Does anyone find their Model 3 seat very uncomfortable?

[JonB]

it was a reply to intactradio, not to you.

Ah ha! As you were..

 

[intactradio]

Its not a headrest and its not meant to be supportive. Its a restraint in case of an accident...

I understand that and in every other car I’ve owned the headrest/restraint is positioned far enough back that you don’t rest your head on it. In the Model 3 (mine af least) it’s impossible not to rest your head on it as it’s angled so far forward. Very annoying.

 

[Candleflame]

I understand that and in every other car I’ve owned the headrest/restraint is positioned far enough back that you don’t rest your head on it. In the Model 3 (mine af least) it’s impossible not to rest your head on it as it’s angled so far forward. Very annoying.

i find that odd coz it means you must have the seat at an extreme upright angle then.

 

[intactradio]

i find that odd coz it means you must have the seat at an extreme upright angle then.

It’s nothing to do with the angle of my seat and everything to do with the fixed angle of the head restraint in relation to the seat back. I’m certainly not alone in noting the issue/annoyance although it could just be that a batch or a few batches of head restraints had their legs bent to a particular angle.
I’ve got used to it now but I definitely prefer the setup of every other car I’ve owned.

 

[Candleflame]

have you tried putting the angle of the seat back a bit futher?you probably sit too upright?

 

[candida]

have you tried putting the angle of the seat back a bit futher?you probably sit too upright?

This takes the biscuit for fan boy excuses. You're sitting wrong!!!

 

[Durzel]

I find the lack of support of the rather soft seats and their fairly uncontoured side bolsters not helpful in a car with such power and road handling capabilities as my M3P.
I understand that Tesla has to calculate cost and has to consider what many folks test driving the car may initially find "comfortable". But the cushioning is simply too soft, and the seats have little to no body hold. I already inquired, but there are no alternatives Tesla is offering and no third-party sport seats retrofittable, due to the heavy software integration of the seats with the car's brain.
Standing by to hear anything to the contrary...

I agree with this. Would’ve liked to have seen some differentiation between LR and P in the seats. The P seats, being the same as all the others, are inadequate for enthusiastic driving.

The annoying thing is that the side bolsters are uniquely unsupportive. I’ve felt more support in cars that aren’t even remotely positioned as sporty cars.

I really wish there were seats more like bucket ones for the P. Doesn’t have to be proper deep ones, but just something that is commensurate with the performance.

 

[Adopado]

This takes the biscuit for fan boy excuses. You're sitting wrong!!!

I'm also struggling to see how the standard head restraint position would be too far forward. However, I see there's a Youtube video showing how to alter the angle so there is a solution for those with particular requirements. Given the lack of comments on the forum I've got to assume that the problem is a rare one!

 

[bo3bdar]

It’s nothing to do with the angle of my seat and everything to do with the fixed angle of the head restraint in relation to the seat back. I’m certainly not alone in noting the issue/annoyance although it could just be that a batch or a few batches of head restraints had their legs bent to a particular angle.
I’ve got used to it now but I definitely prefer the setup of every other car I’ve owned.

I've had the same problem on my Model 3. The one-size-fits-all seats are obviously not going to fit all. The headrest for me is way too forward, and forces my neck into an uncomfortable state. It forces me to use bad posture, which is not good.

I saw the video for bending the headrest bars, but there is a simpler solution- just flip the headrest so it faces backwards. I did this to my car and it fixed the problem for me.

 

[MrT3]

I understand that and in every other car I’ve owned the headrest/restraint is positioned far enough back that you don’t rest your head on it. In the Model 3 (mine af least) it’s impossible not to rest your head on it as it’s angled so far forward. Very annoying.

It's starting to be a common trend - anti whiplash head restraints aren't just on Teslas, no doubt to get a good NCAP score.

 

[Jmlaurin]

I have picked up my model 3 today and drove for 3.5 hrs. The seats initially are very comfortable however I found that the bottom side of the seats so soft the plastic tray underneath was digging into my hips? Does anyone else find this?

Yes. I rent teslas here and there specifically for long trips. M3 and MY are the most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in. The whole point of having a big autonomy car is for long trips and you can’t sit in one for longer than 60 minutes without having your hips in pain. Toes fall asleep because of lack of circulation. M3 is even worse because of rigidity of headrest. So add neck pain as well as hips. Completely unacceptable for a car of this price.

 

[Peter 224]

I'd rate them as "ok", but not as supportive as the seats in the AMG.
They don't cause me any discomfort, but the seat squab is a bit short and the headrest is strange, it is too curved.

 

[ArchEtech]

Very comfortable.

I wish they had a bit more side support and more points of adjustments.

 

[balexandre]

I have a 2021 version, I also find the driver's seat super uncomfortable, the left side of the seat is just terrible, from the comments here, I'm most be to blame cause I have a wider hips than average... driving for 45 min my leg starts to fell dormant, also does not help I use auto-pilot all the time (highway) and we tend wider our legs even more, and the left side hurts me ...

that and that the car has soo poor performance with the automatic windshield system - it's very noticeable that it was created in a place where almost does not rain

 

[TheSasquatch]

Hello.
Third Model 3 in 3 years. Love the car even though I suffer from the complaint initially mentioned in this thread.
There's something about our height / geometry of being 6'4 / 6'5 that makes the bolster dig into your thigh. I'm narrow-hipped as well. I have to actually slide to the RIGHT so that I'm sitting ON the bolster so that the plastic bolster frame underneath the OVERLY SOFT sponge padding doesn't dig into my hip. It's extremely uncomfortable after only a few minutes.
Not complaining here. Simply hoping someone has come-up with a solution.

I am expecting my fourth M3P here in the coming weeks (because why not when they'll give me more than I paid for my '21..??) and am hoping there's a "seat swap" with a Model S or possibly aftermarkets available? Or possibly a cushion / denser foam re-build someone has done?

If anyone has any experience to lend, please be so kind as to chime-in.

Thanks all!

-Cheers!

 

[Jack Red&White]

A small pad or folded towel will elevate your bottom just above the height of the plastic seat-bottom ridges causing many of us pain. Ridiculous that it’s necessary, but it works.

 

[Candleflame]

im 184 cm and have the same issue. no idea why.

 

[Georgesb2]

im 184 cm and have the same issue. no idea why.

I have implemented seat fixes.

These apply to all Tesla models after 2017. Except the headrest fix might only apply to the Model 3 and Y.

I have a new 2022 M3P.
I am 6'1” and wide framed with wide hip bones.

Normally sized individuals will love the stock seats. Us larger folk will not after hours in the seat.

I removed the headrests and bent the support bars, reinstalled the headrest. This problem is solved.
My head is no longer pushed forward. I can sit up straight.

I removed the seat bottom and modified it.

I modified the cushion and solved the too narrow wings situation.
This was complex and took many prototypes.
My final solution was to purchase a used spare seat bottom from Ebay.
I then cut the wings completely off.
I inserted the cut off seat bottom cushion into the seat bottom between the wings.
I reinstalled the stock seat cover over my changes.
The effect was to flatten the seat, remove the wing problem, but retain the cushion from the metal frame and retain the cushions hold down capabilities.

The problems are solved.

Additionally I am paying attention to seating positioning.

I am currently setting a more upright back and moving the steering wheel all the way back and mostly down to ease the reach.
I set the seat as high off the floor as I can, while still being able to see out the windshield. This is to allow my legs to be in a more normal seating position. This is important to those with longer legs.
If I could I would rebuild the seat frame to be higher but we run out of ceiling room, so I didn't.
I also rest my legs more into the seat as a whole.
I try to remain conscious of my back alignment and my leg positioning.
I wish to avoid back strain and putting too much pressure at the rear of the seat.

I may add additional lumbar support.

For long drives, I stop every hour or so and stretch and walk and go the rest room while charging. Breaks are important.

These changes have vastly improved my situation.

 

[Georgesb2]

A small pad or folded towel will elevate your bottom just above the height of the plastic seat-bottom ridges causing many of us pain. Ridiculous that it’s necessary, but it works.

That does help.
I did that until I implemented seat design changes.

 

[_MJF_]

Found the M3 seat gave a bit of backache when first got the car, nothing major, but seems a lot better now although I still think the seats are one of the worst things about the car.

I found I felt I was constantly slipping forwards off the seat (obviously wasn't) as the seat base didn't seem to extend far enough forward. Solution for me was to tilt the seat base to maximum, i.e. so the front edge was highest relative to the rest. Also, ensure you don't slouch in the seat (as I have a tendency to do), i.e. ensure the angle your body makes fits most snugly into the angle made by the seat (as viewed from side on).

Everyone will be different but found this worked for me.