I am unhappy with comfort of seat in '03 Chevy pickup. Swapping seat for one I like, such as Volvo or Mercedes, seems easy. BUT, these seats have integrated seatbelts. This means the new seat mounting must be strong enough. That I can deal with. The bigger question is now that so many seats have integrated air bags and seat belts how can you be sure a seat from the salvage yard has not had its frame or seatbelts overstressed in a crash and/or if the airbag is good.
How has this affected the used seat business in general?
That “integrated airbag” won’t even work, so that does not matter. You wouldn’t want it to, it was specially designed to work in the car the seat came with. Who knows what it would do in your truck. If the seat is in one piece, and the base is not all rusty, it’s probably not “overstressed”
Ask at a Chevy PU board what seats from other trucks will interchange and are more comfy. Maybe something from another trim line will go in easily and is more comfortable. You may score some cheap seats at a salvage yard that fit you quite well. I have never tried it, but maybe an auto upholstery shop can help you out by modifying the padding. Sometimes the padding in ORM seas is not that durable and breaks down quickly. Replacement may fix that.
Well … I doubt if you are going to find different seats that are going to mount into your truck without playing games and ending up with a seat that is not as safe as the OEM seats. I believe you will find that the seat and mounts are designed to work together.
Have you tried seat covers or pads?
Doesn’t your 03 Pickup have intergrated seatbelts? Maybe your are saying your replacement seat must have integrated seat belts,or maybe your saying the only seats that you like have integrated seat belts.
I can’t picture a seat with a integrated air bag (maybe for the rear passengers,air bag in the back of the front seat?)
Are you saying you want to find a replacement seat for your 03 pickup with integrated seatbelt and integrated air bag? which way would this air bag discharge? for rear passenger protection?
I can’t picture a seat with a integrated air bag (maybe for the rear passengers,air bag in the back of the front seat?
They are side air bags, the air bag protects the passenger from hitting the door.
Are you sure those air bags are in the seat and not in the door or the “A” pillar or the roof pillar. BMW had them in the door panels “A” pillars or roof line.
Where would you put the air bag in a seat if you wanted to keep someone from hitting the door? Door panel its clear how it would work.
My text book has 8 pages of air bag locations,not one in the seat.
Passenger seats have occupant detection sensors,but no air bags in the seat
Yep, airbag’s in the seat, our Forester has them, as do others.
I think I would first check out a company like Summit Racing, and see if they have a seat that will bolt directly into your truck.
With the newest cars the seat has become the perfered place for side airbags,even BMW,I was thinking in the 2003 time frame. Does the OP intend on retrofitting a really late model seat into his pickup? way expensive just for parts,then to make the air bag function,challenging.
Using a GM SRS module to control a Subaru air bag. Is the 03 pickup equiped with side air bags? are they in the seat or the door,some models they are optional.
Thanks for all the interesting replies.
GM trucks do not have side air bags, but do have integrated seatbelts. Cars such as Volvo and VW use seat mounted side airbags. Mercedes uses door mount. Adapting an airbag to work in a vehicle that didn’t come with them would be quite involved. In my case the only issue is seatbelt. Seatbelts, like climbing ropes, do their job partly by stretching, there by absorbing some of the force of the crash. Ropes and seatbelts should be retired after a fall or a crash. Seat frames are subject to metal fatigue. I wouldn’t want to rely on one that has been in a serious crash when my seatbelt is attached to it. For ordinary seats these are not issues. But, it would be if the seat had been in a serious rearender. A second rear end hit might break the seat back and send you flying.
So, I’m wondering how this has effected the used seat market in these safety conscious times. Buyer beware!
As for mine, I may well get a trim shop to recontour the seat cushions. It is probably the easiest, cheapest, and safest way.