I regret my Model Y purchase because of seat comfort and seating position problems

[YNaut]

 

[YNaut]

I'm pretty stuck on this concept... Hinged on if those are bolted or welded to the battery frame, then it would be as simple as welded square tubing. If done right, it could be the most comfortable clean vehicle ever made for us tall torso people.

PS the model S is the worst car for torso height I've sat in to this day.

 

[Amanfromconn]

I thought it was so comfortable when I first sat on it.

 

[DanticusD]

Looking at getting a new model Y but wondering what the feel of the seats are like.
Wife hates leather due to the sticking to it feeling.
Do Teslas polyurethane material do the same thing?
We live in a hot state so sweating is a daily occurrence and there will be skin contact with the seats.
Thanks to those that have been testing this out for us!

 

[Watts_Up]

Looking at getting a new model Y but wondering what the feel of the seats are like.
Wife hates leather due to the sticking to it feeling.
Do Teslas polyurethane material do the same thing?
We live in a hot state so sweating is a daily occurrence and there will be skin contact with the seats.
Thanks to those that have been testing this out for us!

I wish Tesla offers cloth seat covers instead of leatherette.

I would recommend using neoprene seat covers, such as Wet Okole.

 

[Pianewman]

Looking at getting a new model Y but wondering what the feel of the seats are like.
Wife hates leather due to the sticking to it feeling.
Do Teslas polyurethane material do the same thing?
We live in a hot state so sweating is a daily occurrence and there will be skin contact with the seats.
Thanks to those that have been testing this out for us!

Yes, the Faux leather is warm in TX heat, but I don't find it a problem. That's entirely subjective.

 

[pipestem]

Looking at getting a new model Y but wondering what the feel of the seats are like.
Wife hates leather due to the sticking to it feeling.
Do Teslas polyurethane material do the same thing?
We live in a hot state so sweating is a daily occurrence and there will be skin contact with the seats.
Thanks to those that have been testing this out for us!

just go test one, they make it easy.

 

[robjg63]

I am 190cm (6'3") and 87kg (190lbs) 60yo male and have a Shanghai made tesla Model Y RWD.

It is the most comfortable car I have driven in over 20 years and it's the first time in a very long time where I dont end up with lower back pain after driving the car for an hour or more.

I know there are sometimes services from physios etc that can come and check and adjust office chairs for people so that they are ergonomically adjusted in the best possible way - maybe someone needs to start providing the same thing for cars!

 

[Lilliput]

I'm too am regretting the model Y. It would be amazing if the seat base didn't have those hard sides to it making it too narrow. I have never had back pain and am mid 40s. I now have constant dull back pain and buttock pain. It was fine for the first two weeks, I noticed the hard sides but didn't have any pain. Then the pain kicked in. I know it is the seats as when I sit in the car it hurts. I've tried adjusting and recently bought a cushion which possibly will reduce the pain but it raises me up to high so isn't perfect. I have never had this before in any car. Very disappointing Tesla! Why the firm sides to the seat? It's like they are built for people with no hips only!

 

[Unclepaul]

Car seat comfort is very subjective. A comfy seat for one might be uncomfortable for another.

The upcoming Model 3 Highland version will have ventilated and heated front seats, along with a more premium fabric to make them even more comfortable for most. Imagine the same thing will show up with the Juniper release of the Model Y.

For those who have serious pain from the seats, first try to find a better position by adjusting the power seat. Then see if a pillow etc. will help.
Sometimes even moving the steering wheel to a different position will give some relief.

If all else fails, perhaps a visit to a auto upholstery shop can get the bolsters adjusted or benefit from padding added or removed.

 

[gatx]

I feel for you. I have a 1990 Cadillac Deville with pillow top seats that I've driven forever. After 30 mins in the Tesla I'm needed to see a massage therapist. Seats are too narrow and firm. I've tried every adjustment and even 3 different seat pillows all to no avail. Seats are horribly uncomfortable.

 

[tangible1]

I wish Tesla offers cloth seat covers instead of leatherette.

I would recommend using neoprene seat covers, such as Wet Okole.

wet okole is worse not better.
it's wetsuit material - great if you like bathing in your own sweat.

note the new Highland M3 uses performated material and front seats are ventilated.
I expect the refresh on the MY coming in Q4/Q1 to be the same.

 

[Watts_Up]

wet okole is worse not better.
it's wetsuit material - great if you like bathing in your own sweat.

note the new Highland M3 uses performated material and front seats are ventilated.
I expect the refresh on the MY coming in Q4/Q1 to be the same.

Nothing can equal the rich Corinthian leather !!!

 

[tangible1]

Nothing can equal the rich Corinthian leather !!!

where's Roberto when we need him.
oh, playing the villain on Star Trek movies....

 

[Lithivm]

Swap them with Model X seats

 

[Georgesb2]

After having my model y for 5 months, I have to say that I unfortunately regret my purchase, because it's just not a good fit for me. And I mean that literally. For my body, the seat is not comfortable, and I can't achieve a comfortable driving position.

As I know others have discussed in other posts, for some people, me included, the seat bolsters are simply too narrow towards the rear, and it feels like I'm partially sitting on the bolsters themselves, which gives an uncomfortable feeling similar to as if I were sitting on a wallet in a back pocket. This leads to general discomfort and even a dull ache after time.

While it's less of a concern, I also find the back bolsters to be too narrow as well. These are less uncomfortable than the seat, but it adds to the feeling that the seat simply does not fit my body.

For those wondering, I'm 6'2" and 180lbs, and a lot of my height comes from a very long torso, and less so from leg length.

Which leads to the next problem. With relatively short legs, I sit relatively close to the dash. But with a long torso, my head ends up being very high up in the car. Even with the seat adjusted all the way down, I'm way too high up in the car. I have to duck down to see traffic lights. And if I keep a straight back and lean forwards, my forehead hits the headliner. I'm not entirely convinced that the airbag would actually protect my head in the event of a crash.

Now I get it, I have an atypical body shape, and I would have these issues in many other cars as well. The thing that irks me is that I've been driving a 2011 VW GTI for the past decade, and I've had no issues with seating position what-so-ever, and that's a significantly smaller car than the model y. The GTI allows me to lower the seat way lower than the model y. The model y seats are just sitting on a platform, which eats into what could have been space in which to lower the seat even further. If I could just lower the model y seat another 3-5 inches, I would be able to achieve a correct seating position.

I really like almost everything else about this vehicle, but it's frustrating that it just doesn't fit me! And of course you might be saying "boo hoo why didn't you test drive it first?". Well, yeah, that's on me, I should have. I test drove a Model 3 when it first came out and don't remember having either of these issues. When the Model Y price dropped, I jumped on it and ordered one off the lot within an hour of the announcement without a test drive as I was afraid they'd sell out quickly, thinking that the larger model Y would surely not have issues like this with it being a larger vehicle. But lesson learned; I always need to test drive vehicles going forward, and I learned that vehicle size is not always correlated to headroom, seat adjustment range, seat comfort, etc.

What am I going to do with the Model Y? I don't know yet, probably keep it and just suck it up. There isn't really any other EV that qualifies for the tax credit that I would actually want to own at this time. The price/powertrain/charging-network/value advantage of the Model Y is undeniable, so I'll probably just keep it and keep an eye out as the EV landscape evolves over the coming years.

I have the same problem in the model 3 but have more head room to work with.

I completely understand the issue the OP is having. I have a similar body build and had great pain.

For others who don't understand. The body type having difficulties tend to have a larger bone structure, especially the hip width. They also tend to have a longer torso.
I've been approached by many Tesla owners with all models, from all over the world, having the same difficulties. This is no joke.

The problem is very real. I know several who sold their car due to the pain.

In my model 3, I was able to modify the seats. I love it now.

But if the individual is tall, especially in the upper body, there is a head room challenge as well.

The model Y has less headroom to work with than the model 3 because the model Y seat base is installed on platforms where the 3 is mounted flush to the floor.

On the model 3, I've replaced the OEM foam bottom with a more dense one from another car. It raises the individual's height.

For the OP, we have to reduce the bolster pain while minimizing the additional seat height.

I don't own a Y and I can't say if the mounts can safely be cut down. This would be challenging. Affixing the seat to the floor properly is a safety concern. With enough money and enough expertise anything is possible. But my assessment is that modifying the mounts would be difficult. It would involve professional cut down of the mounts and welding them to the lowest possible height. That might work. But a considerable challenge and risk. I'm certain people who regularly modify cars like for off road or track could readily do it. It's outside my capabilities at the moment and I wouldn't want to do that for any car but my own. I would take whatever risk is involved.

I looked into modifying the metal base and that is also risking seat integrity.

For this OP I would get a spacer between the springs and the bottom of the OEM foam bottom. Try to focus on the rear where the bolsters hurt most. Try only 1/4" at first. The material must resist compression.

You should try riding in the passenger seat first. The passenger seat has a seat sensor that effectively prevents the springs from sagging and adds possibly 1/4". Many have said they like the passenger seat better. If it works, then we can emulate the passenger seat with changes to the driver's seat.

I'll write more on this later.

 

[Georgesb2]

After having my model y for 5 months, I have to say that I unfortunately regret my purchase, because it's just not a good fit for me. And I mean that literally. For my body, the seat is not comfortable, and I can't achieve a comfortable driving position.

As I know others have discussed in other posts, for some people, me included, the seat bolsters are simply too narrow towards the rear, and it feels like I'm partially sitting on the bolsters themselves, which gives an uncomfortable feeling similar to as if I were sitting on a wallet in a back pocket. This leads to general discomfort and even a dull ache after time.

While it's less of a concern, I also find the back bolsters to be too narrow as well. These are less uncomfortable than the seat, but it adds to the feeling that the seat simply does not fit my body.

For those wondering, I'm 6'2" and 180lbs, and a lot of my height comes from a very long torso, and less so from leg length.

Which leads to the next problem. With relatively short legs, I sit relatively close to the dash. But with a long torso, my head ends up being very high up in the car. Even with the seat adjusted all the way down, I'm way too high up in the car. I have to duck down to see traffic lights. And if I keep a straight back and lean forwards, my forehead hits the headliner. I'm not entirely convinced that the airbag would actually protect my head in the event of a crash.

Now I get it, I have an atypical body shape, and I would have these issues in many other cars as well. The thing that irks me is that I've been driving a 2011 VW GTI for the past decade, and I've had no issues with seating position what-so-ever, and that's a significantly smaller car than the model y. The GTI allows me to lower the seat way lower than the model y. The model y seats are just sitting on a platform, which eats into what could have been space in which to lower the seat even further. If I could just lower the model y seat another 3-5 inches, I would be able to achieve a correct seating position.

I really like almost everything else about this vehicle, but it's frustrating that it just doesn't fit me! And of course you might be saying "boo hoo why didn't you test drive it first?". Well, yeah, that's on me, I should have. I test drove a Model 3 when it first came out and don't remember having either of these issues. When the Model Y price dropped, I jumped on it and ordered one off the lot within an hour of the announcement without a test drive as I was afraid they'd sell out quickly, thinking that the larger model Y would surely not have issues like this with it being a larger vehicle. But lesson learned; I always need to test drive vehicles going forward, and I learned that vehicle size is not always correlated to headroom, seat adjustment range, seat comfort, etc.

What am I going to do with the Model Y? I don't know yet, probably keep it and just suck it up. There isn't really any other EV that qualifies for the tax credit that I would actually want to own at this time. The price/powertrain/charging-network/value advantage of the Model Y is undeniable, so I'll probably just keep it and keep an eye out as the EV landscape evolves over the coming years.

I have the same problem in the model 3 but have more head room to work with.

The problem the OP reports is very real.

For others who don't have the problem, you are lucky.
I've been contacted by many Tesla owners with all models, from all over the world, having these issues with the seats.
I have helped guide many to improvements, and solutions.

And to help understand, it's mostly a certain body build that has this problem.
It's not just a larger person nor just a taller person.
The seat is narrow in the rear. It is bound by metal. The seat foam is soft.
If the individual has a larger bone structure, especially a wider hip, problems will occur when the hip bone and thigh bones press into the metal surround. You don't need an odd looking body build, as I have wider hips but it is not evident at all to an onlooker. I didn't even realize it for many years. An additional body type that seems to have pain with Tesla seats is a long torso. Sadly longer torso is also more vulnerable to lower back and disc issues.

These problems can be mitigated for all but the most extreme cases.

I'll write more on this later

 

[OliSiwk]

Try not only adjusting seats, but also steering wheel and maybe even the auto adjustment seat positions when getting in and out.

 

[tradosaurus]

Looking at getting a new model Y but wondering what the feel of the seats are like.
Wife hates leather due to the sticking to it feeling.
Do Teslas polyurethane material do the same thing?
We live in a hot state so sweating is a daily occurrence and there will be skin contact with the seats.
Thanks to those that have been testing this out for us!

Go test drive one and find out.

 

[broke_S]

I have a 2023 Y RWD. I have to say this is the worst seat from all cars I owned. The passenger side seat is far more comfortable. I point the problem to the lumbar support system in the driver seat. It is true, when lumbar support is in lower position, the seat feels better.
The passenger seat has no lumbar support. Actually you can see the driver seat has a sort of bump in the lower middle side, which is not on the passenger seat.
I was wandering if possible to replace the driver seat with a passenger seat without lumbar support? It should be a seat from a country with the opposite driving side, to keep the airbag between seats
Anybody knows the cost of a passenger seat, in UK for instance?