4Runner Ergonomics

S

SoCal-Truckin

New member
Guys,

I can't seem to get comfy in my '08 SR5 with convenience package (sunroof, tilt wheel, etc. No matter how I change the seat-back pitch & headrest height I always get back or neck pain when I drive long distance. For instance I just drove to Vegas on Sunday (340 mi) and as I got close to there I noticed that my neck was really stiff and it has been hurting now for almost 3 days.

It always seems that my legs reach the pedals just fine but my head is almost touching the ceiling due to the roof profile (so I don't want to raise the seat height) and I am stretching to reach the steering wheel. I have the tilt wheel all the way down but because I do not have a telescopic wheel I can't pull it closer. I find that in order to reach the wheel I am tilting the seat back to nearly vertical. It seems strange that I am at the adjustment limits on all of the above items.

I have never had issues like this in the past and it is giving me some real issues as I drive alot of long distances for work. I am seriously thinking of getting rid of the thing and I only have 25,000 miles on it. My last vehicle purchase was a Mazda B-4000 12 years ago that I am still driving so I don't typically buy and sell vehicles on a whim.

Anyone else have these issues? Any tips for seat adjustment.

Thanks,
W.
 
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My only complaint is that the seat is too low to the floor. It could also use a (a better) armrest on the right side. I find it otherwise OK for neck and back.
 
The low roof height is an issue for me as well. It causes me to recline far more then I would in other cars.

I deal with it though since, thankfully, it doesn't cause me pain, and I otherwise love the truck.
 
I'm surprised with many of the claims about headroom. It's tight don't get me wrong but I'm 6'2 and have no issues. On top of that much of my height is in my torso, I only wear a 32 inch long pant size. I'm not a skinny dude either, 225lbs. Sooo, my suggestion is to mess around with the lumbar support. I move mine around a good amount on long drives. Stiff sure, sore nope. You could try the tilt seat to support your legs a bit more...


Cartoon boobies are cool...

:girl:
 
I second that the 4runner seats are uncomfortable. I figured getting leather in mine would help a little but my ass still falls asleep on a long distance ride. They should definitely do away with the 4runner seats and use the same seats as bmw's or volvo's seats. Much more comfortable!
 
Yea, I don't really know what is going on with yalls seats either because I am 6'3" and 240lbs and I have no issue with the height I mean it's close but not bad (I have a sunroof also). They are definitely not the most comfortable seats by any means of the imagination but I don't really get sore. I have driven to Colorado 3 times from AL too. At about 12-15 hours in one stretch sometimes I still have not noticed these problems. I have my lumbar set all the way pumped up and by seat all the way down; I do not lean my seat back that much but the bottom part is down and back all the way. You may want to try that because you get sore when your back is at a right angle with your butt and legs. When your legs are tilted a little higher than your back you are closer to the fetal position which is the best for your back for long distances.
 
Do you have power seats? When I bought my 2007 4Runner, it took a few days for me to realize that the horizontal seat adjustment bar actually controls 2 different settings. The front of the bar adjusts the angle of the seat (up/down) and the back of the bar adjusts the overall seat height (up/down). Made a world of difference to my comfort. Hope that makes sense.

Me personally, I'm hating the emergency brake by my left foot, feels cramped down there after my 1998 4runner which was wide open.
 
Goalie39 said:
Do you have power seats? When I bought my 2007 4Runner, it took a few days for me to realize that the horizontal seat adjustment bar actually controls 2 different settings. The front of the bar adjusts the angle of the seat (up/down) and the back of the bar adjusts the overall seat height (up/down). Made a world of difference to my comfort. Hope that makes sense.

Me personally, I'm hating the emergency brake by my left foot, feels cramped down there after my 1998 4runner which was wide open.
Click to expand...
That dual seat funtion button is exactly what I was talking about
 
Yep

You are not alone, the comfort level is probably my biggest gripe... but I've learned to live with it.

For me there are 2 issues:

1 is that the edge of the sunroof is right where my head is and it cuts about an inch and a half of headroom so unless I lower the seat down farther than I like my head brushes the sunroof seam once in awhile.

2 is that the thing was obviously designed by people with short legs.
The Limited takes care of this problem with a telescoping steering wheel but for us non-limited owners who are 6' or more tall: when we move the seat back far enough to be comfortable for our legs, the steering wheel is so far forward we have to lean forward slightly to comfortably reach it. This creates neck strain and sometimes back pain for me.

Again, I've learned to live with it and I actually found a semi-comfortable position during a 23 hour road trip last year but it was still not ideal. My leather seats are rock hard but I love them in the winter!

All things consider the 4Runner is a great truck and for me the good things about the truck outweigh the bad.
 
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Ducman said:
You are not alone... but I've learned to live with it.

For me there are 2 issues:

1 is that the edge of the sunroof is right where my head is and it cuts about an inch and a half of headroom so unless I lower the seat down farther than I like my head brushes the sunroof seam once in awhile.

2 is that the thing was obviously designed by people with short legs.
The Limited takes care of this problem with a telescoping steering wheel but for us non-limited owners who are 6' or more tall: when we move the seat back far enough to be comfortable for our legs, the steering wheel is so far forward we have to lean forward slightly to comfortably reach it. This creates neck strain and sometimes back pain for me.

Again, I've learned to live with it and I actually found a semi-comfortable position during a 23 hour road trip last year but it was still not ideal. My leather seats are rock hard but I love them in the winter!

All things consider the 4Runner is a great truck and for me the good things about the truck outweigh the bad.
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even with the telescoping wheel and fiddling with my seat, i still get neck and shoulder pain....granted mine is chronic....and the heated seats do help with it, it can still get annoying. i'm 5'11 and theres days i have issues getting comfortable.
 
the telescoping wheel was one of the reasons I went limited because I'm 6'2". When I first sat in an SR5, the seat bottom was all the way up and I couldnt figure out how to lower it. My initial reaction was very sad because I couldn't fit in the new 4runner!

I've learned to deal with it and the best way I've found is to sit back, relax and hold the bottom of the steering wheel on long drives.

Other than that, I usually have to take off my hat if I'm wearing one, which is kind of annoying but oh well.
 
Hey guys,

The funny thing is I am just a little dude. I'm only 5'-8" with a 30" inseam and my head touches my sun visor if I try to lean forward to look around a corner or something.

I will definitely play around with it a bit more but I fear she may get traded on something else in the near future. I bought it pretty well so hopefully I wont lose my butt too bad. :-(

I don't have power seats but there are alot of other adjustments so I guess I need to play around with things a little more. Of course it never seems to occur to me until I am in the middle of one of my road trips. The telescopic wheel would definitely fix the problem.

The other thing is I just don't like to drive with my hand on the lower portion of the wheel in this truck because it feels like it wanders at freeway speeds and I have to really have to hold the wheel steady to keep it from drifting around in the turns. The extra tension due to this probably is a contributing factor to my back issues as well.

What bugs me is that my old truck has none of the lumbar support/seat height adjustment nor does it have a tilt wheel but I can cruise in that thing all day long with no issues...even with worn-out 12 year old seats!

Thanks,
W.
 
I'm 6'1" and don't have any problems with the headroom with my '07 SE with a sunroof. However, I'm all legs so I'm not as tall in my torso. I have the tilt and telescoping steering wheel as well.

The biggest gripe I have with the ergonomics in my 4R that I don't hear other people complain about is how close the gas pedal and brake pedal are to each other. I guess it's just my big canoes getting in the way.
 
i know why, if you take off the cover and the cushion, youll see the back support metal peice that has a plastic tube going thru the back rest support part, the reason its uncomfortable is because that back peice is not stiff enough.. i recommend, stiffing that up with something.. i ended up using a back peice from a bmw and tied it up against the toyota one, it keeps it more straight and finally its just comfortable enough.. i tried bungee cords but dont work that good. the wires that go across are too flexible to keep your back straight.. take a look, youll see what i mean
 
jpless said:
the telescoping wheel was one of the reasons I went limited because I'm 6'2". When I first sat in an SR5, the seat bottom was all the way up and I couldnt figure out how to lower it. My initial reaction was very sad because I couldn't fit in the new 4runner!

I've learned to deal with it and the best way I've found is to sit back, relax and hold the bottom of the steering wheel on long drives.

Other than that, I usually have to take off my hat if I'm wearing one, which is kind of annoying but oh well.
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I have a telescoping wheel in my Sport, so I guess it is an option on it also; good luck with the uncomfortableness I hope you find something that helps
 
I have a telescoping wheel on my SR5. Off topic, but I also have lighted running boards, but I bought it 2 years old so the first owner might have added those upgrades.
 
I'm 6'5" 250Lbs and i touch the roof if i dont have the moon roof cover thing slid back and the only complaint i have is i have to look around the reaar veiw mirror because it is in my line of sight
 
Jawood said:
I have a telescoping wheel on my SR5. Off topic, but I also have lighted running boards, but I bought it 2 years old so the first owner might have added those upgrades.
Click to expand...

Telescoping wheel was standard on 2003 SR5's. Toyota deleted them from the SR5 in 2004. Sports and Limited's came standard with it for all 4th-gen years.
 
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