I have a 2023 Toyota Corolla. I am 4’9" and I weigh 100 pounds. I cannot drive the car. My feet barely touch the pedals, the car seat angles down, and the back is shaped like a C. The head rest pushes my head down, so I cannot see the road, only my lap. To drive, I have to sit pushed forward and try to angle my head back. This has resulted in a pinched nerve in my neck and numbness in my hand. The pain is literally unbearable. So, do I just buy an old car, so I can drive?
The head rest is/should be able to just slide straight up and out from the top of the seat, if you have them on the rear seats they should be able to be removed as well, remove them and put a pillow behind your back of some kind…
Most modern seats have that “C shape” design, they are called seat bolsters and they help you to not move side to side when going around a curve…
An upholstery shop should be able to make you something custom fit to you that will strap to the seat to help you be able to drive more comfortable…
If you are unable to reach the pedals even with a pillow behind you, you can have pedal extenders installed on the pedals…
This is one of probably many company’s that sell pedal extenders… (just a quick google search)…
1 Like
And you didn’t notice all these things when you test drove the car?
6 Likes
Suggest to ask around for the names of local shops who modify cars for the disabled. Pillows, different seats, pedal extenders etc are likely available to address the problems you are having. Ask this question to your car-insurance agent as well.
In the 1960’s era one of my relatives was about your height and just used an assortment of pillows.
I agree with Davesmopar. I’m not familiar with your car. but I know the LE comes with 6-way adjustable driver’s seat. so maybe try different seat positions. you should be able to change the tilt of the seat. A lot of cars come with lumbar support. you can inflate the back of the seat with a push of a button. the button is usually on the side of the seat. sometimes it is on the right side of the seat. you should see if you have it. it will push your lower back forward a little and might help you.
1 Like
No, you need to sit in and test drive any car you might want to own to find the best fit for you.
My wife is a bit short, small and has a bad back and knee. We searched for weeks to find the right car for her that she could get in and out of as well as feel comfortable driving. We hit up CarMax, the used car seller, since they have lots of different brands to review. Test drives are NO problem on used cars. The car model’s base model was not enough, it HAD to have a specific option (S-Line on an Audi) to get the seats she wanted. The base seats were not acceptable. She changes cars every 15-20 years so a proper fit is essential.
Good Luck on your search.
3 Likes
+1
George beat me to it!
+1
Everyone should–at a bare minimum–sit in a car and determine if the seats are appropriate for them prior to purchase, but buying a car w/o at least a short test drive is inconceivable to me.
1 Like
There are cars with adjustable pedals, adjustable seats, adjustable steering column. If you make the move PLEASE take it for a test drive first.
+1 … when I purchased my Corolla I was also considering a Saturn, but the test drive put the Saturn on the “do not buy” list b/c the seat & its position to the rest of the car felt uncomfortable. It was harder to get in, harder to get out, and harder to see out the windows compared to the Corolla.
And, an extended test drive might be necessary in order to fully assess seat comfort. Our old friend, Mountainbike, bought a Corolla after a brief test drive, and didn’t realize until later that its seats really aggravated his back condition. He wound-up trading it in on a Scion coupe after just a few months, and losing a heap of money in the process. Even though the Scion was also an inexpensive car, its seats were much better for his back.
When I bought my '92 Accord, I didn’t test drive it long enough to find out that a long drive led to severe Sciatic pain. I kept the Accord for a couple of years, but I would have kept it a lot longer if not for the seat comfort problem.
I am traveling for work this week and my rental car is a 2023 Corolla LE. I agree with your assessment that the seat is not very comfortable. I am surprised that the car does not have a power adjustable seat, it’s just a simple old-fashioned slider with a height lever you pump to change the height. Are you adjusting that? The steering wheel is tilt/telescopic. Are you adjusting the height and depth of the steering wheel to help you out? If you’re as short as you say, you may not need the headrest and can try to remove it.
I’m not sure how you ended up with a car you don’t like, but I have long recommended an extended, several-day test drive before buying a new car. If you find you are interested in Corollas, go to Hertz, Enterprise, etc. and find the model you like and rent it for a weekend and use it as you normally would. Spending a couple hundred bucks is a small price to pay to find out if you love/hate a car.
Most trim level’s come with a 6 way seat, get the XSE and you can have a 8 way power seat.
1 Like
Possible raising the head restraint will help the pain in the neck by giving you less of an angle.
Yeah, that’s the base model. Uplevel models might also have a more comfortable seat.
+1
That is a good suggestion, but the OP would need to verify that the rental car is the exact same trim level as the model that he/she wants to buy. Several years back, we had an unhappy forum member who bought a 2 door Yaris, and only realized afterward that she had looked at–and driven–a 4 door Yaris, which had different upholstery and was a slightly larger car.
As one who has trouble finding a comfortable car seat, this is my go to, but it may not be right for you.
But Amazon has a lot of different types of lumbar supports and seat cushions.
My daughter had a 2003 Corolla that I could not drive because I’m too tall, at 6’. The seat simply would not go back far enough.
BTW, a lumbar support only will push you an inch or so closer to the pedals so it may help with that as well.