Does your Mustang's seat lumbar support suck?

[davekro]

For those interested.

I spent an hour gaining access to the lumbar adjustment in the seat. This meant disconnecting two serial cables and gaining access through the upholstery in back.

There is a cable (similar to a throttle cable) connected to a small electric motor that increases and or decreases the tension on the lumbar.

I simply unhooked that cable on each side of the mounting point, which in turn completely reduced the tension that was resulting in the uncomfortable lumbar.

So thanks for the input. No new seat needed. The seat now functions similar to the passenger's side seat.

Are you saying you disconnected the (I assume) air lines to the lumbar pillow and that is still in the same place, just completely deflated and made inoperable (from inflating)? If so, are you saying it now is recessed more than when hooked up and fully deflated?

Or did you physically move the pillow up so it contacts the lumbar region instead of just below it?

I would like it if the support was a bit higher, but I have gotten used to it. It has not been an issue w/ agravating my chronic lower back issue.

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[Redcruzer]

My seats are great, including get lumbar.

 

[fredsmustang]

Are you saying you disconnected the (I assume) air lines to the lumbar pillow and that is still in the same place, just completely deflated and made inoperable (from inflating)? If so, are you saying it now is recessed more than when hooked up and fully deflated?

Or did you physically move the pillow up so it contacts the lumbar region instead of just below it?

I would like it if the support was a bit higher, but I have gotten used to it. It has not been an issue w/ agravating my chronic lower back issue.

It is not inflatable. It is a mechanism that essentially pushes out a metal diaphragm.

There is a cable that runs laterally, and when it tightens it pushes this diaphragm out.

The cable itself was causing the seat to push directly in my back.

By unhooking that cable, it released all of the tension that was responsible for the pain in my back. It made the seat essentially the exact same as the passengers seat.

I can simply hook it back in if I want to get it back to normal.

 

[POJ 1]

I love my seats (and have a dodgy back anyway) but compliments about the passenger seat comfort are often the 1st comment made by passengers having their 1st ride in the car
Cheers

 

[BosMus]

I have the 2016 V6 with cloth seats and also agree the seat is pretty bad. I didn't notice it in the test drive, but after I bought it, it became obvious. I ended up rolling a towel up and stuffing it in the crevice where the back of the seat meets the bottom of the seat. I also bought a memory foam seat pad from walmart or target. It helps a lot, but not perfect. Of the cars I've owned, the seats from best to worst would be 2005 cadillac cts, 99 ford contour, 2015 hyundai sonata, 2016 mustang.

I think the big issue besides the lumbar location is that the crevice where the back meets the bottom is way too deep, which forces your back at an angle towards the steering wheel. I don't have any back issues, so I was surprised to have this problem. I'll have to buy that backjoy thing to try out, and maybe try that wire trick someone else mentioned.

 

[YaBoyJordy]

I went to an upholstery shop and they adjusted the lumbar. The seat back is now flat and I have no more back problems. It only cost $160 to get it done. Well worth the investment.

 

[steerage250]

It is not inflatable. It is a mechanism that essentially pushes out a metal diaphragm.

There is a cable that runs laterally, and when it tightens it pushes this diaphragm out.

The cable itself was causing the seat to push directly in my back.

By unhooking that cable, it released all of the tension that was responsible for the pain in my back. It made the seat essentially the exact same as the passengers seat.

I can simply hook it back in if I want to get it back to normal.

Are then any prospects for increasing the amount of lumbar support? It's a bit marginal on maximum extension for me.

(Unlike seemingly everyone else, I need more lumbar support. I always have had to get an extra lumbar support cushion on every other car I've ever had.)

 

[15wile]

In a word? Yes, it sucks. I like everything about the seats except this. I can never get the lumbar in a good position, and it's irritating as hell, at times.

 

[ripto]

Sorry, this is an old thread, but literally the day I brought home this car (17 GT Premium with the heated/cooled seats) my back has hurt me. Never hurt in my old car (2012 Focus) or on any of the four test drives.

I want to cry every day at the thought that I traded in my previous car that worked just fine for something that has essentially ruined my life the past three months at the cost of nearly $40k.

I had the bottom portion of my seat replaced because it felt like I kept sinking down in it. The replacement is basically the same. I thought I was sinking too low and no longer was aligned with the lumbar support. I still think that is the case. I am wondering if an upholstery shop could fix that. But I also agree the passenger seat feels so much better, but that's probably because the leather isn't worn in and I don't sink down it in. I really don't know what to do with this car. I am ready to trade it in for a Honda Civic.

 

[Lionorion]

Since this old thread is alive, I’ll contribute.

Personally, I think the drivers seat is excellent! I appreciate the bolstering, the lumbar support and the firmness of the foam, which, after 41,000 miles, is holding up really well.

 

[Spike-S550]

Strange, I don't have any issues with mine !

 

[320guy]

I had back pains in my 2018 for a couple of weeks. Now with almost 1,000 miles, it feels better. Seats overall, are the best I ever had, just needed some break in.

 

[NoVaGT]

Love it. It's perfect. Extremely comfortable for long drives. I drove from NoVa down to Houston, and it was the most comfortable seat I've ever driven in.

 

[BosMus]

Sorry, this is an old thread, but literally the day I brought home this car (17 GT Premium with the heated/cooled seats) my back has hurt me. Never hurt in my old car (2012 Focus) or on any of the four test drives.

I want to cry every day at the thought that I traded in my previous car that worked just fine for something that has essentially ruined my life the past three months at the cost of nearly $40k.

I had the bottom portion of my seat replaced because it felt like I kept sinking down in it. The replacement is basically the same. I thought I was sinking too low and no longer was aligned with the lumbar support. I still think that is the case. I am wondering if an upholstery shop could fix that. But I also agree the passenger seat feels so much better, but that's probably because the leather isn't worn in and I don't sink down it in. I really don't know what to do with this car. I am ready to trade it in for a Honda Civic.

I highly recommend rolling up a small bath towel and sticking it in the crevasse of the seat and then use the backjoy thing mentioned at the top of this page. It sucks you have to do that, but it's the best option I've found. This isn't just a mustang issue, I've had the same feeling in the jag f-type and porsche 911. What did feel comfortable for me was a Jeep wrangler, because it's basic and simple like car seats use to be.

 

[RoushCharged]

I noticed it at some point on a long (round the country trip) taken not too long after I bought it. It killed my back, still does -- although I basically got to where I was ignoring it because I'm commuting in it (which just means I forget why my back hurts lol). I had them warranty repair the lumbar a couple years ago and it basically came back "less bad" but still sucking ... or so I thought, after moving the seat from it's one "meh" position now I feel it again. Doesn't get better over time (has 22K on it now). The passenger seat is fine so might try disconnecting the lumbar, otherwise it's getting traded very soon for something else.

.... ok, pulled the seat cover enough to get at the lumbar and it wasn't the lumbar causing the problem. It's the cooling infrastructure (electric motor, ducting, etc.). The way it is secured in my car causes it to push out in front. Since it's right above the lumbar it feels like the lumbar isn't fully receding .. but it does. Making sure it was lying flat before closing back up reduced the protrusion, don't think it solved it. I also not sure it's relocatable since it has the cooling duct output (although I could just yank it). I'll know tomorrow, and if it's still causing problems then I have a choice to make. Drop some money on the Recaro or a base seat (and pray) or trade it in on something that doesn't have that problem.

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