I've had my FEH since September and have about 5500 miles on it. mechanically, the car is great, the mileage is as advertised.

When I test drove the car, I noticed that the seats were very firm and the lumbar support hit at a spot on my back that irritates rather than comforts. It almost seems that the lumbar support, which is not adjustable, protrudes too much. I was just sure I would adjust to the seats and assumed that I would be able to find the correct set of adjustments to make me feel comfortable. After 4 months, my back is in bad shape.

I've purchased several different type of seat inserts, both memory foam and gel foam but none help, in fact they all seem to make the lunbar support more pronounced.

More than 15 or 20 minutes in the seat and my back starts to hurt. I would assume that for most people, it's just fine, so my back is the problem, not the seats.

I need to either replace the seats or trade it off.

I want hybrid technology, I need 4WD.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Dick Day

 

Have the seat rebuilt to you liking, or do it yourself. You can add/subtract foam from a seat to make it more to your liking without any experience. If you need to remove support an electric knife cuts foam like butter. If you do not want to cut the original seat then remove the stock piece, (that is hurting your back) duplicate it, leave the cover off of your seat, cut and adjust until it makes your back happy, then when you are satisfied reinstall the cover. If it is something you don't want to tackle yourself look around and you are bound to find a shop that does seat upholstery, if they don't do foam they should know someone who does.
Clif

 

Go drive a Highlander Hybrid. Even the base model has lumbar adjustment. It also has lots more power than the FEH. I own them both.
The Highlander weighs more, but I still get in the 27-29 zone.

MM

 

Get a driver's seat from the Mercury Mariner Hybrid or Premier edition (also available as park of a luxury package as well) as the premium leather seats include a 6 way power driver seat with manual lumbar support. In other words, the Mariner version offers a big plastic wheel on the side of the driver seat that cranks something into or out of your lower back. Find a nearby Mercury dealer and go sit in a Mariner Premier edition and see if the lumbar support adjustment makes a difference.

If you can just get the back part of the seat you should be able to swap it out pretty easily and put the existing upholstery over it. Whatever it costs its cheaper than a chiropractor or a lifetime of painkillers!