Model X driver seat issue

[thevaibhav]

My 2017 MX driver side seat is very uncomfortable, this is unique only to the driver seat, passenger side similar seat is ok. I thought it was just me, but a friend borrowed the car for a day and he said the same thing.. I took it into service and they wont change or fix it, says the seat is fine to them. they gave me an option to get new driver side seat for $3200

Issue : i get lower back pain, i find the seat base ok, its the support in the lower back where i have issue.. i dont think the bottom part of the back provides enough support.. i have tried most of the lumbar support settings.. I am 5,11 and weight 185 Pound

Move over to passenger side and things are totally different.. no issues or pains.. so its not the design of the seat,its something with that particular seat..

What has worked is the below listed relax your back product.. but this reduces the total seat size ..
Premium Sacro-Ease Back Support


If tesla wont fix it, looking for recommendation of car seat experts who can help !

 

[Mpglaw1]

Maybe find out how much it would cost to swap the passenger and driver’s seat. Your passenger may not appreciate it but you’ll be more comfortable.

 

[doghousePVD]

Maybe find out how much it would cost to swap the passenger and driver’s seat. Your passenger may not appreciate it but you’ll be more comfortable.

The seat recline up/down controls would be on the wrong side, and inaccessible.

 

[Mpglaw1]

The seat recline up/down controls would be on the wrong side, and inaccessible.

Ahh, very good point. And this is why don’t let me do mechanical stuff.

 

[thevaibhav]

Are the Model S and Model X driver side seats the same ?

 

[chdavis]

I had this issue on my 2017 MX75 when it was new and Tesla ended up replacing the seats. The new ones were just as uncomfortable. I actually got relief by raising the seat a little higher than I normally would and I think the seat "broke in" over time.

 

[EV bud]

I had both driver and passenger seats swapped out early on in our 2017 X. The driver seat made a big difference (which they replaced first), waited for the passenger to arrive a month later (part wasn’t available), and Tesla changed the material of the seat to be much more firm and it was uncomfortable to sit in honestly. So had them leave the passenger one as is.

Personally, for back problems (if you can afford it and plan to keep the car, I’d possibly consider paying the $3200 or compromise and meet in the middle with the SC), but I’d want to make sure the replacement seat actually resolved your back problem. For someone who has neck problems, I can fully understand your “pain”. Good luck.

 

[Taoweiji]

So we just took delivery of our used Model X, 2018, 75D, FSD etc...I have been driving it for the last two days, and I absolutely hate the seats.

Am I insane or is there something funky abouth te driving position, seat sizing and headrest position that makes it damn near impossible (so far) to get a comfortable driving position? I feel like I'm hunching over forward, and having to hold my head at a weird position.

The seat is definately very small. I'm 5'9" and I feel like I am sitting on top of the seat. My wife is 5'6" and she also commented that the seat is very small.

Then it feels like the streering wheel is hard to place correctly and every button is just a few inches too far away on the armrest.

In contrast, our Nissan LEAF is much more comfortable to sit in and drive.

I also sat in the passenger seat, and that seat is more comfortable.

 

[chdavis]

So we just took delivery of our used Model X, 2018, 75D, FSD etc...I have been driving it for the last two days, and I absolutely hate the seats.

Am I insane or is there something funky abouth te driving position, seat sizing and headrest position that makes it damn near impossible (so far) to get a comfortable driving position? I feel like I'm hunching over forward, and having to hold my head at a weird position.

The seat is definately very small. I'm 5'9" and I feel like I am sitting on top of the seat. My wife is 5'6" and she also commented that the seat is very small.

Then it feels like the streering wheel is hard to place correctly and every button is just a few inches too far away on the armrest.

In contrast, our Nissan LEAF is much more comfortable to sit in and drive.

I also sat in the passenger seat, and that seat is more comfortable.

I am 5'10" and 155 pounds.

I found that it's most comfortable with the seat back adjust more upright than I would think to place it naturally. It feels more funky than it is, because of the windscreen being so huge I think. I did not adjust the front of the seat bottom upward at all. That was uncomfortable because it put pressure on the thighs

 

[Taoweiji]

I found that too; the bottom part. More flat than I regularly have it.

 

[chdavis]

Try bringing the level of the seat bottom up a bit, adjusting only the rear. I normally like to sit "in" my cars, but this wasn't comfortable in my MX. I also think that any lumbar is uncomfortable. I have my lumbar at zero, with the actual lumbar assembly adjusted a tick up from the bottom most adjustment

 

[mpkelly20]

So we just took delivery of our used Model X, 2018, 75D, FSD etc...I have been driving it for the last two days, and I absolutely hate the seats.

Am I insane or is there something funky abouth te driving position, seat sizing and headrest position that makes it damn near impossible (so far) to get a comfortable driving position? I feel like I'm hunching over forward, and having to hold my head at a weird position.

The seat is definately very small. I'm 5'9" and I feel like I am sitting on top of the seat. My wife is 5'6" and she also commented that the seat is very small.

Then it feels like the streering wheel is hard to place correctly and every button is just a few inches too far away on the armrest.

In contrast, our Nissan LEAF is much more comfortable to sit in and drive.

I also sat in the passenger seat, and that seat is more comfortable.

Did you come up with any solution to the seat problem?

I have a 2017 X with Gen 1 seats

I find the bottom cushion to be uncomfortable after 40+ minutes of driving

The bolsters which rise up on either side squeeze the sides of my thighs and lead to almost a numbing sensation, I find myself having to shift around and take breaks just to relieve the pain

Two questions
1. Is the geometry of the bottom seat cushion on the 2020 Gen 2 seats fundamentally different? In the sense that it 'squeezes' you less? Maybe less steep angles on the bolsters?

2. Are there any add-ons that people have had success with in attaching to the bottom cushion to essentially 'fill in' the low part of the seat and thus rise the driver above the 'squeezing sides' of the seat and relieve this pressure?

 

[mpkelly20]

I had both driver and passenger seats swapped out early on in our 2017 X. The driver seat made a big difference (which they replaced first), waited for the passenger to arrive a month later (part wasn’t available), and Tesla changed the material of the seat to be much more firm and it was uncomfortable to sit in honestly. So had them leave the passenger one as is.

Personally, for back problems (if you can afford it and plan to keep the car, I’d possibly consider paying the $3200 or compromise and meet in the middle with the SC), but I’d want to make sure the replacement seat actually resolved your back problem. For someone who has neck problems, I can fully understand your “pain”. Good luck.

EVBud,

Can I ask you a few questions to help me understand what my experience of improving the seats may be?

When did you have these seats replaced?

Did they replace them with the Gen2 2020 seats? Does the bottom cushion feel way different?

Did the SC work with you and do it for free, or cover some of the cost?

If they did, what was the reason, like was there something glaringly wrong with your seat, or did they just take your word that it was uncomfortable?


Right now I'm having some major issues where I feel the bottom seat cushion of my MX 2017 is squeezing my thighs and it feels downright uncomfortable to drive after 40 minutes.



I'm trying to figure out what I can do about this and if the SC will help me.


Michael

 

[chdavis]

I have a 2017 MX built in July 2017 and I find the seats marginal. The seating position is somehow strange and I recently sat in a 2020 MX and the seating position was even less comfortable. The bottom of the seat adjusts differently. The front incline adjustment has no correlation to the rear. It’s just strange.
In my 2020 Model 3, I was immediately able to find a comfortable position and it’s remained comfortable. Thankfully.

 

[Taoweiji]

Did you come up with any solution to the seat problem?

I have a 2017 X with Gen 1 seats

I find the bottom cushion to be uncomfortable after 40+ minutes of driving

The bolsters which rise up on either side squeeze the sides of my thighs and lead to almost a numbing sensation, I find myself having to shift around and take breaks just to relieve the pain

Two questions
1. Is the geometry of the bottom seat cushion on the 2020 Gen 2 seats fundamentally different? In the sense that it 'squeezes' you less? Maybe less steep angles on the bolsters?

2. Are there any add-ons that people have had success with in attaching to the bottom cushion to essentially 'fill in' the low part of the seat and thus rise the driver above the 'squeezing sides' of the seat and relieve this pressure?

@mpkelly20 No, we haven't found any resolution. The funny thing is, we are just discussing this situation today and whether we should simply sell the car, or try and get different year seats installed. I like the MX, but the seats are torturous to sit 'on'. The problem for me isn't the bottom so much, even though it does press on my hamstrings and is uncomfortable. The problem is the side bolsters on the upright portion of the seat. It is so damn narrow that I physically have to force myself into it. The stupid vegan leather bs makes it feel like you are wearing a wetsuit and after a few minutes I have a sweaty back. It's uber stupid.

 

[Marius A]

@mpkelly20 No, we haven't found any resolution. The funny thing is, we are just discussing this situation today and whether we should simply sell the car, or try and get different year seats installed. I like the MX, but the seats are torturous to sit 'on'. The problem for me isn't the bottom so much, even though it does press on my hamstrings and is uncomfortable. The problem is the side bolsters on the upright portion of the seat. It is so damn narrow that I physically have to force myself into it. The stupid vegan leather bs makes it feel like you are wearing a wetsuit and after a few minutes I have a sweaty back. It's uber stupid.

Reviving a very old thread here.
What did you end up doing?

 

[electrique]

Reviving a very old thread here.
What did you end up doing?

Reviving the thread yet again. I have a Model S Plaid that I got just over a week ago. In that tiny span of time I've developed excruciating pain in my right glute that is radiating into my lower back. I had no such pain in the ICE SUV I was driving previously. Originally I blamed the seat, but then I started thinking it might be because I'm tall and the Plaid is a sedan without much vertical space for my legs. But now I'm reading posts like the OP's saying that the same or similar issues happen in the Model X. I just don't understand how Tesla could be making bad seats. They can just reverse-engineer seats from other manufacturers and make something similar. Why have I never experienced this in another car?

 

[tengtengvn]

I have driven 2017 and 2018 MS and found the seats extremely uncomfortable. My wife said the same thing about the passenger seats. We both have no problem with the MX seats. The MS is also much more noisier.

 

[electrique]

I have driven 2017 and 2018 MS and found the seats extremely uncomfortable. My wife said the same thing about the passenger seats. We both have no problem with the MX seats. The MS is also much more noisier.

Good to know. But are the seats in the MS different from the MX? If they aren't substantially different, then it may be more of an issue of the seat combined with the seating position/lack of vertical space for legs.