TE seats.... very uncomfortable! Ouch!

6'2" 185 lbs and on long drives the seats kill my lower back. It does not matter what I do with the lumbar. I have never owned or ridden in a vehicle that did this to me. Reading through the thread, it seems like this affects us taller folks more. Luckily, I don't drive long distance in our 4Runner very often.
 
I'm 6'1 and 245 lbs and I am usually comfortable. The only time I get lower back lock is when I haven't stretched out my hamstrings. Give that a try and let me know if it helps. I was working out and stretching out my hamstrings regularly and did a 12 hour drive in my 14 TE and I didn't have any comfort problems the whole trip. It was a straight 12 hr trip only stopping for gas. You'd be surprised how much it helps to stretch as you get older. Just a suggestion.
 
I absolutely hate the feeling of sitting with my legs horizontally as if I was sitting in the floor board. This is my second vehicle that had this issue and for both it was an easy of enough fix by placing washers under the front seat mounts.

I bought 25 washer from the local hardware store for $3.

It's pretty simple, pop up the plastic pieces from bottom to top then slide them out. Unscrew ALL FOUR screws on the floor (front and rear) leaving the rear in, but quite lose. Place the washers under the seat mounts mounts. You will need to move the seat forward while putting the front bolts back (do this first, this is why you unscrew all four) to get the correct angle to avoid cross threading them. Once they are all in, tighten them all up tightly and put the covers back on which will click when they are in place correctly. Sorry, No pics on this mod, I didn't have my phone or camera. :rockthrow: I know, awful of me. The new angle of the seats will raise the front and not the rear, so if you are tall it will not change the height your butt is in the seat. The angle pushes your legs up vertically which lifts the pressure off your feet making longer hauls more tolerable. This mod makes the seat feel more like the Tundra seats, which IMO are far more comfortable. Happy Modding!

Probably a stupid question, but I could not figure it out; can you explain the "25 washer"? Is that the size or something? Will the Home Depot know if I ask for this or are they labeled like this?

My wife complains about the passenger seat on long trips, she wants the front raised a little, she says she feels like she is sliding onto the floor all the time. She is light, 5'2" 100lbs. It looks like your mod would be good to try.
 
Im a big guy, like, very big. 6'3" 270Lbs (Power Lifter)... i have no problem at all with the seats in my 2014, they may start to get to me after i drive for 4-5 hours, but a 5 minute break and I'm good to go again.

hope you find a solution.
 
Yep 6'1" 255 lbs (chest much bigger than gut) and even a 12hr ride to New Orleans was not bad in my Wife's 2014 TE. Riding for that long sucked, but seats were not bad. However, I'll fly next time. Too old for that crap anymore.
 
Probably a stupid question, but I could not figure it out; can you explain the "25 washer"? Is that the size or something? Will the Home Depot know if I ask for this or are they labeled like this?

My wife complains about the passenger seat on long trips, she wants the front raised a little, she says she feels like she is sliding onto the floor all the time. She is light, 5'2" 100lbs. It looks like your mod would be good to try.

Not a stupid question at all, I should have been more clear. The washers can be purchased 25 in a pack rather than buying them individually. You will want to figure out how many you will want to stack to make YOU comfortable and save yourself another trip to HD if you didn't buy enough of them. In hindsight, I would remove one of the bolts on the passenger seat and take the washer off it and take it in HD with me to buy that exact size. I just based mine off memory from the last time I did it and they were a little bigger hole than I would have preferred. :becky: I have had it this way for two days now and it makes a big difference in comfort for both the driver and passenger seats. It changes how the lumbar angle hits your lower back to. Best and cheapest mod I've done.....$3, for comfy seats....SOLD. Good thing here is if you don't like it or feel it helps you, then take them out and it's like it never happened. Enjoy...
 
TE seats suck...

Here's what you need to do

Get fat until you weigh close to 240 pounds
Sit in truck for extended periods of time, two or three cross country drives help
Lift, so you kinda do the gator slither out
Drive off road a lot
After 37000 miles your seats will be comfy
Lose weight
Get gout in the process
 
6'2" 185 lbs and on long drives the seats kill my lower back. It does not matter what I do with the lumbar. I have never owned or ridden in a vehicle that did this to me. Reading through the thread, it seems like this affects us taller folks more. Luckily, I don't drive long distance in our 4Runner very often.
Came to this site to see what can be done about the seats in my 2012 4Runner seats. On a long trip it is a killer on my lower back. 5'9" 170lbs. I have tried to adjust the seat in so many positions that i am surprised i didnt burn out the motors. My 2002 F350 is like riding in a Cadillac compared to this most uncomfortable car i have ever owned. My 1975 VW super beetle is more comfortable as was my 1996 Explorer. I absolutely hate this 4 runner but am stuck with it as i just dont know what else to buy. Thought it would be my last car but now i dont know.
 
I put wet okoles on my seats and I feel like they added enough cushion to make them feel super comfortable....at least the change was enough to make me happy.

I'm only 160lbs though so that is also probably part of it too.
 
Gosh, have not had any problems yet, only had mine about 6 months and have done minimal long trips though


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I just got my '16 TE Premium two months ago and it's so uncomfortable. It felt fine on the initial test drive, but even today, I drove for maybe a half hour, and my lower back was really in pain. I'm coming from a '14 VW Jetta Sportwagen and the seats in it are amazing compared to the 4R.

I've tried adjusting the seat and lumbar support in every way I can, and I still can't get it to feel good. It's a lease so it's making me worried I'm going to have to deal with it for the next 3 years...
 
I'm 6'4" 250 and I have a 2015 TE with cloth seats for well over a year, it's not like a lazy boy but I don't have any problems even after multiple 10-12 hour trips. I have the power lumbar set at just about half maybe a little less. I've found that having the seat back leaned back just a little more than what you would usually do and put the front adjustment of the seat as far up as possible. This helps support my legs better because they are longer My thighs sit at a higher angle. You just have to mess with all of the settings until you get it just right. Just my .02
 
Anyone else think the title of this thread looks like it could have been Tweeted by Donald Trump?
 
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I drove my TE on a 6,000 mile coast to coast road trip 2 weeks after buying it and the seats were fantastic. I didn't get sore or fatigued once... I actually think my 4Runner has the most comfortable seats I've ever had in a vehicle.
 
Glad I found this thread, I am not the only one! I have a 2016 TE that I just picked up a few weeks ago. Since then the longest I have driven has been an hour and a half. My back was screaming. I am 5'8 and 165, I am in shape so I know it is not health related. I was driving a Honda Odyssey minivan before this :cry: which was really comfortable.

I hope I find a way to make it work, I love this car and don't want to fear long hauls :wow:
 
Glad I found this thread, I am not the only one! I have a 2016 TE that I just picked up a few weeks ago. Since then the longest I have driven has been an hour and a half. My back was screaming. I am 5'8 and 165, I am in shape so I know it is not health related. I was driving a Honda Odyssey minivan before this :cry: which was really comfortable.

I hope I find a way to make it work, I love this car and don't want to fear long hauls :wow:

I had the same issue coming from a Honda. Seems like the plastic lumbar support just hits me in the wrong spot. I have a long torso. Adjusting the seat is important, but I ended up getting some foam from an upholstery shop. The seat covers zip off. Takes some effort to squeeze the foam in there. That allowed me to put some support up slightly higher and now things are good. That is until someone drives my car and changes the adjustment. Seems like a tiny tweak is the difference between not noticing the seats at all and being miserable.

Good luck!
 

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