except for driver's seat head rest. I find that regardless of how I set seatback angle, the headrest is too far forward and always bumps the back of my head when I sit up straight. Hate to lean forward to avoid contacting the headrest! I did remove and reverse the headrest but that places is too far rearward to be of any benefit in the event of a rear collision. Anyone else have this complaint? Any suggested solutions?

[kmar]

I've found this to more of a problem on newer cars. We're considering the purchase of a new 2015 RX 350, but if the head rests have this problem as you describe, then no deal. I hope its not an issue.

[kmar]

I drove a new 2015 RX 350 today, and found no problem with the position of the headrest. I'll take delivery on Tuesday.

[VBdenny]

I noticed kind of the same thing. I purchased a bunch of these on Amazon and they work great. I bought one, them 4more later on.

Car Neck Pillow by TravelMate on Amazon

[kmar]

After finding no problem with the headrest on my test drive a couple of days ago, I purchased a 2015 RX 350. Very comfortable and no issue with the headrest, and I am aware of what the original poster is talking about. Must be a thing about your physical build and how you adjust the seat.

[VBdenny]

I do know some of the headrests can be adjusted forward and back. Good fitting headrests are very important, much like the seats and positioning options. These features determine if travel is relaxing or uncomfortable. My mother had issues with the headrest in my IS. She is rather short and the headrest hit her square in the back of the head causing her head to be cranked slightly forward. I lifted it up and all was well. I often use a memory foam neck rest which snugs right in the notch and supports your neck with the ultimate in comfort.

Headrest also can be important if you are cruising somewhere and trying to look cool.

[LEX-SV]

These headrests are designed for safety and to reduce serious whiplash/neck injuries.

[JeffFreeman]

I feel your annoyance. I have the same issue on my 2015 NX200T suv. The headrest is about 1/2" too far forward. I have to tilt the seat back and slouch to avoid neck discomfort. I read all the articles I could find on the issue and asked my dealer, service center and US corporate office for advice. One article pointed out BMW x3 and x5 have very comfortable driver seats that avoid neck pain like lexus and other models (is tempting but too late for this round of car buying for me). I found talking to lexus was a very legal focused conversation that did not yield any advice; only frustration and wasted time. I also talked with after market parts sellers. About 5 solutions were suggested to me. Here are some:

1. Buy a better headrest from another care that is compatible with yours and when you someday sell your car put back on the old headrest to avoid a lawsuit in case of an accident.

2. Cushions/padding of various options to make parts of the seat match better to the headrest.

3. Buy another version of the headrest in a foreign country. E.g., Contact a lexus parts service center in another country and ask them to order and mail me the adjustable model.

4. Bend the metal on the headrest.

5. Tilt seat back and slouch

Of course some of those options are unwise and illegal. I.e., it is illegal as far I know to drive a car with an untested headrest for said vehicle in the U.S. Personally for now I just put 1 1/2"- 2" cushioning in my driver seat. This made the rest of the seat level out to the headrest. The cushion does not feel very sporty and sort of makes me resent buying the car, so I want to find a better solution. Yes, I have head of the "Car Neck Pillow by Travelmate" and I ordered one to try it out (on the way via Amazon Prime).

If anyone has suggestions or feedback on solutions that work, advice is appreciated.

[kmar]

My brother bought a new Honda CRV and had the same problem with the headrests. He bent the metal support rods. He said it was not easy. He had to put it in a vice (careful to protect the metal support rods). It took a lot of effort but he got them bent enough to improve his seating postion. It's obvious that the dealer wants nothing to do with altering the headrests as they are a safety device.

As I said in an earlier post above, I find no problem with my new RX 350. The headrest is positioned perfectly. It does not touch my head, does not cause me to lean forward or slouch, but is close enough to do it's job in the event of a rear end collision.

Good luck in getting yours adjusted.

[LADrive]

On January 15, 2015 at 9:11 PM, JeffFreeman said:

I feel your annoyance. I have the same issue on my 2015 NX200T suv. The headrest is about 1/2" too far forward. I have to tilt the seat back and slouch to avoid neck discomfort. I read all the articles I could find on the issue and asked my dealer, service center and US corporate office for advice. One article pointed out BMW x3 and x5 have very comfortable driver seats that avoid neck pain like lexus and other models (is tempting but too late for this round of car buying for me). I found talking to lexus was a very legal focused conversation that did not yield any advice; only frustration and wasted time. I also talked with after market parts sellers. About 5 solutions were suggested to me. Here are some:

1. Buy a better headrest from another care that is compatible with yours and when you someday sell your car put back on the old headrest to avoid a lawsuit in case of an accident.

2. Cushions/padding of various options to make parts of the seat match better to the headrest.

3. Buy another version of the headrest in a foreign country. E.g., Contact a lexus parts service center in another country and ask them to order and mail me the adjustable model.

4. Bend the metal on the headrest.

5. Tilt seat back and slouch

Of course some of those options are unwise and illegal. I.e., it is illegal as far I know to drive a car with an untested headrest for said vehicle in the U.S. Personally for now I just put 1 1/2"- 2" cushioning in my driver seat. This made the rest of the seat level out to the headrest. The cushion does not feel very sporty and sort of makes me resent buying the car, so I want to find a better solution. Yes, I have head of the "Car Neck Pillow by Travelmate" and I ordered one to try it out (on the way via Amazon Prime).

If anyone has suggestions or feedback on solutions that work, advice is appreciated.

I have the same issue with my 2015 Lexus RX 350. People who claim that the seat is perfectly designed are not sitting upright in their car. Even the service reps at Lexus pointed out that the headrest tilts forward when sitting upright. 

This is an engineering issue. I'm pursuing the matter with Lexus, and if anyone has suggestions or a similar experience, let me know.  

[lexusdesertrat]

There is an easy, quick, and cheap fix for your poorly designed headrest problem. I know because I had the same problem and solved it several years ago.

Go on ebay and search for a front seat headrest (in the color you need) from a 1999, 2000, or 2001 Lexus RX300. It fits and works in your car perfectly and alows your head to sit back about 3 inches. I couldn't find an exact color match for my 2010 beige leather headrest but I found one in 1999 tan leather in like new condition in almost the color I needed for about $30 from some place in Texas. Nobody can tell the slight color difference. 

[CTO]

I have a similar issue with the headrest too far forward in my 2017 RX. I'm 6’4” and the top of the headrest leans forward Into my neck.

i found that the issue is the height of the headrest itself. There are only 2 positions for height of the headrest. Flush with the seat and only 1 position up that locks into a notch. I need at least 1 notch higher and there isn’t that option. However, you can increase the height of the headrest, but there is no lock. I am going to try using 2 zip ties to prevent the headrest on sliding down. I don’t know how legal this is, but otherwise I would be driving  in a most uncomfortable position. I’ll post back results in a few weeks.  Cheers Marv!

[Astavarka]

On 4/7/2016 at 5:18 PM, LADrive said:

I have the same issue with my 2015 Lexus RX 350. People who claim that the seat is perfectly designed are not sitting upright in their car. Even the service reps at Lexus pointed out that the headrest tilts forward when sitting upright. 

This is an engineering issue. I'm pursuing the matter with Lexus, and if anyone has suggestions or a similar experience, let me know.  

Honda has the same problem. Auto mfgs went for brownie points on safety with the US gov't instead of considering the resulting health problems of their customers, and there are many who have the physiotherapist bills as a result. I saw a number YouTube videos on this very issue. I doubt that increasing the angle of the head rest forward is going to make much difference to safety at all, even if someone is claiming it does. What about the safety of your neck from having it continually pushed forward while driving? Oh, but the crash dummies didn't complain. Sure. For Honda, at least in newer models, the other issue is hard seats. I tried sitting in what appeared to be a cushy leather driver's seat of a 2010 Accord just to see if it applied to those, too. It does! It was almost like sitting on a wood plank. So, yes, this is definitely a case of poor engineering.