Drivers Seat Very Unconfortable

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sratta

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Hi all,
I have a 2002 LSE I purchased about a month and a half ago, It has 33K miles on it, The biggest problem I am having with it is getting comfortable in the drivers seat, I have tried setting the seat in many positions but I either cut off the blood circulation in the back of my leg or my back gets sore. I owned an Oldsmobile Aurora before this car and it was the most comfortable car I ever owned. Anybody have any suggestions? From what I have read the seat is supposed to be comfortable, I have a 35 minute ride to and from work but when I get out of the car I can hardly walk straight.
The dealer offered to replace the foam in the seat for me but I dont think that will help. The drivers seat feels like the passenger seat. If I cant resolve this problem the car will have to go. I will also loose my shirt in the process.

Thanks
SRatta
 
hold the 3rd button back. I know the seat is from a 03 but they work the same way. If the lower part of your seat, (circled in yellow), is very stiff and will not become soft, then the seat is broken, you might want to check fuses or something. good luck.

hghg.JPG
 
To combat the loss of circulation, I tip the front of my seat fairly low. This reduces pressure of the front of the seat on my hamstrings. For the lower back, try moving the lumbar support all the way back. I've found this position creates more of a scoop for your torso and is quite comfortable for me.

One other thing you may want to try: Find another 00-02 LS and try that driver seat for comfort. If you have the same problems, its not your seat, its just the way you are built. However, if you are more comfortable in the test seat, you may want to consider replacing the seat.
 
There is a TSB on the lack of comfort from the front seats. Seems to only affect the 00-01 LS but could have filtered over to the early 2002's. Here it is:

Seats - Lack of Comfort
Article No.
01-1-8

01/22/01

TRIM - SEATS - LACK OF COMFORT FROM FRONT SEATS

LINCOLN:
2000-2001 LS

ISSUE
Some vehicles may exhibit a lack of comfort of the front seats. The condition may be described as a lack of seat padding on the lower seat cushion and/or being able to feel the seat frame through the padding. This may be caused by the density of the front seat lower cushion foam.

ACTION
Replace the front seat lower cushion with a revised cushion which is of a higher density foam (firmer). Replace per appropriate year LS Workshop Manual procedure, Section 501-10.

Part Numbers:
YW4Z-54632A23-BA Seat Cushion LH
YW4Z-54632A22-BA Seat Cushion RH
 
Gray is right. They had a lot of complaints. But I don't know if that fix applies to your car.

I have the same issues as you do. It's hard to find a car that I sit comfortably in and doesn't cause pain in my legs and back. The Cadillacs I tried were the worst. A bench seat seems to be the best for lack of pain, but not the most comfortable otherwise. My wife's Aviator gives me fits...but I finally found a combination of seat and pedal position that seems to work ok. Then my damn kid went and reset the memory on me!!! Took me FOREVER to get it back! My Cobra has the most adjustments I've seen for seats, but I can't spend a lot of time in the car. Still it's not too bad. I finally got the LS to be comfortable too...but not as much as I would have liked. One thing I did was take a sponge about 3 inches thick and set it between my leg and the console to rest on. That was the biggest help I found on a long trip. Worked like a charm. I only needed it when I was on a long trip, so it's not as bad a "fix" as it sounds.

I feel for you...I know what kind of pain you can be in. It's not fun and it sure as hell isn't anything for someone to scoff at. It can be a serious problem. Good luck.
 
Not trying to be a smartass (which I have a rep for being on here:)) but you didnt notice it being uncomfortable on your test drive? Is it just a long distance thing? The button everyone is referring to is the lumbar support. Every now and then I find myself changing my seat settings. I hope you find a happy place with your LS. My 2004 is the most comfortable ar I have ever owned.
 
I am big guy at 6'4 and 260 lbs and driving comfort is huge when deciding on a car. I have found my LS to be just fine. It does take some tinkering with all the adjustments to get your seat just right for you. I dont like my wife driving my car for that purpose because i'll get in and everything is all screwed up. Woman!!. But also your posture while sitting has to alot do with discomfort. A slight lean to one side or another will cause back pains regardless of the seats.
 
Thanks for your help

I really appreciate all of your help, I see some of you went out of your way to really help with illustations.
It takes about 20 minutes or so to really feel uncomfortable, during my test drive, I was only able to drive it for a few miles. I really didnt notice any discomfort. My attention was focused on how the car drove. I am dropping it off on Tuesday for the dealer to replace the foam in the seat, I am afraid of what other damage to the car is going to come out of this. I have bad luck that way.

Overall the car is good, a couple other annoying things that the dealer has not been able to fix are I get a beep and some type of gear message appearing on the info system, at least 2 a week, no clue what that is about, and the stereo is pretty bad. Its the Alpine with 6 disk in dash, I may be replacing speakers if I keep the car.
 
sratta said:
Overall the car is good, a couple other annoying things that the dealer has not been able to fix are I get a beep and some type of gear message appearing on the info system, at least 2 a week, no clue what that is about
Click to expand...

Ahhh, the infamous "phantom beep." That will never be solved. All it is is an extremely brief loss of communication between the pcm and transmission computer. Nothing wrong or about which to worry.
 
LS4me said:
Ahhh, the infamous "phantom beep." That will never be solved. All it is is an extremely brief loss of communication between the pcm and transmission computer. Nothing wrong or about which to worry.
Click to expand...

Yep! Every V8 here has that!! I'm surprised you even got to see the message! Usually it doesn't last that long! Don't give it another concern...the dealer can't fix it anyway and it's not hurting a thing.
 
The last time I took it to the dealer they said that they reprogrammed the firmware in the transmission, and it should take care of the problem, It is actually worse now than before, it happened twice in 3 weeks when I first bough the car, now after the second time they looked at it they reprogrammed it, it is actually happening 2 to 3 times per week.
They also told me that the adaptive transmission is learning my driving patterns.
The reason I got rid of my Aurora was because of lights bells and wistles going off. But those problems were real problems.
 
I find that i have the same problem of discomfort when on long trips; around town, no bother. What i have found that helps me is to expand the lumbar support, take my wallet out of my back pocket, and take my shoes off so that i can extend my feet past the pedals. This really helps alot! I am 6'3" about 247lb. And the 'Phantom beep', yep get that one too. I am also suprised that you have actually seen the message. I haven't yet.
 
I just happen to be looking at the info center when it happend, I couldnt read the whole message just the first word, I happend unexpectedly and blinked real fast.
This seat problem would have been the last problem I would have expected from a Lincoln, I also noticed the seat iteself is not as long as most other cars, It seems to end a few inches away from where the knee bends, Others offer more support in that area, I starting to think that this could be a design issue. The back ache I believe could be cause by the lack of support in the right leg, The floor is also not level like other cars so the foo may be forced ito positions that are ackward.

Thanks again for all your suggestion, I am new around here and it great to find so many member willing to help out.
 
Fla02LS said:
I am big guy at 6'4 and 260 lbs and driving comfort is huge when deciding on a car. I have found my LS to be just fine. It does take some tinkering with all the adjustments to get your seat just right for you. I dont like my wife driving my car for that purpose because i'll get in and everything is all screwed up. Woman!!. But also your posture while sitting has to alot do with discomfort. A slight lean to one side or another will cause back pains regardless of the seats.
Click to expand...
I'm 6'2, 230 and I (of course) have the seat all the way back. However, I'm resigned to the fact that if ever get in a frontal accident I'm gonna lose my right kneecap. :( And yes, I saw that in the test drives....
 
Sratta, are you tall? I'm 6'1", and for the first two weeks of getting my car, everytime I drove a long distance with it, 30min-1hr, my legs would get really cramped, and I'd lose blood circulation. After the 2 weeks, I got used to it, and it's really great.

I adjusted the lumbar support, also, I found that raising the seat up to the max also helped. Just a matter of finding the right position.
 
IIRC, the LS's seats themselves are the same for all years, but the headrest was changed in '03. As for it being "comfortable" or not, I wouldn't know--my head doesn't normally touch it. For me, it's only there to prevent head and neck injuries in a rear-end collision...

If your seat is causing discomfort, move it. It's incredibly well articulated; I normally move it once or twice on long trips.

It's also worth noting that the lower seat and the seat back are independently articulated. They move fore and aft together, but that's it--if the lumbar support doesn't hit your back right, raise or lower the rear of the seat to find a position where it does.

FWIW, I'm 6'2", and I don't particularly worry about losing any body parts in a collision in anything other than extraordinary circumstances...
 
SoonerLS said:
FWIW, I'm 6'2", and I don't particularly worry about losing any body parts in a collision in anything other than extraordinary circumstances...
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Really? My knees are a few inches from the dash, so if I'm ever in a serious accident.....
 
captainalias said:
Really? My knees are a few inches from the dash, so if I'm ever in a serious accident.....
Click to expand...
If you're in a collision that collapses the front end to the point of moving the dash backwards, you're going to have more to worry about (like the steering column coming at you). Modern vehicles have serious crumple zones up front, and the LS is a 5-star crash rated vehicle (an IIHS Best Buy, FWIW). It also has seatbelt pre-tensioners which are going to pull you back into the seat, and an anti-submarine plate under the dash.

So, no, I'm not particularly worried about that.
 
mayhawboy's LS said:
I find that i have the same problem of discomfort when on long trips; around town, no bother. What i have found that helps me is to expand the lumbar support, take my wallet out of my back pocket, and take my shoes off so that i can extend my feet past the pedals. This really helps alot! I am 6'3" about 247lb. And the 'Phantom beep', yep get that one too. I am also suprised that you have actually seen the message. I haven't yet.
Click to expand...
About every month or so, I have to take a trip which is about 3 hours there and 3 hours back. After about an hour, my back would start to kill me until I took out my wallet and put it in the glovebox........no more pain! As for me, I am 6'1" and weigh about 180...........seat all the way back and tilted a little. I like to be relaxed when I drive.
 
SoonerLS said:
If you're in a collision that collapses the front end to the point of moving the dash backwards, you're going to have more to worry about (like the steering column coming at you). Modern vehicles have serious crumple zones up front, and the LS is a 5-star crash rated vehicle (an IIHS Best Buy, FWIW). It also has seatbelt pre-tensioners which are going to pull you back into the seat, and an anti-submarine plate under the dash.

So, no, I'm not particularly worried about that.
Click to expand...

well, I appreciate your confidence. do the '02 models have side airbags?
 
DLS8K said:
About every month or so, I have to take a trip which is about 3 hours there and 3 hours back. After about an hour, my back would start to kill me until I took out my wallet and put it in the glovebox........no more pain! As for me, I am 6'1" and weigh about 180...........seat all the way back and tilted a little. I like to be relaxed when I drive.
Click to expand...


Taking the wallet out on trips really helps me allot too. I didnt realize it till I actually tried to understand why my hips and back were hurting on my long road trips. It also kind of chafes the cheek a little too, which isnt too appealing. I would put the "wallet removal trick" as the most effective mod to do for seating comfort. hehe.
 
Interesting thread...

First, if you traded an Aurora for the LS, there is a definite decline in luxury, not that I don't love my LS!! But little things like the seats being less comfortable and fit and trim have been a concern of mine since I bought my LS 5 months ago.

I'm 6'8" , 185 lbs - so finding a comfortable seat is always a tough search. I've become accustom to the LS after some tweaking of lower seat position, back recline and lumbar setting. Even yet, it doesn't beat the comfort I had in my Aurora...:( I just put it out of my mind because of the thrill of driving the LS:)
 
OH - and I forgot to mention about the wallet. I have a disk in my back that goes in and out (avoiding surgery at all costs!!) The neurosurgeon suggested removing my wallet anytime I'm sitting for long periods to reduce back pain. It really does make a difference!! His first suggestion was to not carry a wallet, but try a fanny pack or purse...well, not being the trendsetter to carry a purse, what I do now is carry my wallet in my left back pocket when in dress clothes and right back pocket when in jeans. Seems to help balance out any back pain and leg cramp issues:D
 
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