Drivers Seat discomfort

[GoldenHour]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Job 1 cars only have height adjustable front head restraints (2010-3/4/12). Where as most Job 2 cars built after 4/10/12 were built with the ratcheting fore- aft adjustment capability giving them four way adjustability.

okay thanks. so on jobs 1 cars the headrests are angled forward?

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by GoldenHour

okay thanks. so on jobs 1 cars the headrest are angled forward?

Yes permanently adjusted with an angle that approaches that of the job 2 head restraints on maximum forward rake.

[AZfocus2012]

I wonder if you complained about the fixed head restraints if Ford would swap you up to the adjustable ones?

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by AZfocus2012

I wonder if you complained about the fixed head restraints if Ford would swap you up to the adjustable ones?

Probably not, although I'm not sure that they changed the posts that the restraints mount into which would mean you could likely change them easily.

If the cloth was separating or some other concern covered under warranty they might use what they can get assuming there were no supplies for the two way restraint for service parts. However for a comfort complaint I doubt they will replace them under warranty as they were not strictly speaking defective.

[2012silversel]

Back to the seat comfort, I too felt some numbness in my left leg on long trips in my Focus. Without me noticing, my leg would move over and rest on top of the seat bolster causing the numbness. Other than long trips, the seats were very comfortable for daily driving. Not to brag up the Escape, but I just returned from a 2750 mile trip and because the seat is a little wider, I didn't experience any discomfort. The partial leather drivers seat in my Escape is the most comfortable seat in any car I've owned. It also has adjustable headrests that I adjusted several times.

[GoldenHour]

nmnm

[MikeSchultz]

i'm looking into a set of sparco seats now, only problem so far, no one has the mounting brackets available, so i will prob fabricate a pair, but my concern is the airbag, how do i deactivate it.

[tech10002]

I noticed the exact same thing in my 2012 SE with sport package. There are large diameter metal wires wrapping around the perimeter of the seat. It caused me so much pain in the driver's side that I removed the seat cover, slit the foam open, and bent the wire with an adjustable wrench. It makes a HUGE difference after you bend it. I think they're not made correctly from the factory because the driver's seat left side wire was bent almost 90 degrees straight up where it poked me right in the bone on the back of my leg. The passenger side is more like 45 degrees on both sides and doesn't really bother me. The non sport seats in the base S model I test drove were a lot more comfortable than these, but bending the wire makes them tolerable.

The seat cover is pretty easy to snap off. You just need to get a common screw driver under the plastic clip and pry back until you can peel the clip off the seat pan. I just released mine on the front and side and pulled the seat cover out of the way then pulled the plastic trim on the side back and shoved a towel under it. There was enough clearance to get to the wire, then after I sliced through the foam with a razor blade as far down as I could. That way I was able to pull the foam back, bend the wire, and then pull the foam back over the wire to cover it up.

I'm seriously considering cutting and removing the wire completely. It doesn't seem to do much other than cause pain. I've taken apart seats in many other cars that didn't have any wire at all, and they always seemed to hold their shape just fine. I might pick up a spare set of seats from the junkyard and experiment with the bottom cushion.

[Wheelman01940]

Thanks for the info / idea ... I must agree that the design is either super poor or the quality at the plant is super poor ... never had a seat problem before. One of the reasons I bought a Ford was based upon the fact that for years Ford and Mazda shared parts / design. I have had and still have Mazda dating back to '92 along with Toyota's up unitl August of this year all the way back to '84 and have never had an issue with the seats ... and the old toyota's I had were as Base Model as you could get ...

Also, great idea trying with a junk yard seat first ... I simply wish I could get some response from FORD

[GMconvert]

I rented a 2012 on three separate occasions and was uncomfortable for all three of them. I'm 6', 240, 36/34 pants but my legs are the majority of my height. I had to adjust how I sat every hour or so on my multiple 3+ hour trips. The worst was not having enough room for my right leg since the console is crammed next to the seats. My right knee would actually be sore from resting on the console. If I adjusted the seat any further back, I had to stretch to reach the steering wheel.

I really enjoyed the gas mileage and I liked the looks of the 08-11 Foci, so I went to the dealer to see if I fit any better in that generation than the newest ones. Sure enough, I did. I feel less cramped and both legs have plenty of room in all but the closest positions on the seat track, and my right leg can lean towards the console without resting on it.