6 months in, still can't get used to seat.

[Jtraskell]

No issues with the seat other than I find myself leaning to the right for some reason...and I believe a seat with so many position options needs a memory setting.

The tilting to the right issue is also found in other vehicles, it's a safety issue. In a side impact, the tilting to the right helps remove the driver, or the tilting to the left for the passenger, away from the doors and impact. I have also experienced this "tilt" in many other vehicles, very uncomfortable for long drives. But I have not noticed this in my 5th gen. Could be because it is considered a truck and not a car. Different govt. rules.

I have leather seats installed by SE Toyota, non-Liquid-cell. (According to the window sticker). Whatever liquid-cell means. Could you folks have the liquid-cell issue causing the back pain even with the lumbar deflated? I too have a tender back but no issues with my leather seats. At least not yet! (I am getting older by the minute)! If so, I wonder if you can remove the liquidcell......just a thought.

 

[sevenstorydrop]

I stuck a piece of foam padding in the bottom where the seatback meet thst bottom of the seat and that seemed to help a bit. I'm going to try to find the least ugly option of some kind of seat cusion and see if that helps long term. If not, well.. the 4runner seems to have an excellent resale value so maybe I will just get something for the wife and take her car.

 

[Mike G.]

I just finished my first roadtrip and I agree that the seat sucks. It feels like the seat is pushing on the lower portion of your spine and it really sucks after about 3 hours in the seat. I tried every position that I could imagine and it never got better. It feels like the area just below where the lumbar engages is the problem, the lumbar control is not a factor in the discomfort.
I hope I can find a solution to this, because I love everything else with the truck.

 

[Quentin]

I just did a 5hr drive from Charlotte. Found it quite comfortable. :surfer:

I drove beside 2 other Blizzard Pearl 2010 4Runners on the drive back.

 

[sevenstorydrop]

I feel the same way mike. Quentin, maybe your butt is alot bigger than mine, and fills up the lower portion so it makes it feel better! I'm 5'11" and 170 lbs and without a support at the bottom, I have the exact sensation as Mike is describing.

 

[Mike G.]

It sounds like size matters
I am 5' 7'' 165lbs.

We do a lot of travelling so I must find a solution to this, my wife drives the car, but only on short trips. I get stuck driving on all of the longer trips and this seat is not going to cut it. If anyone finds a solution please post it. Thanks.

 

[453030]

It sounds like size matters
I am 5' 7'' 165lbs.

We do a lot of travelling so I must find a solution to this, my wife drives the car, but only on short trips. I get stuck driving on all of the longer trips and this seat is not going to cut it. If anyone finds a solution please post it. Thanks.

Maybe it is build more than size, and how you are constructed. 5'7" 158 LBs here and I could not be happier. I have back and shoulder issues and love this seat. My longest time in the saddle (continuous) was maybe 3 hours, but I must have done 7 over the whole day and never once was uncomfortable.

Since I have experience driving a 2010 GX, I will say that seat is surely more plush with its fine leather, but otherwise fits the same. Just as supportive, but with a slight bit of cushioning provided by the leather and not as firm to the touch.

 

[Quentin]

I feel the same way mike. Quentin, maybe your butt is alot bigger than mine, and fills up the lower portion so it makes it feel better! I'm 5'11" and 170 lbs and without a support at the bottom, I have the exact sensation as Mike is describing.

5'8", 150lbs, avid cyclist, runner, and soccer player. I'm not bird-legged by any means though. I definitely have a good bit of meat on my thighs and hips. My wife, 5'8", 130lbs, has no issues either. She does have hips, FWIW.

 

[SunPilot]

Arm weary

My seat isn't the most comfy either. I haven't found the ideal adjustment point maybe. I have a problem getting my left arm in a comfortable position. It's hard to rest it on the door/window sill for long...just doesn't seem very accommodating to the left arm comfort for some reason...I've had the seat forward, back, up, and down...and the steering wheel in every position...maybe one day I'll find the right combo.

 

[mrjonm]

Seats

Yes, the lumbar seems to be there either way. The seats are very.....stiff ...kind of like 3/4 inch plywood with a thin comforter on it...lol.

 

[Mike G.]

My seat isn't the most comfy either. I haven't found the ideal adjustment point maybe. I have a problem getting my left arm in a comfortable position. It's hard to rest it on the door/window sill for long...just doesn't seem very accommodating to the left arm comfort for some reason...I've had the seat forward, back, up, and down...and the steering wheel in every position...maybe one day I'll find the right combo.

I just ordered one of these to help the same problem.
Arm-Restler Vehicle Door Gel Armrest - Product Spotlight - Truck Trend

 

[rclark69]

I'm looking at getting a 2010 Trail Edition. However, my local dealer only has a Limited in stock, so that is my only experience with the driver's seat, which I found to be a little uncomfortable as well. Does anyone know if the cloth Trail Edition seats are more comfortable than the leather seats found in the Limiteds?

 

[waterho]

Perfect except for the seat

It sounds like size matters
I am 5' 7'' 165lbs.

We do a lot of travelling so I must find a solution to this, my wife drives the car, but only on short trips. I get stuck driving on all of the longer trips and this seat is not going to cut it. If anyone finds a solution please post it. Thanks.

I sure hope someone figures out a solution. I have been plagued with the same problem at 5'10" 160lbs. I have tried every position and having the seat heater is the only way to get relief. My dealer was not able to help other than an aftermarket cushion. Wonder if the 2011's are any any better. Everything on my 2010 limited is perfect except this.

 

[Jtraskell]

I sure hope someone figures out a solution. I have been plagued with the same problem at 5'10" 160lbs. I have tried every position and having the seat heater is the only way to get relief. My dealer was not able to help other than an aftermarket cushion. Wonder if the 2011's are any any better. Everything on my 2010 limited is perfect except this.

Years ago I had the same problem with another vehicle that I hadto drive long distances and I could not afford to buy another vehicle. So, I discovered a local upholstery shop who, for just a few hundred dollars, was able to basically rebuild my car seat with different density and a bit thicker foam. Saved me a bunch of bucks and literally my A%& and back! You folks might want to check into something like that. Apparently on at least some seats, not that difficult for a pro to change around.

 

[waterho]

Years ago I had the same problem with another vehicle that I hadto drive long distances and I could not afford to buy another vehicle. So, I discovered a local upholstery shop who, for just a few hundred dollars, was able to basically rebuild my car seat with different density and a bit thicker foam. Saved me a bunch of bucks and literally my A%& and back! You folks might want to check into something like that. Apparently on at least some seats, not that difficult for a pro to change around.

That's not a bad idea, I will probably give it a couple months and then have to do something like this.

 

[Will733]

Finally felt what all this fuss is about... the lower part of the back piece (just under the lumbar support) pokes a bit if the the seats too far down. My guess on what is happening is that if the seat is lower than the back by too much... you'll get the lower part of the back sitting up too high and poking you. Check out this diagram on my "theory." It seemed to go away for me once I raised my seat up, but I doubt my rendition of the seats engineering is anywhere near accurate, but since it seemed to work for me I thought it could help others out there.

 

[Jtraskell]

Will7333,

Looks like a valid observation, but you must different power seats in your SR5 vs. mine. I do not have a separate piece way low on the seat back as per your diagram. My seat back seems to be one solid piece and it moves up and down without articulating (like your drawing) no matter what position it's in. So while your observations may be valid, I am not sure it will apply to all power seats installed in the 5th Gens.

 

[YukonJack]

I am coming from a 2005 4Runner, which I LOVED. I found the seat in the '05 to fit me better laterally, where there was cushion along both sides of my back that kept me from rocking in the seat when I made tight turns. The 2010 SR5 seat seems to be a bit wider in that area, so I do move from side to side when I am turning. The seat just feels too big. I liked the way the seat in the 05 felt like it fit like a glove.

 

[ice2000]

I unzipped the back of the seat to see if I could adjust anything in the lumbar support. It's a plastic plate that bows out as a cable tightens when you hit the switch. I unhooked the cable and let the lumbar plate all the way out, but I still get the unwanted pressure in the ower back. So I guess it's not the lumbar, just the overall crappy fit (for me) of the seat. I'm 5'11 and 170lbs, so maybe if my butt was fatter, it would fit better. Anyone want to buy a gently used 2010 4runner?

Mmmmm! What color and miles is the 4runner?

 

[sevenstorydrop]

Quentin, must be a build issue. I'm an avid cyclist as well. Anyways, I tried to look in to a shop that could change the seat. Anyone know a good upholdstery shop in the north dallas area?
ICE, black with tan leather. 5,600 miles. Not really wanting to sell it, just want it to be confortable.