Comments on: Subaru Forester Seat Comfort Problem

By: Jason, Computer Repair NJ

Jason, Computer Repair NJ — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:10:28 +0000

I’ve been dealing with this problem for a year and a half and I have power seats. No matter which way I position it I can’t get comfortable. I’ve tried wedge cushions, full seat cushions, etc. I’ve identified 2 problems. 1) if you feel along the button cushion on the seem that goes across towards the back you’ll feel to sharp points about 2inches in from each bolster…my ass bone contacts those points directly.

Second, notice on most car seats you have the lumbar curve going in and then it’s slightly flat in center before curving slightly forward towards the top of the seat. With the Forester seat you have the lumbar curving in and then from the center it keeps on tappering back slightly til the top of the seat, there’s no foward tapper like you would expect. So when your sitting in the forester your back is always going to be slightly hyper extended unless you have the seat completely vertical but in my case that puts me too close to the wheel with no more room to put the seat back. Maybe the seats are more comfortable for short Japanese men? I’m 6′ 1″. I’m going to play around with making a cushion on top of the seat back to my spine curves naturally while I’m seated.

By: Allan

Allan — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:17:04 +0000

I purchased a 2009 Forester, base model, in late 2008. Quickly discovered that the seats are indeed crap. For shorter trips – under an hour – I’ve put up with the hip and thigh discomfort. Over the past two years I’ve taken longer trips (twice to Chicago and back, from Denver); the seats are intolerable for journeys of that nature. My wife can’t stand to ride in the car for longer than an hour. She’s in excellent shape, does outdoor work for a living, etc..; still says that the Subaru seats make her hips/legs feel terrible.
Due to the rear bumper being replaced on the Forester this week, I’ve had a Nissan Rogue as a rental for the past few days. Wow ! What a huge difference. We both took an extended ride in the Nissan last night; the seats are just right, plenty of thigh and lumbar support. Solid well made car too: I could live with the slightly lower cargo room if need be. While the Subaru is a great vehicle in all other ways, I will sell it for a Rogue unless I find a relatively cost effective way to resolve the seat problem. And I hate wrangling with car dealers; I’m good at it, but I’ve had enough 3 – 4 hour car buying arguments to last a lifetime.
What was the ‘amazon link’ that the admin. mentioned ? All I’ve seen are the AllMed and TempuraPedic solutions….

By: Elirnerak

Elirnerak — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:40:53 +0000

I’m wondering if anyone has found an aftermarket solution or cushion that works for the Subaru. I just bought a 2011 Forester after much research and am horrified to discover how much pain it causes me to drive this car, even for 30 minutes. I need to do a lot of driving, so this is a serious problem for me. Although I researched the car thoroughly, the hip pain issue did not arise in my research (until now!) and did not surface during my 10-minute test drives of the vehicles at dealers. I’m not quite ready for the DIY project– has anyone found a solution yet?

By: Robin

Robin — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:18:19 +0000

Hey, Karen … My college-student daughter and I recently bought her a used 2009 Forester Premium, and we have been shocked at the pain the seat causes her. When you say you spent $400 to have the seats padded, did you have it done by an auto upholsterer or buy some kind of cushioning to put on top? I am thinking about taking the car to an auto upholsterer, which seems like the only real solution, but I hate to spend a lot of money on it just blindly hoping that they can figure out what to do to fix the problem. What have you tried?

By: steve tenhonen

steve tenhonen — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:22:18 +0000

Hi Gary I am having the same seat issue as you talk about in your post. I am wondering if you received any response from Subaru ?

By: steve tenhonen

steve tenhonen — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 05:11:25 +0000

I have had so much stress and physical pain from this Subaru seat. I am very sad because this is a good car however the pain is getting unbearable. I have been driving around with two pillows on the seat but they are no longer working. I can not believe the manufacture would design a seat that places your but lower then your legs. It sets the driver up for serious problems. I am looking for a seat that lowers in the front. Something that I can place in my Subaru. Even if it is from a differnt type of car. Maybe I can fabricate it ? This is frightening and a pain in the ass.

By: Karen Miller

Karen Miller — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:23:40 +0000

If you do find out about a class action count me in

By: Karen Miller

Karen Miller — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 02:22:53 +0000

I have just purchased a 2011 and am almost crippled by the front seats and spent a further $400 to have the seats padded ….still no good. I had a rental car for 2 weeks no back pain one hour in my forester and back pain again I have to sit sideways. I have been in contact with subaru and can’t believe there attitude, but there is mediation on all news cars or lemon laws. If I sell or trade I will lose big time, but it will be better than being crippled. I have owned other subarus with no problems and had the hyundai tucson which I traded with 100,000 miles on that I loved, the only reason for not buying the new tucson was they re-designed it…….but I will never own another piece of crap subaru……..I paid way too much for this piece of crap.