I recently purchased a new Jeep Cherokee. For the most part I am pleased with it. However I have one major problem. The power seat does not tip low enough in the front.
I am a short person with a sciatic nerve issue. What happens when I raise the seat to the proper height the front portion of the seat is too high. It places excessive stress on the bottom of my right thigh. I’d like the front portion of the seat to tip down much further (maybe and additional 2+ inches). Does anyone know what midsized SUV’s power seat allows for the most adjustment, particularly the front portion?
If you adjust the seat to make your legs comfortable, what problems do you have? I don’t understand what you mean about the proper seat height. Maybe whatever is out of adjustment when your legs are comfortable can be adjusted somehow. Explain the issue a bit more.
I believe the power seat in this works similarly to the one in my Subaru Forester, at least the switches are similar. The front of the seat will lower a little bit but may not be enough for your needs.
I have purchased numerous seat cushions (over $200). Some of them helped slightly but not appreciably. The cushions raise me but because my legs are short I still have major pressure on the bottom of my thigh. I need the front of the seat to tip down much further – probably 2+ inches.
I thought I explained the problem - sorry. I will try to elaborate a bit.
I have short legs. I can adjust the seat forward and height just fine. However the front portion of the seat is still much too high under my thigh. No matter what I place on the seat the distance between the seat and the floor remains the same. I need the front portion to tip down considerably more – maybe an additional 2+ inches. I have tried numerous seat cushions to no avail. I still have a major pressure issue under my right thigh.
What I am looking for is suggestions on what (if any) other mid-sized SUV’s seats allow for more/most adjustment - particularly lowering the front portion. I am considering selling the Jeep and purchasing something else if available.
Personal fit problems are just that, personal. You need to check out the cars yourself. You might drop by a Carmax and try out a number of them at the same time.
I agree that would be the most advantageous. However, I live in a relatively small town with limited access to automobile dealerships, particularly foreign models. I was hoping someone with more knowledge on this could help direct me in some direction so when/if I go on a road trip I could limit my search.
What might work for one person may not even be close to what you need . Also the front of the seat adjustment might not even be used for many people so they will not know how rar it tilts down in the front. This is just one of those you have to try it for yourself.
I’m short too and understand what you are saying. One of the first things I do before buying is check the seat and see if there is enough adjustment to make it comfortable. Our Acuras have been fine. Maybe Honda uses the same frame-dunno. My Pontiac and other GMs have been fine too. I did rent a Jeep a couple times but don’t recall a huge problem with the seats though. Feb., March is when they have the auto shows which is a good time to look at a few different brands. Of course canceled last year and who knows about 2021.
Now I suppose it might be possible to raise the back of the floor track that might lower the front but no dealer would do this and would depend on how the tracks are fastened. If there is a company that does handicap modifications in the area, it might be worth a chat with them. Way back in the 60’s, before power seats were common, Chrysler cars used to provide for mechanically changing the pitch of the seats in addition to to and fro. Wonder if they still might have that option. In that case the dealer would know. No easy answers.
My granddaughter is very short, 4’ 7". Not a “little person”, just tiny. She weighed 2.2 Lbs when she came into this world, and will never big.
I made four blocks from 2X4 lumber to go under each corner of the seat of the Ford Focus I found for her. This boosts the entire seat. She’d have a hard time seeing out otherwise.
Could you get enough tilt out of the seat if you could raise the back with blocks under those corners?
My sister-in-law is 5’ tall. She’s happy with the seating in her old Chrysler Town and Country and her current 2014 Honda Odyssey. Note that sometimes higher trim levels offer more seat adjustment. About all you can do is try out cars in the dealers lot and see if they fit you. When you go in, make sure they know that your seating problems are your highest priority. If they suggest the highest trim level, try the next trim level down to see if that works. You might also ask for the shortest salesperson on staff. Maybe they share your issue and can point you in the right direction.
It wasn’t clear to me whether if you move the entire seat to its lowest setting (front and back) that you could see the mirrors well enough. It seems reasonable that you could set everything else right for you and then try to tilt the seat down in front, but it wouldn’t go to its lowest level because the tilt angle doesn’t span the entire range of seat height. Now I hope I explained it well enough.
Thank you for your response. I would have gotten back sooner but had some health issues.
I did speak to a couple Jeep dealerships and about this but that was pretty close to useless.
I am so bothered by this issue that if there is some other vehicle that has more seat adjustment I would seriously consider selling the jeep and purchasing a different vehicle.
Thank you for your response. I would have gotten back sooner but had some health issues.
The seat height adjustment is fine. It’s just the distance between the floor and the front edge of the seat. Raising the back of the seat would tilt the seat more but not reduce the floor/seat distance which is my problem.
I am so bothered by this issue that if there is some other vehicle that has more seat adjustment I would seriously consider selling the jeep and purchasing a different vehicle.
My trailblazer got rear ended and had to buy a new vehicle for trips to the cabin with the ability to tow a boat to the launch and back. Saw the 2017 Acadia limited, and knew my wife with a bad back would love it. Our other car is limited on passenger seat adjustments, so finding a car with full passenger seat adjustments, heated seats, heated steering wheel, remote start and a tow package was the deal maker for me and my wife. It is her car now and she loves it.
You might research what vehicles, if any, that otherwise will fit your needs and budget have a split bench seat. Those tend to be flatter and less bolstered which for most people puts less pressure on the underside of one’s thighs.
