Bumpy leather seat cushion! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

thoots · 09-01-2006, 02:39 PM

Folks,

Well, I've been growing unhappy with my new Camry's driver seat, I'm afraid to say. Mainly, I can feel "bumps" at the very back end of the seat cushion, which I presume are the back end of seat heater assembly. Take a look at this picture, and the red marks are about where I'm feeling these bumps:

Actually, they're probably even farther back than my marks. I'm also not very happy with the stupid "seam down the middle of the seat," as I'm feeling that seam quite a bit back there, too.

Now, all that said, I should add that I DESPISE "lumbar." I just can't stand "lumbar support," so I dial that all the way out. Therefore, I'd be sitting considerably farther back in the seat than anyone who had a bunch of lumbar support dialed in.

So, does anyone else "feel my pain?" It's just bumpy enough for me to get generally irritated at it most of the time. Oh, sure, I could take it to the dealer and see what they could do under warranty, but I'm not sure they could do much of anything to really help, as they'd generally just replace parts with the same parts that would fit the same way. But, if you have any experience with anything like this, I'd sure like to hear what you might have done about it!

Thanks!

njerald · 09-01-2006, 03:01 PM

My seat is fine!!!

slow_motion · 09-01-2006, 03:56 PM

Ever think about getting your butt checked out instead of the car?

Joe B · 09-01-2006, 04:02 PM

Maybe caused by your wallet in rear pocket?

2007CamryXLE · 09-01-2006, 06:24 PM

I did notice one thing. Your console is a little different then mine. You have the I4 instead of the V6?

urotsukidoji · 09-01-2006, 06:28 PM

adjust your seating position....if your ass is hitting those red marks you are not sitting right.

njerald · 09-01-2006, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2007CamryXLE

I did notice one thing. Your console is a little different then mine. You have the I4 instead of the V6?

His pic is the I4 shift gate.

thoots · 09-01-2006, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njerald

My seat is fine!!!

Well, it could be that my seat heater assembly has shifted forward over time. Here are a couple of questions for you:

So you have leather with the seat heaters? (I presume so....)

If you do, if you run your hands over the seat cushion way in the back there, can you feel anything like the "end of the seat heater" that I'm describing?

Thanks!

thoots · 09-01-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slow_motion

Ever think about getting your butt checked out instead of the car?

Well, with the shape I'm in, I'd think I'd have enough padding back there to keep from feeling ANYTHING, but unfortuately that doesn't seem to be the case....

thoots · 09-01-2006, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urotsukidoji

adjust your seating position....if your ass is hitting those red marks you are not sitting right.

Not sure what you're getting at there. I do like to get my butt back there as far as it can go. I also tend to sit with the front of the cushion up, and the seat back leaned back a bit (not insanely excessive, though!), so that also helps to plant my butt just as far back on the seat cushion as it can go.

So, how do you think I should be sitting? What works best for you?

Thanks!

Streaker · 09-01-2006, 07:53 PM

Bring it in, have the dealer check it out. After all, almost everything about this car is new. There are bound to be some defects.

El Tano · 09-01-2006, 08:03 PM

Take it to the dealer and stop going crazy...

thoots · 09-01-2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Streaker

Bring it in, have the dealer check it out. After all, almost everything about this car is new. There are bound to be some defects.

You bet, I'm gonna do that, probably first thing next week. I think I'll go "feel up" some leather Camry seats on their lot before I hit the service department, though!

urotsukidoji · 09-01-2006, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thoots

Not sure what you're getting at there. I do like to get my butt back there as far as it can go. I also tend to sit with the front of the cushion up, and the seat back leaned back a bit (not insanely excessive, though!), so that also helps to plant my butt just as far back on the seat cushion as it can go.

So, how do you think I should be sitting? What works best for you?

Thanks!

I just meant to say that you probably need to make more adjustments to the seat to be comfortable. But if you like it in a certain position and it makes you uncomfortable maybe you should think of just changing your settings, or you can take it to the dealer and complain that Toyota made a mistake on the design of their seats. I don't know what the dealer will do, maybe just replace the seat under warranty.

thoots · 09-02-2006, 01:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urotsukidoji

I just meant to say that you probably need to make more adjustments to the seat to be comfortable. But if you like it in a certain position and it makes you uncomfortable maybe you should think of just changing your settings, or you can take it to the dealer and complain that Toyota made a mistake on the design of their seats. I don't know what the dealer will do, maybe just replace the seat under warranty.

Well, of course, I've tried pretty much everything from one spectrum to the other, and the bottom line remains that I like to sit how I've been sitting in the last few cars -- front of the seat up high, "knees in the air," lumbar support dialed out as much as possible, which puts me as far back in the seat as I can possibly get.

I did a little hour-up-the-freeway trip this evening, trying quite a few things, but no, I really haven't changed my preferences after all these years.

Also, before I headed up the freeway, I stopped at the dealer to "feel up" a few Camry seats. Oh, yeah, you can feel those seat heater bumps just as much as you can on my seat. MAAAAAYBE they were a half a tenth of a hair farther back on the seat than my bumps, but the bumps are there. And, really, all I needed to do was check out my passenger seat, which has held a passenger about a whopping total of three times since I've owned the car, and it feels just like my driver seat does. So, I wouldn't say that anything probably "changed" within the driver seat -- it has just irritated me long enough to finally make me want to do something about it.

So, I think evidence shows "they're all like that." I expect that anyone with heated leather seats here could go feel the back end of their seat cushions, and feel the same bumps I'm feeling. So, I'm pretty skeptical about what my dealer could or would do -- maybe they could just move the whole seat heater assembly back farther in the seat. I'll certainly go give it a good college try, and see what happens. I expect, though, that the dealer doesn't touch upholstery stuff at all, but rather sends it off to an upholstery shop, so that may play a lot in what they're willing to do or not -- given how they'd have to pay someone else to even look at the thing.

In the end, I'm sure I could pay an upholstery shop to do just about whatever I want to do with my seat, but I'd sure like to get it covered as warranty work! I'll certainly report back with any progress or lack thereof!