JeffFreeman

After having an NX200 for 14 months now I came to the best headrest solution for me. I realized it was more than just the headrest, it was also the weak back support. Such a waste of an expensive seat and design. I ended up putting the headrest from the back seat on the front seat and buying a Mc Carty's Sacro-Ease Deluxe Model Lumbar Seat Support with Extra Padding, 15-Inch Wide, Black for $200 on amazon. I have full 5-point harness kid car seats in the back so no headrests are needed. I tried many other ideas to no avail, including ordering a new driver's headrest for $750 from my local dealership, via Japan (was too hard to modify so I gave up). I sure miss my 2006 year 400RX (I think that was the model) that I sold for $12k to buy the NX200 for about $45K. I liked my old car way better, even though it had ancient bluetooth. Next time I will likely get a BMW x3 or perhaps grand jeep cherokee.

Update on Feb 2016 After having an NX200 for 14 months now I came to the best headrest solution for me. I realized it was more than just the headrest, it was also the weak back support. Such a waste of an expensive seat and design. Errr. I worked as a physical therapist in the past and have great posture and health. This NX200 seat and headrest and the worst and make me slouch, which I would not stand for. I ended up putting the headrest from the back seat on the front seat and buying a McCarty's Sacro-Ease Deluxe Model Lumbar Seat Support with Extra Padding, 15-Inch Wide, Black for $200 on amazon. I have full 5-point harness kid car seats in the back so no headrests are needed in the back. I tried many other ideas to no avail, including ordering a new driver's headrest for $750 from my local dealership, via Japan (was too hard to modify so I gave up). I sure miss my 2006 year 400RX (I think that was the model, was hybrid large SUV) that I sold for $12k to buy the NX200 for about $45K. I liked my old car way better, even though it had ancient bluetooth. Next time I will likely get a BMW x3 or perhaps grand jeep cherokee. --------------------- Post from Feb 2015 I made some progress on the headrest issue... First more of a description of the PROBLEM, then the SOLUTION. THE PROBLEM: I absolutely love lexus service. It is 50% of the reason I rebought lexus. Honestly in hindsight I would have bought an x3 (like my wife) simply b/c of the headrest issue. The driver seat is just not comfortable for me. Now I am bent on fixing the issue for peace of mind and to relax my body. I have great posture and stretch everyday to stay relaxed. The NX200t headrest makes a person with good posture more tense and is not ergonomic. Additionally the bucket configuration is built for slouchers not ergonomics/healthy back. This article perfectly describes the reason why the seat is bad including the headrest http://www.yogaback.com/car-backrests-headrests-4-design-fallacies-causing-back-and-neck-pain-driving.html What really annoys me is that for this model car, does have an adjustable headrest (forward/aft) available outside the US (as indicated in the handbook), but not sold in US b/c it was not safety tested. Other lexus models do have the forward/aft adjustment, like GS. THE SOLUTION: Order an adjustable headrest (forward/aft 4 positions) from canada, UK or last choice japan due to language barrier. This will fix the headrest issue. To remove the slouch in the back I ordered yogaback from http://www.yogaback.com/The_YogaBack_for_Driving/new_YogaBackDriving_BU.html I tried a couple other back supports, like McCarty's sacroease, but like yogaback better, plus has a better price. The store owner also sent me a strap for yogaback to keep it in place. I am on the hunt at the moment to special order the forward/back angle adjustable headrest. If I can order it, it will likely take a few weeks. I will report back in a few weeks on whether I was able to order it and tips for doing so. TEMPORARY FIX: Temporarily I switched the leftside backseat and driver seat headrest. I then turned the headrest backwards and added a carneck pillow to fill in some empty space http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A7ZV0R0/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1423664014&sr=1&keywords=pillow This alone makes it 70% better. I had tried every combo of turning headrest forward/backward in the car and found this was the best temp. fix. GENERAL NOTE: It looks like across US auto manufacturers bad headrests are now often an issue. This is because they are designed for a driver who slouches and safety tested fro slouchers. How aggravating for non-slouchers. it is the exception to find a headrest with good ergonomics. BMW has them and some lexus have adjustable forward/aft, but not all lexus as I found out the hard way.

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 just purchased a NX200T. During the test drive I did not realize the headrest was a little too far forward. It is sharply angled toward the driver at the top. I am on the shorter side at 5' 6 1/2" tall and have good posture. When I sit in the driver seat with good posture my head is pushed forward about 1/2". I have to lean the seat back so I am slouching to avoid neck discomfort. I asked my dealer, service center and the U.S. corporate office for advice. There was nothing they could do. Very disappointing. The worst part is that the headrest is available outside the US with adjustable forward and aft movement at 4 intervals. I asked a few after market car parts dealers for advice. I was told it is a common problem. I was given many solutions (get another brand car's headrest, cushions, heat the metal and bend the rods, padding, etc.). Some ideas were unsafe and of course illegal I thought. For now I put some 2" cushioning in the seat to bring the rest of the seat inline with the headrest. It is better but not quite there and makes my A/C venting fairly useless, & is a little dorky. After just having paid about 50K for the fully loaded car I want a professional solution to improve the headrest. So far I have not solved it. I am curious if anyone else has had this issue and solved it? Any advice is appreciated. I am 95% happy with the car/SUV and am looking for that last 5% of comfort/fit.