MellonC00

did you think he would have bought the car if he noticed it during the test drive??? even for me, I didn't notice it until my first one hour drive home. No test drive can give you that much seat time.....

MellonC00

The whole ripping out the seat fan mechanism thing didn't go as planned. As soon as you unhook the power going to the seat fan, I get climate control error code. More on this later.

We did take the leather cover off and verified that the seat foam depth was super shallow. The upholstery company, replaced the cheap foam with new one with added volume and new material and put everything back together.

the fan mechanism is attached with two pieces. First is the metal round bracket which is actually part of the seat bottom frame. We couldn't simply cut it off as one end of the bracket is actually a part of the "bones" underneath the seat holding the foam in place. So, instead of simply ripping out the whole thing we unscrewed the rear end of the round bracket and let it dangle by the front end of the bracket. We also took off the actual fan motor but as stated before we couldn't simply unplug it. As such, I left in on the floor still connected to power. The whole area underneath the seat is a mess.

I will devise a better solution when I have some time. In the meantime, this will have to do. My back (coccyx) feels a whole lot better, however.

MellonC00

Just wanted to update my post. Since the last post where things were just "dangling" off the seat bottom, we reconnected the fan motor housing with much longer screws so that it isn't jutting tightly against the seat bottom anymore. Now, with more room in between the seat and the motor, it doesn't protrude into the seat at all. I'm glad I kept the whole thing in case I end up selling the car and the next guy/girl wants the seat cooling feature.

Problem solved for $511 out of pocket...........

cwatx

I had a 2015 RX with only 11K miles for a week until I discovered Lexus of Austin sold me a wrecked CPO https://www.clublexus.com/forums/mai...maged-car.html

Thankfully, I was able to get my 2000 RX trade-in back, and I was amazed at how much more comfortable the 18 year old seat was vs the 2015 - specifically the bottom cushion. The 2015 is seat is hard and thin.

As others have mentioned, it's difficult to get a good feel for the car during the short test drives.

tharrison9

I just bought a 2015 RX 350 with 19K miles on it. The lumbar support on the seat hits me in the lower thoracic spine, rather than the lumbar area. In other words, too high. I seriously need lumbar support, so is there any adjustment that might help with this? I'm seriously considering returning the car if I can't get the seat comfortable.

Nail34

You are in the generation 4 forum and the 2015 RX is in the generation 3 forum, however, In my 2017, I could not agree with you more and that is the reason I keep it completely off or slightly on.

aznkorboi

In order to solve that issue... turn off the lumbar support completely and take a rolled towel and wedge it behind your lumbar spine. ALso make sure your posture is good and you won't have any issues.

uclabrruin

i've had my 2015 rx350 with the real leather and heated/cooled seats for about a month now and i agree that the seats aren't great. unlike most of you though, my issue isn't with the thin seat bottom, but the curvature of the seatback. it seems oddly curved forward in the upper middle. i bought a $25 gel type cushion on amazon that has made it much better IMO.

i almost bought the acura RDX, which had much more comfortable seats. the materials were not nearly as good though. i test drove a lot of cars and the kia sorento that a lot of people laughed at is a pretty good vehicle with nice seats. the most comfortable seats i found by far were in a 2016 volvo v60 wagon. they were awesome and if it had more room i would have bought that. for some reason the xc60 and xc90 seats i saw were not as good.

just my 2 cents.

tharrison9

Yes, the curvature of the seat back is odd. If I turn off the lumbar support completely, there is absolutely no support and my low back hurts. If I turn the lumbar support on, my mid back hurts because it's hitting me in the wrong place and I still have no lumbar support. I've already ordered a lumbar support from Amazon that I hope will solve the problem, although it's pretty lame to have to order something like that for a luxury car. I have to take the RX it on a pretty long road trip in a couple of weeks....that will be the real test. Interestingly, right before I bought the RX, I had to go on a trip (4 hours) and needed a rental car for that trip. (long story) The rental car was a Ford Escape and the seat was very comfortable. All kinds of lumbar support in just the right place. I didn't get wiggly or even slightly uncomfortable until I'd been driving for 3+ hours. Honestly, I was pretty impressed with the Ford Escape. Comfortable seats, very zippy acceleration, surprisingly quiet cabin. The drawbacks were the lack of a luxury feel and bumpy ride, plus its reliability rating isn't nearly as high as the Lexus. I love pretty much everything about the Lexus, except the seat, so I'm keeping it, but REALLY hoping the lumbar support will make a difference.

Robhh

Bought my Certified RX-350 from Lexus last year. Something in the driver's seat cushion, on the right side, close to the center, is hitting me right in the butt.
It's always there, doesn't move, driving me crazy! Can't seem to feel anything when I push on it with my hands.
Any idea what's located there (fan, vent duct, motor, frame,...)?
Bringing it in to Lexus this weekend...

MellonC00

RX in NC

At 6-feet-7 and 260 pounds, I also find the seats in my wife's 2015 RX350 to be rather uncomfortable after more than 10 to 15 miles of driving. I have tried many different positions but have been unable to obtain enough legroom or kneeroom. The seats in my 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R are much better, as are the seats in my 1999 Dodge Ram pickup. My wife has not complained about the RX350 seats yet so we shall see how that goes after her first long-distance trip with the vehicle. But I am certainly glad that it is her daily driver, not mine.

16fsport2

Especially with bucket seats (in a FSport), this effectively levels the seat (from the original tilting) so that the hips and knees are of the same position.

I can't seem to find the link to this post (copied below) by gblansten in a BMW forum, and FWIW:

"If you have low back pain that never seems to resolve completely, no matter what you do for it; if you have neck and shoulder pain that comes and goes, you may have Bucket Seat Syndrome. More people are hurt by their car seats that they are by not wearing seat belts. You may go years without an auto accident, but you spend every day sitting in a seat that, down the road, is guaranteed to cause you pain.

When car makers set about making the bucket seat they must have taken their idea of the average driver (male, 5'11? 170 lbs., who slouches badly) and designed a seat around him. Ever afterward, we've all been forced into a position that only he finds comfortable.

Today's car seats, particularly buckets, position your knees higher than your hips. This throws all your upper body weight back onto your gluteus maximus and piriformis muscles through which--and this is the important part--the Sciatic nerve runs. Sit on that nerve often enough and long enough, and add a fat wallet in your back pocket, and you will probably end up with shooting pains down one or both legs.

Human beings were designed to sit on their pelvic bones, or ischium, those hard bones you sometimes feel when you first sit down on a hard chair. Sitting on those bones automatically gives us a natural arch in the small of our backs. When we sit this way, the Sciatic nerve, Sacroilliac joints, lumbar vertebrae and hips are unencumbered and unstressed.

In order to take the pressure off your Sciatic nerve, you must drive with your thighs parallel to the floor of the car, your hips at the same level as your knees. If you can adjust your seat to be flat, great. If not, fold a towel, use a small cushion, or buy a foam wedge to place in the dip of the seat.

Sitting erect in a bucket seat, even with a wedge cushion, is not easy. You'll need lumbar or low back support, too, to keep from leaning back and causing neck and shoulder pain. Once you've positioned yourself as if you were on horseback, slip a small rounded cushion or rolled up towel behind the small of your back. You don't need to lean back. Your lower body will support your upper back and head. You may need to bring your seat closer to the steering wheel.

At first, this new way of driving will feel awkward at best and uncomfortable at worst. Persist. Soon you will find that chronic low back pain, stiff neck and shoulder pain will get better and better.""

MellonC00

just reporting here that '17 Highlander XLE seats without the seat ventilation feature were great during a 10 hour round trip drive during the holiday break. Firm and supportive seats with somewhat less number of adjustments but with good thigh support and lumbar support without jacking up the air bladder at all.

Anyone know if these are interchangeable with our cars?

CSpecISF

This thread is exactly why I recommend that anyone looking to purchase a specific vehicle should go pay to rent one for a few days and drive it as much as they can. It lets you figure the car out totally and see all of its immediate quirks before you actually spend tens of thousands and are left unhappy with something as important as seat comfort.

Luckily no complaints with my RX350 F-Sport.