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Lumbar adjustments not working as expected

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Trying to figure out if this is working correctly, or if somehow both of my seats have the same problem.

When I press on the side of the button near the rear of the car, I do not hear/feel any seat adjustment. I notice them when pressing in any of the other 3 directions.

Just me?
 
Near as I could tell, the lumbar felt like some kind of air pump. And if it's fully inflated, you have to find the "deflate" switch and let the air out before you can notice any changes while filling it. It also didn't seem to switch with the user profiles. But I've only played with it once.
 
Yes, mine is a 4 way switch as well. Operations in the other 3 directions work.
I'm having the exact same issue. Lumbar button works in 3 directions but not the 4th. So inflated it, now it's uncomfortable (too much support pushing against my lower back), but I can't deflate it to reduce the support. Button facing the rear of the car doesn't do anything.

How did your issue get fixed? Service had me try a hard and soft reset which didn't change anything.
 
My own musings were based on the fact that everything else runs from motors and has instant response. The Lumbar adjustment just seems different, less intuitive. Try holding that 4th button for awhile, even if it seems to do nothing, and see if you eventually get results. Could be broken, but it's worth a try.
 
Thanks. When I press the rear button to deflate, it does seem to deflate a bit but not fully back to no support like it had been originally.

When you push the deflate button (pointed at rear), does it make a sound? My Toyota has 4 way lumbar and works differently. I hear a motor in both directions.
 
Exactly. I have this issue on both front seats. In order to deflate, I have to fully inflate it first, then it will deflate, but it doesn’t deflate all the way like when I originally got the car. So he lumbar is still too much
PLUS: saving the profile doesn’t actually save the lumbar position (from what I can tell). I tried to change to my wife’s profile and the seat moved, but lumbar stays the same position
Looks like I’ll have to live with it for a while as I’m not near a service center. Although, I do have a tail lamp on order for a mobile tech to come at some point
 
Any updates on this?

I have the same issue as well (the button that is closer towards the rear of the car does nothing, afai can tell)
No update yet. I have a mobile ranger coming out in two weeks and have that written down for them to check. For now, inflate it all the way, then you can deflate it some. Mine doesn’t go back all the way but it’s close.
 
I can tell that my lumbar support deflates when I push the "back" part of the button, but it is still too much pressure on my lower back. After 7,500 miles I still can't find a comfortable position. I love the car so much I'm willing to live with it for now, but I would be ecstatic to find a comfortable position.
 
I’ve been having the same problem! Was excited to notice the lumbar support adjustment buttons (I hadn’t noticed them before now), but now I can’t get it to deflate to the original position which was much more comfortable then any setting I can find with the buttons. Has anyone found a solution? Can the service center fix it? I just started a long road trip too
 
I’ve been having the same problem! Was excited to notice the lumbar support adjustment buttons (I hadn’t noticed them before now), but now I can’t get it to deflate to the original position which was much more comfortable then any setting I can find with the buttons. Has anyone found a solution? Can the service center fix it? I just started a long road trip too
I agree, even with the lumbar support minimized as much as the control button allows it's still excessive especially for long highway trips were that constant pressure in the small of back is torture to me. And the non ventilated polyurethane seat matetial exacerbates the problem.
I haven't yet brought the matter to the attention of the service dept but will.
One question I have is whether the inflatable lumbar bladder can be removed from the seat back entirely?
 
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I agree, even with the lumbar support minimized as much as the control button allows it's still excessive especially for long highway trips were that constant pressure in the small of back is torture to me. And the non ventilated polyurethane seat matetial exacerbates the problem.
I haven't yet brought the matter to the attention of the service dept but will.
One question I have is whether the inflatable lumbar bladder can be removed from the seat back entirely?

I agree!! I have the same issue. It was much more comfortable originally before i started playing with the settings. I thought that it wasn't deflating back to the default position, but then I thought I was just making things up. Glad to hear I'm not the only one!
 
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I picked up my new Model 3 today and am facing a similar lumbar problem with the driver's seat. (The passenger seat is perfect.)

Situation: lumbar deflates as normal (no, I don’t think there is supposed to be a pump sound; I believe the switch opens a valve which empties the bladder). The problem is this: once I take my finger off the 'bladder empty' button, the pump immediately begins filling it up. There is no way to prevent the lumbar support from going back to maximum. I can’t drive around with my finger on the button, but it does feel like a rock against my back.

A visit to the Service Center tomorrow but, if it’s not a simple switch problem, something tells me there’s a new seat in my future.
 
I picked up my new Model 3 today and am facing a similar lumbar problem with the driver's seat. (The passenger seat is perfect.)

Situation: lumbar deflates as normal (no, I don’t think there is supposed to be a pump sound; I believe the switch opens a valve which empties the bladder). The problem is this: once I take my finger off the 'bladder empty' button, the pump immediately begins filling it up. There is no way to prevent the lumbar support from going back to maximum. I can’t drive around with my finger on the button, but it does feel like a rock against my back.

A visit to the Service Center tomorrow but, if it’s not a simple switch problem, something tells me there’s a new seat in my future.


I just received my M3 yesterday with exact same issue on the driver side lumbar. Did you get any resolution on this?

TIA, Scott
 
Seems like I'm having the same problem. I tried to figure out how the lumbar button works, and from what I can tell, the back button (closest to the rear of the car) makes no noise, but seems to deflate the bladder. But it still feels like too much lumbar on my lower back. I'm wondering if pushing against the seatback with your hands while someone hits the deflate button will help empty out any remaining air in the bladder. I too seem to recall that it felt more comfortable when I first got the car before I started playing around with the lumbar button recently. I've only had the car about 3 weeks. I'm going to test out the passenger seat to see if it's the same thing or not. Owners' Manual doesn't provide any clarification.

-- Cintoman
 
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Seems like I'm having the same problem. I tried to figure out how the lumbar button works, and from what I can tell, the back button (closest to the rear of the car) makes no noise, but seems to deflate the bladder. But it still feels like too much lumbar on my lower back. I'm wondering if pushing against the seatback with your hands while someone hits the deflate button will help empty out any remaining air in the bladder. I too seem to recall that it felt more comfortable when I first got the car before I started playing around with the lumbar button recently. I've only had the car about 3 weeks. I'm going to test out the passenger seat to see if it's the same thing or not. Owners' Manual doesn't provide any clarification.

-- Cintoman
So what did you find? I seem to have the same problem, and the passenger seat is much more comfortable for me due to the lack of lumbar
 
So what did you find? I seem to have the same problem, and the passenger seat is much more comfortable for me due to the lack of lumbar

Well I finally got to try out the passenger seat on my car and attempted to compare it to my driver's seat. Lumbar seems to be about the same when I inflated it all the way and then deflated it. Meaning, even fully deflated, it still seems like there's still some air in the bladder. So I'm wondering if even fully deflated, it doesn't remove all of the air out of the bladder? I also tried pressing against the lumbar on the seat while holding the deflate button, but it didn't seem to help eliminate anymore air out of it.

I swear that after I fully deflate the bladder, it feels like it's inflating a bit because I start noticing some movement against my lower back. But it might very well be my lower back adjusting to the lumbar not pushing up against it. But at the same time, when fully deflated, my back feels pretty comfortable for about 10 seconds.

I then tried to listen to the inflating of the 2 lumbars when pushing the bottom button, the top button, and the forward button. You can definitely hear the pumps inflating. I couldn't really notice the seat material getting larger, but I wasn't staring at it at a good side angle. When deflating, the noise is much quieter; again, I don't see much movement in the seat back/lumbar area. Also, when fully deflated, I don't hear the inflation pumps starting again. So it doesn't seem like the issue is after you fully deflate it, it starts to inflate again. I think the issue is that the bladder just doesn't fully deflate.

I'm wondering if there's some valve under the seat that could release any additional air in the bladder. Like most of you, I could have sworn the seat was far more comfortable when I first took delivery and before I played with the lumbar buttons.

I need to bring my car into the Dedham, MA Service Center this Friday. I'm definitely going to bring this issue up. Because now, when driving, I'm finding myself constantly inflating and deflating the lumbar in the hopes that it goes "down" all the way.

-- Cintoman
 
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