Is it me, or other 7th gen Lexus ES300/350 and Camry owners experience the same? 6 times out of 10 when I enter my ES300h '22 vehicle on the driver side, I end up hitting my knee or shin to the dash edge near the door. It is annoying and sometimes somewhat painful. If this is a bad design and enough people are experiencing it, Lexus should know about it and remedy it in their future revisions.

 

Don't those cars come with easy entry/exit features?

 

They do have the easy exit feature. As the photo shows the driver seat retracts all the way back. But that does not seem to help as the landing area on the floor board does not have enough clearance for me. And I am only 5 ft 8 (173 cm) tall.

 

It appears to have the seat extender so I suppose Lux/UL. From the pics it appears the seat is already somewhat to the back. I'm 6' 2" and never have experienced that. I'll have to pay attention to my boarding process next time....

Just in case, maybe this helps. It works in combination with the memory seat option linked to the keyfob:

 

I disable easy exit and still have never had this issue in nearly six years of ownership.

 

It seems you enter the vehicle with your leg almost perendicular (90 degrees) to the floor which puts your knee very close to the dash. I always get in with my leg extend out so it is more flat and at an angle approaching being parallel to the floor. This way my knee stays low and never gets close to the dash. As I am getting in I put my right foot close to the foot rest at the firewall and at the same time I grab the steering wheel and pull myself into the car. By grabbing the steering wheel, I also prevent my back from rubbing against the side bolster of the seat. With this method I also minimize wear on the side bolster. In previous cars I have had premature wear on the the seat side bolster which for me is not a good look. Hopefully I save my seat and knee at the same time.

 

Thanks for the link. Yes, it is a Lux model, and yes, I am aware of the seat features and exit settings. I have not had a similar issue with my other cars I owned. It is interesting that at 6' 2" you don't have that issue. I am not sure what I am doing wrong, then. Lol 🤷

 

Wow, that was incredibly helpful and insightful! It was really enlightening. I mean, it was clearly so relatable to the OP's point. If that's the case, then the OP must clearly be going about this getting in and out of the car thing totally wrong!

Just in case you think my post wasn't relevant to his issue, at least it was kind of funny, a definite knee-slapper!

But seriously, OP, I am 5'8", and I have had to be more deliberate at times. I, too, have occasionally stubbed my knee, especially if I was in a hurry.
I remember mentioning the issue with the seating position being too low and needing to adjust the seat higher, which didn't really help the knees closer to the dash thing. YMMV https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...l#post11360285

 

First world problems

 

another idea - looks like you are entering with your foot going in first, then leg and hips/butt later.

if you have enough room to open the door wider, you can turn sideways to the car, put butt down on the seat first, then swing the legs in after that. that way have sat down first, your knee will be in a lower position when you rotate your legs in.

 

6ft tall and pretty long legs. I never had this issue, but maybe I have a different way of entering my car? When I enter foot first, it's closer to the gas pedal than where your foot is in your example.

 

I have no idea why this have never happened to me. Maybe I'm the one doing it wrong!

But honestly, I don't think there's a wrong/right about this. It's just not working for you.

PS. Never noticed or thought about the way I enter my car. I'll check myself tomorrow and report back.

 

I am 6’ 7” and no problems.

 

You are indeed a certified smartass. Congrats.

 

I had the same issue with my 2020 ES as well as the 2013 Camry.

For me it was the entry height, seat height and the height of the Instrument panel. I hit my knee getting in about half the times

I fixed that by switching to a taller vehicle (suv)