Uncomfortable front seats

[1995E]

I agree. Doing 5 Florida roadtrips from DC and plenty to New York and Canada. The seats really do screw you up after 2 or 3 hours. I have the leather seats and the problem for me is they are too firm. The contours are so weird. The 2nd row is makes you feel like you're sliding and after 30 minutes, the lack of comfort starts getting to and the 3rd row is self explanatory. You do get used to it though. I know most of the seat design is due to safety like the headrests.

 

[MartinF]

I just picked up my 2017 Explorer XLT last week and I love the seats. I can understand some of you thinking they are too short, but I am around 5'7 and they are great to sit in! If you are tall, I'm not sure how they would feel. But for me, the lumbar support is good and the seats can adjust quite well. Then again, I was coming from a 2006 Toyota and my other car is a 2010 Mazda 6, so neither of those cars are/were the pinnacle of comfort either. I have to say that I am very happy. I got the cloth seats because I don't really like leather. The seats are firm, but not overly so. I would highly recommend the seats from my perspective.

Martin

 

[peterk9]

I just picked up my 2017 Explorer XLT last week and I love the seats.

Martin

Now that you have your Explorer you can update your profile.

Peter

 

[Lexingtonian]

Thought I'd add some info as for the main issue (for me) with the 2016 Exp Sport contoured seat is the over pronounced lumbar, I found a couple of threads for folks that have the multi contour seats and the sport seats. Considering this mod for certain.

Contour Seat Lumbar Mod
https://www.f150forum.com/f118/diy-tsb-overly-aggressive-driver-seat-lumbar-relaxed-position-314246/

Multi Countour Seat Lumbar Mod
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1474398-multi-contour-seat-lumbar-fix.html

Hope this helps someone..

 

[CAtoFLin1994]

I bought our 2017 Explorer Sport back in November 2016. Did the test drive and felt like the seats were fine. After the 3 hour every weekend travel ball trips, they are not very comfortable at all. I realize everybody is different and they make a seat for the masses. The leather is as thin as can be and there are not a lot of adjustments. This car was to be mine while my wife waited for the new model car she wanted. Looks like she is claiming the Explorer and I am contemplating waiting for the 2018's to show up and buy a Platinum model. After reading and researching it seems the seats are just about identical, although they have a massage option. Is there any other difference than cosmetic?
I have looked at every SUV out there and I cannot duplicate the options or a turbo charged engine with at least 350hp for less than $75k (I'm only 55 so I can't buy a Lincoln) and that is a pill I don't want to swallow. My kids are busting my chops as to why we would have 2 new Explorers! why not? But, I have to get these front seats more comfortable. Even if I have to take it to an automotive upholstery shop to possibly add memory foam etc. Yes, I have a bad back from my MX days but my current car seats have really spoiled me. So, am I to assume the Platinum seats are all but identical to the Sport seats?

 

[peterk9]

I have looked at every SUV out there and I cannot duplicate the options or a turbo charged engine with at least 350hp for less than $75k (I'm only 55 so I can't buy a Lincoln) and that is a pill I don't want to swallow.

No age restrictions on owning a Lincoln. Some of them have the same Ecoboost engine that the Explorer Sport and Platinum have and most if not all of the options. I've seen quite a few owners around here in what looks like their 30's and 40's driving the MKZ and MKX. While I don't fit in that lower age group any longer my previous 2014 MKT had a sticker price of just over $58k CDN.

Peter

 

[CAtoFLin1994]

My wife is still undecided whether she wants the new Ford. If It becomes mine, I need to do something about the front drivers seat. So, I took the 2017 Sport to one of the better upholstery shops in town. He will add foam on the bolsters and see what what we can add for padding on the seat. The air cooled seats probably prevent much of anything. There were basically two options as we could add an extension piece along the bottom to allow for the extra padding or cut away from the top and add one complete new extension. Adding the smaller extension piece is mostly hidden by trim anyways. He will let me make that call when it's apart. and only charge me $200 for the work.
I also have a custom black sheepskin that was used for a few months on our Ford sport trac. It darn near fits this new Explorer. For only $125 he will cut and sew for a perfect fit and yes, no more A/C seat.
He said that he gets a lot of new car owners complaining about their front seats and that my request is not unusual as he had just reworked some Honda seats.
If I proceed with this, I will post the results.

 

[expoman55]

Unfortunately i cannot report the same. My entire family has found our 15 sport seats very comfortable on the longest of trips.. Actually last week when we were on vacation we had rented (requested explorer or escape) and actually ended up with a KIA... OMG what a horrible experience.. I understand a rental is usually bottom end and yep this one was.. hours and hours later we all ACHED. HORRIBLy!!! NOW that those seats are CRAP!..

 

[Lexingtonian]

Unfortunately i cannot report the same. My entire family has found our 15 sport seats very comfortable on the longest of trips.. Actually last week when we were on vacation we had rented (requested explorer or escape) and actually ended up with a KIA... OMG what a horrible experience.. I understand a rental is usually bottom end and yep this one was.. hours and hours later we all ACHED. HORRIBLy!!! NOW that those seats are CRAP!..

The '15 had a different seat than the '16 or '17 that I found to be superior in comfort when doing my research. Congrats on that!

 

[expoman55]

YEP I am loving ours very very comfortable.

 

[reserved50]

I honestly think these are the worst seats I have ever sat in by at least double. Its like an awkward high chair. Trying to stretch out doesn't help either, my foot gets jammed around the dead pedal.

 

[CAtoFLin1994]

I'm really curious - and I don't mean for this to sound snarky, that's not my intent. For all the people who think the seats are uncomfortable in their Explorer, when one thinks about the length of time a person will be sitting in those seats - well, why would you go ahead and purchase the vehicle if you don't like the seats? To me, that just sounds like a no-brainer - don't like the seats, then don't buy the car! I don't believe I'd purchase something as expensive as a car and "hope" that I can find a work-around to the comfort issue. I have severe back issues, I've had 5 back surgeries in 12 years (4 of them in the last 3 alone!) so seat comfort is paramount. I actually buy an SUV solely for the purpose of the seating - the car is taller, the seats sit more upright (unlike my husband's Scion where my butt is within 12" of the road and I pretty much have to just roll out of the car to disembark!!).

Before I bought my Explorer a few months ago, I had a '13 Edge Limited and, to me, the seats of the Edge and Explorer feel identical, just that Explorer is a few inches higher off the ground. The Edge and Explorer are actually almost identical in every way (aside from 3 year age difference and improvements) - same dash set-up, exact same Sync, Nav and Sony sound - the Explorer is just a bit bigger, longer, wider but even with the car width, I still think the seats are the same width, there is just more leg room.

As for the Power Seats and the Lumbar, I've always had to fiddle with the seat settings to get them just right and honestly, it really takes weeks, if not longer, to find what's perfect (thank goodness for Memory Seats!) but the Lumbar, for me, is perfect pumped all the way up. I love the pressure it pushes into my back, since I'm in chronic pain.

So, that brings me back to my original question. For me, with my back issues, seat comfort is paramount and there is no way I'd ever buy a car if the seats weren't comfortable, regardless how much I love the car! As for my husband's Scion, it was bought new in 2006 - and I've ridden in it probably less than 20 times in 11 years, that's how much I hate it - and forget driving it! So why would you spend so much money on something you're not comfortable sitting in for any length of time?

Again, it's just a curiosity question, I'm not being judgmental.

I get your question , all good. I think that most people have already made up their mind on what car they are going to buy before they ever get to the dealership. I have never not bought a car I researched after a test drive and It can be hard to determine that a seat may be uncomfortable on long drives during a 20 minute test drive. Now I did drive with my neighbors son in his Toyota Yaris sp? and within 1 minute I realized I was basically seating on plywood! Those seats I noticed right away and they were horrible. When we test drove the Explorer were playing with the stereo, commenting on how fast it was, A/C, dual sunroof etc. so we weren't entirely focusing on the seats, but they didn't seem too bad. The seats for me are good for the first hour and not so good for longer drives, but the wife says they are ok. My wife could care less about cars and didn't even care to test drive them. I have picked out 5 of her last 6 and she has loved everyone, lucky me. I really do wish she and my kids would share my passion for cars though. I don't think the Explorer seats are horrible, just not comfortable for me. One of the members was nice enough to post a link about what owners have done to their seats to add comfort. For whatever reason my particular seat seems to have a very pronounced lumbar support. I'm going to take a look and see if everything check out there. Maybe that's part of the issue as it was covered in one of the links.

 

[reserved50]

I assumed I would get used to it, guess not. If I didn't sit in other vehicles with better seats I would say my vehicle has the best seats ever

 

[1stXLT]

I just picked up my 2017 Explorer XLT last week and I love the seats. I can understand some of you thinking they are too short, but I am around 5'7 and they are great to sit in! If you are tall, I'm not sure how they would feel. But for me, the lumbar support is good and the seats can adjust quite well. Then again, I was coming from a 2006 Toyota and my other car is a 2010 Mazda 6, so neither of those cars are/were the pinnacle of comfort either. I have to say that I am very happy. I got the cloth seats because I don't really like leather. The seats are firm, but not overly so. I would highly recommend the seats from my perspective.

Martin

I guess I agree with MartinF. I'm 5'9" and the seats in my XLT adjust to me really well. I haven't gone on any long trips but have been on several 2 to 3 hour drives with no discomfort. Not sure it is relevant but it seems this thread has more sport and platinum trim owners than xlt. Just wondering if the perforated and/or cooled seats have less or more poorly placed padding vs just heated non-perf seats?

 

[StevenC56]

I'm just over 6', and my Wife is a bit over 5'8". We've had vehicles with deeper seats, but our 2017 Platinum's seats are more comfortable. For us the deeper seats start cutting off leg circulation on longer drives..

 

[clm65]

We are looking at a 2017 Explorer Limited, and just took a test drive on Saturday. We also drove a new 2016 Edge Titanium that they were really pushing to get rid of. The Edge definitely had more comfortable seats, as I could really feel the lumbar support pushing into my back in the Explorer. I figured it just needed to be adjusted, but every time I tried to adjust it the massage feature came on. When the massage was working, I could feel the lumbar support "retreat" into the seat, and the seat felt more comfortable. But whenever I turned off the massage, the seat went back to its uncomfortable configuration. I figured I just needed to learn how to work the controls properly. After reading this thread, it sounds like that is the best it is going to be without some type of modification. Glad I found this thread!

 

[kmarnes]

I had an epiphany regarding seat comfort. I've had my 2017 Explorer for nine months now and I literally just discovered an additional adjustment that can make the seats feel really weird. I'm aware of all the obvious controls such as height, how far back, angle of seat, lumbar strength... but that was pretty much it. Yesterday I discovered that you can independently control the height of the front of the seat. And yeah, raised it all the way up, while the back was all the way down, and with a fairly upright seat angle. I felt like I was sandwiched and felt pressure on my hamstrings near my knees. I'm 6'2". It's not an obvious control and it's possible some people might not realize it either.

I have a Sport model if that matters. For what it's worth, I like the front part of the seat slightly up, feels more snug.. but if I was on a long road trip, I could ease it down if it started to feel uncomfortable. Hope this helps someone

 

[DeLeSaAZ]

I had an epiphany regarding seat comfort. I've had my 2017 Explorer for nine months now and I literally just discovered an additional adjustment that can make the seats feel really weird. I'm aware of all the obvious controls such as height, how far back, angle of seat, lumbar strength... but that was pretty much it. Yesterday I discovered that you can independently control the height of the front of the seat. And yeah, raised it all the way up, while the back was all the way down, and with a fairly upright seat angle. I felt like I was sandwiched and felt pressure on my hamstrings near my knees. I'm 6'2". It's not an obvious control and it's possible some people might not realize it either.

I have a Sport model if that matters. For what it's worth, I like the front part of the seat slightly up, feels more snug.. but if I was on a long road trip, I could ease it down if it started to feel uncomfortable. Hope this helps someone

I see someone didn't read their Owners Manual after buying their car That's funny! I don't suppose that many people, when they see "10-way Power Seats", actually sit there and find all 10 ways! Since I have a really bad back, the seat position is super-incredibly critical, and I'm one who will actually sit there and "up, down, forward, back, front tilt, back tilt, raise, lower, recline, raise" (that's 10), and mess with the lumbar support, then play with the pedal positions and the telescoping/tilt steering wheel - and finally, the mirrors, until I get it just exactly right. And then a few weeks later, decide that something's off and redo the entire process! I honestly love the auto-telescoping wheel and that the seat backs up with the car off for easier exiting/entering. I just wish they had it so anytime you open the front door that the seat will back up and then, closing the door, it will move forward, as I leave the car running a lot (double honk - AAAHHHH!) for quick runs into a store while the dog remains in the car, and, with the seat forward and the wheel telescoped out a bit, it can be hard to slide out, especially if a car is next to you and you can't open the door far.

 

[clm65]

"up, down, forward, back, front tilt, back tilt, raise, lower, recline, raise" (that's 10)

Let's see...you list "raise" twice. And you have "up" and "raise", and "down" and "lower". So I think you only have 7 .

Full disclosure, I have not read the manual either. So maybe those really are 10 .

 

[kmarnes]

It is a bit confusing, but good. There's really more of a "front raise/lower" and a "general raise/lower". It's the front part I don't think many people know about.

For what it's worth, at 6'2", I find the seats very comfortable. But I can see some people getting tripped up if the front part is raised to maximum, causing the seats to be uncomfortable no matter what else you do... you know in a test drive situation.