Mazda 3 Seats
 

I've owned my Mazda 3 for about 3 months and wondered what others have done to help make the seats more comfortable. I love the car but need to resolve the "uncomfortable" seat!

I just found and explored this site today. Although I'm a "mature" lady, I love seeing what everyone is doing.

Thanks,

Hi ! I just joined too. Must say this certainly doesn't seem to be a very "Friendly" site.

Could I offer this suggestion. Try some seat cushions ie Obus Form.

Good Luck

Welcome to forum, Mzzlizzie and Canuck! The seat of the Mazda 3 is somewhat not entirely comfortable due to the car being a "mini" sports car and the cloth that Mazda uses is kinda cheapo. As far as I know seat cushions and covers would be the best option to making them more comfy. Try to adjust everything you can to improve comfort. The seat height, the recline angle, forward/backward, lumbar, and even the steering wheel will help out even just a little. I hope this helps out!

Sorry you don't feel more welcome, Canuck. Was someone unfriendly to you here? :confused:


Mzzlizzie, I'd help you if I could, but I drive a Protege5 and the seats are great. Have you checked out any aftermarket seats, like Corbeau or Recaro? I'm pretty sure an Obus Forme is an orthopedic lower back pillow you can put in your car, but that's for people with bad backs. From what I understand, your back is fine but you aren't comfortable in those seats.

Need more driver legroom 2012 hatch!
 

Does anyone have ideas on how to get a couple more inches back on the drivers seat? I looked at the rails and how they bolt down.. looks like it might take some creative fabrication..

This is a 2012 skyactiv hatch. .. help!! great car but short driver legroom SUCKS

These seats really hurt
 

I just took possession of my company 2012 Mazda 3 9 days ago and I am in seious pain. The seats are way too hard and uncomfortable. They are rediculously short. In a comparison with my Honda Civic, the seats are about 4" shorter. Other than that, I haven't figured out what makes them so unbearable. Here's what I do know, They have aggravated my herniated disc and am now in constant pain (as I drive for a living). My legs seen to be falling asleep. My girl friend also complained that she couldn't sit in them more than 20 minutes, as she developed leg pains. I can't get past this. All the other positive qualities of this car are simply overshadowed by this problem.
Does someone, anyone, have a solution to this? Are there practical of cost efficient solutions to fix this. I hope so. If I go tell my boss that I can't drive this car because I am being put in serious pain as a result of the rediculously built seats..well, I don't see him being sympathetic. I'd hate to find myself unemployed because of the Mazda 3's unbearable seats.

Try some seat cushions ie Obus Form.

I feel your pain
 

I have a 2012 Mazda3 Skyactive hatch, and the driver's seat bottom cushion is terrible - short, hard, and narrow. I hope I can find a replacement seat, but until then I've found something that at least makes it tolerable. The bottom side bolsters squeeze my hips, causing pain there and in my lower back.

I use an ActionPilot gel seat pad, 1" thick, made for wheelchairs. It is about the right size to cover the seat bottom (I believe mine is 16x18 but don't quote me on that). If I slide it forward a bit, it actually hangs over the front edge of the seat, giving the effect of some extra seat bottom length/thigh support. As you can imagine, gel can get pretty hot and cold, so I slid a 1/4" layer of open-cell foam inside the cover to insulate between me and the pad. These pads are really heavy (several pounds) and have a somewhat grippy surface on the bottom, so it doesn't move around very much. It softens the bumps and raises me up out of the wedge-shaped side bolsters. If you shop around on the web, expect to pay $139-$149, but watch out for the same pads selling for well over $300.


I also turned my headrest around the wrong way and strapped a small camping pillow on the front to get the headrest back a little bit, still giving me proper support if I tilt my head back an inch or two. I was getting major neck pain from the forward tilt of the headrest. Now it looks weird but is pretty comfortable. If you do this, be sure to use 2 straps: side to side and top to bottom. The last thing you want is that pillow popping out right when you really need it. I used sleeping bag staps with fastex buckles.

I hope this is helpful to someone.

For those of you with experience in this, when I get a replacement seat, what should I do about the built-in airbag? I'm concerned that if nothing is plugged in to the harness that supplies the seat, the car is going to complain with an idiot light or some operational error with the rest of the airbags.

Thanks

I feel your pain 2
 

I am considering buying a 2012 Mazda 3 i Touring, but wanted to take it for a longer test drive than the 20 minutes you get at a dealer ship. I was more concerned if I could tolerate its stiff ride on a longer trip. Luckily I was able rent one, which I drove for a couple hours at night and then for a few hours the next day; during this drive my lower back started hurting. No matter how I adusted the seat or the steering wheel, my back still was not comfortable. My conclusion is that it is that the center part of both the back and the seat are too hard and bulge out a bit too far that, during prolonged driving cause the problem - poor design. I stopped at home and picked up some thin foam patio chair cushions - I put one on the seat, and one on the seat back, then drove again for a couple of hours - surprisingly that did the trick. There are lots of inexpensive cushions advertised on the internet, and I hope that I can find one that will work like my patio cushions. There is one made by Pilot and carried by AutoZone that has a lumbar support (bigger than I really need or want but only $15) , and they also carry a smaller black vinyl one that might work too - also not expensive. I am going to buy both and head to the dealer to see if they will work. For a car that's been in production as long as the Mazda, I think this should not be an issue.

I'm not sure if this will help everyone who posted here, but it might help someone.

When I got my 2012 Mazda 3 iTouring, the seats were aggravating my bad back. I talked to my chiropractor about it, and he said when you adjust the seats in your car to make it so that your knees are slightly higher than (I can't remember if he said higher than the seat, or higher than your thighs.. but the point was to have better posture while sitting in your car). If you sit straight up in a chair at home, you'll notice your knees are up a bit, and that's the look you are going for.

I'm 6 feet tall, and I tend to put the seat all the way back and stretch my legs out a little while driving, this meant that my knees were lower down and causing bad posture and a strain on my back. When I adjusted the seat forward a little and tilted it a bit, it made it so my knees were a little higher.. and now I can take 2 hour drives without my back hurting.

At first, I didn't like the seat being anything but all the way back, but I've gotten used to that. I thought I would feel scrunched in the car, but it feels natural now.. and most importantly, my car doesn't hurt my back anymore. :)

Wow sorry to hear so many people are having issues with these seats :( I personally love the seats. Have a 2012 3 hatch. I'm a smaller built guy but I can see how the seats would be too narrow for some people. The reason the seats are built the way they are (low seat position, firm, narrow bolsters, ect) is because the car is in a sense a "sporty" car. I can say from personal experience that this car can handle, and the bolstering on the seats is needed to keep you from flying out your seats while this car is pulling G's. Also I find that seat position makes a whole world of difference like dlister70 said. Because I drive my car the way I do, and because my car is a stick, i need to keep my seat position closer in. How I set my seat is I depress my clutch all the way in and set my seat so I have a slight bend in my left knee. I personally like the low seat position because it keeps your center of gravity low and allows you to feel the car better so that I cannot speak too, but as for back support, I set the seat so that I am upright, then recline about 2 clicks. This gives me the best balance of comfort and sport. Posture is key! Sit upright, don't slouch, and set the steering wheel so you have a full range of motion without having to strain your arms or move your body. If all else fails, buy a nice set of recaros. Hope you all find a solution!
Cheers!

Too woodland, yes of you replace the seats the air bag light will come on, their should be a pressure sensor built into the new seat and you can plug that in, but the connector that goes to the airbag will most likely set off the light. You should be able to plug a dummy connector into that plug if you can find one. We use those to test airbags but not sure how available they are for applications like you are discribing. Also before disconnecting the seat to minimize your chance of setting off the airbag light, disconnect the negative side of the battery and wait for 5-15 minutes. The computer that runs the airbag has capacitors and keep the device powered for a short time after the battery is disconnected. When the computer senses it has been disconnected in anyway, it sets off the light which can only be turned off via a airbag scan tool (which costs a ton of money). Shutting off the computer completely will prevent it from picking up any issues with continuity.

Good Airbag Info, Thanks
 

Speed3STi251,

Thanks for the great info. I'll keep it in mind if (or when) I decide to unplug the seat.

I have been salivating over this car for years. I love everything about this car from the gas mileage to the pick up to the lights on the dash board. I finally went out and bought this car two months ago and can't get over how uncomfortable the driver seat is! I have done EVERYTHING from adjusting the seat forward and back, lowering it up and down, moving the steering wheel, raising and lowering the head rest and every combination in between. There should have been a warning at the test drive that said "Mazda 3 Not Meant For Tall People with Long Limbs."

I'm so frustrated that I'm spending all this money on a car I HATE to drive. I just came back from a road trip this weekend and after an hour my neck and shoulders were killing me and are still bothering me today. I never have these problems unless I drive the car.

Okay, so this is what needs to happen in order for this to be a more enjoyable ride:

1. The head rest MUST be changed. The current one causes the head to jut forward, which creates a forward head carriage, which leads to neck and shoulder pain. If I were to get rear ended, because my head is already in this anterior position, the discs in my cervical spine would have a higher chance of posterior herniation.

2. The steering wheel needs to come out toward the driver seat more so that the shoulders and arms are able to rest In a more ergonomic way. Currently the
Steering wheel encourages the shoulders to slope forward and is down, which leads to neck and shoulder pain.

3. If 1 and 2 are not resolved, the driver's seat needs to have more options for height and distance variations to alleviate the issues stated above.

If anyone from Mazda is reading this, PLEASE make these changes to future models and contact me to let me know how to correct these issues because as of right now I am telling all of my friends and family to NOT buy this car. It's just not worth the pain.

I am going from a 2003 Mazda 6S with leather seats to a 2013 Mazda 3i Touring. I am a courier, so I'm driving all day every day. I have wider hips and I also have sciatica, these seats are killing me. I have the cloth, but I'm wondering if the leather seats are easier to break in? I'm seriously considering aftermarket seats.

Citygirl, I pretty much solved my headrest problem by purchasing a 2007 Mazda3 headrest on ebay. They go for under $40, and will fit the 2012. I think everything from 2004 - 2012 will fit. They list the model years these are compatible with. The older (pre-2008) headrests don't tilt as far forward. I decided that if it wasn't the right angle, I would just bend the rods a bit at the top. If I ruined it, I would only be out the cost of the replacement headrest, without damaging the original equipment.

Mazzystarr,
Even though I wouldn't have thought it, my hips are too wide for the 2012 cloth Mazda 3 seats. In my post above I mention using an Action Pilot gel cushion. It lifts me up out of that "V" the side bolsters make, and mostly solves the hip pain problem. It is also an excellent shock absorber for that stiff Mazda ride. I tried the Mazda leather seats when I bought my i Touring, and thought they were even tighter/more confining. It may be that you should go with an aftermarket seat, or perhaps the seat(s) taken out of an older Mazda 3 (ebay). You will have to deal with the seat airbags somehow. (See Speed3STi251's comments above)

I also put a layer of 1/4" foam against the front of the seat to soften it a bit, held in place (of all things) by a sleeveless tee shirt. Hey, I can pull all of that stuff off in less than a minute, and it protects the seat for when I eventually sell it. I even added some foam under the shirt to give me some lumbar support. Now my seat is reasonably comfortable. I hope this helps you. I also hope that someone from Mazda reads these posts, because even though it is an excellent car, I will probably never buy another one unless they get serious about seat comfort.

The one thing I really miss from my Mz6 is the adjustable lumbar cushion.

i don't like having anything on my seats, i would just leave it alone and rough it out. or replace the seats all together.

When we bought our Mazda 3 I didn't like the driver's seat for long drives--it seemed turned up at the sides of the bottom seat so that I had uncomfortable pressure on butt and thighs. That was in fall 09. Since then I have not noticed that problem, and think I have worn those side ridges down.

Those seats
 

Weighing in...bought my 2012-3, G engine, in Oct 2011 (just after they stopped production, a different story).
I have had back issues most of my life, this car has been the worst I can recall since my 1972 Reneault R6.
I've been riding around with an orthopedic seat cushion plus a back posture cushion, which helped a bit but the problem has been getting worse. Have just ordered an Obus Forme cushion set through Amazon, hopng that will help. That was just after I stopped at my local Toyota dealer to see what options might be there, and tossing the Mazda under the bus.
I talked to one of the custom seat cushion outfits about replacement seats and it seems like a pretty big deal...up front cost, installation, return issues. If these new cushions don't do the job it will be a toss up between replacing the seat and replacing the car.
Really too bad, it is a whale of a vehicle.

Those seats (cont'd)
 

I wanted to report back my seat issues for others with the same problem. I've been sitting on an orthopedic wedge cushion, and for a couple of months have been using an Obus Forme backrest. The backrest comes with a separate lumbar support, so I'm actually using three cushions. I've had good results. I think it helps quite a bit that I've anchored all 3 cushions with moderate-strength velcro tape, so nothing goes sliding around. I'm much more comfortable now driving the car and feel like I can keep it indefinitely now without worrying about back issues.

Completely agree with so many of the comments in this thread. We bought a Mazda 3 in April this year and I am in unbelievable pain every time I am in the car for more than a very short drive. The first issue was the absurd headrest, which sits too far forward. I had no help from Mazda with that one and eventually had to buy one from a wrecker and modify it. The poles are now straight and the headrest is now upright and that did fix some of the neck pain.

However, I am still left in agony by these seats. They are too low, too narrow, and too short for someone such as me, who is about 6'4". When you ask Mazda about this they say they built the car for "mums and dads" (whatever that means!). I think this is definitely a car that should not be sold to tall people. It is just so ludicrous. I can sit in comfort for eight hours a day on an $89 office chair, yet they can't put a comfortable seat into a $33,000 car.

The shoulder, neck, lower back, and leg pain from this car is unbearable. We are looking at getting rid of it.

mazda3 seats
 

see my previous post. The orthopedic seat cushions are holding up well, my comfort issues have been solved. Hope this can help you -
H

Thanks for the suggestion, although I should mention that I have tried various cushions and it doesn't help. Putting anything on the bottom of the seat leads to a situation where you can feel the hair on your head rubbing against the roof of the car and any bump in the road is likely to have your head hitting the roof. Putting anything against the back of the seat instantly makes you feel very cramped and doesn't solve the pain. The best I can work out is that the seat is just far too low. I did some measurements and found that the seat is as little as 28 centimetres from the floor of the car. By comparison, an office chair set at a comfortable height for me is around 50 centimetres from the floor. The angles created by such a low seat, I think, are a major contributor to the pain. I also think the narrowness of the seat may be causing an issue.

Seat in my 2014 Mazda 3
 

The sides of the seat are too narrow. Very uncomfortable, jabbing me in my sides. I keep adjusting the seat different ways to make it go away but have not had success. I bought an inexpensive seat cushion to help fill the gap. Not sure if that will be the fix though. I am 6 foot tall and don't like to sit far back but I did raise the seat to ease in and out of car. Anyone else feel bothered by the sides?

I have a message earlier in this string stating the same discomfort. I'm 6'3". But in the last year or two I think those sides have softened up, so I now live with it.

The MOST uncomfortable car I have EVER driven
 

I have just been given a 2015 Mazda 3 for a company car. I am in this car for an average of 5 hours a day and it has just got to the point that I can't drive it any more. I have gone back to using my own car.
So a word of warning to any contemplating buying one of these, unless you intend on driving 5 mins to the shop once a week FORGET IT!!

I, too, find that the 3's seat cushions are a wee bit too short and narrow. I have long legs (34" inseam) and my knees sit well out front of the bottom cushion. This can lead to pain and discomfort. I don't know of any way to extend the cushion's length, but I do have a solution for the narrowness and thinness of the cushion: try something like a ThermaRest pad. Coleman also makes similar products.

These are "camping" pads that self-inflate when you open their valve. The pad itself is fairly thin, maybe 1" or so, so it doesn't raise you up so much that your head is scraping the headliner. Additionally, you can fine tune the thickness and cushioning by either blowing additional air into it or bleeding air off. I've used these before to good effect. And, because you can deflate them, you can roll one up and take it with you into stadiums and such - cool!

They are fairly inexpensive, $20-$35, and can be found at any camping store and many WalMarts...

Here's a linky to what I'm on about:
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-...seats/category

And here's another, a "paddling" cushion that looks to be very comfortable - the form factor looks like it would fit most folk's butt cheeks pretty well:
http://www.rei.com/product/791146/sk...ddling-cushion

In fact, Skwoosh.com offers pads specifically made for cars and trucks and they're only 0.75" - 1.5" thick albeit a bit more expensive at $69.95 - $89.95. But hey, what price comfort?:
http://www.skwoosh.com/category/car-seat-cushions.html


-CD-

Has anyone tried Mazda 3 speed seats for these issues or does anyone know of another seat that will fit in replacement?

I'm two months in with my Mazda3 hatch and stared having severe low back and hip pain AND neck pain. I've just found an auto upholstered to bend the head rest and I ordered some coccyx and back sopport pillows. Anyone have experience with seat covers? I'm praying this works. Also, I have a manual shift that requires reaching because the wheel doesn't telescope enough. So sad. This car is so pretty and drives well, but it's crippling me, truly. The pain lasts all day --even out of the car.

In 2011 I posted
"I wanted to report back my seat issues for others with the same problem. I've been sitting on an orthopedic wedge cushion, and for a couple of months have been using an Obus Forme backrest. The backrest comes with a separate lumbar support, so I'm actually using three cushions. I've had good results. I think it helps quite a bit that I've anchored all 3 cushions with moderate-strength velcro tape, so nothing goes sliding around. I'm much more comfortable now driving the car and feel like I can keep it indefinitely now without worrying about back issues."
6 years later, still sitting comfortably.
H Brown

Regarding seat cushions
 

Hi, i know this is years later but I've been reading these posts seems a got a 2014 mazda 3 touring 3 wks ago secondhand for quite cheap, now i know why, they didn't mention the seats..
wow i am having lower back pain like I've never had before constantly and pain and numbness is shooting down my bottom and legs as well. I've seen my chiropractor to help but i still can't get comfy no matter what cusions and stuff i buy. O can't sell the car and have been everywhere to even change seats with no luck, even an upholster.. i cant afford to keep buying random cushions and back support so i was wondering if you could take a photo of the set up you have in your car so i could buy the same and try. Im in Australia so im not sure ig the product is identical here. The orbus back rest looks too wide for those seats and theres so manu different orthopaedic wedge cusions around too. I would be so grateful for any help as i literally can't drive the car til i sought this out. Also did you happen to find anything else? Thank you🙂

Reply to mazda3 seats
 

awesome, thanks so much, appreciate that. I didn't think the obusforme back cushion would fit, thought it would be way to wide.
i have a similar wedge cushion but they are both way to soft. Will just have to keep searching til i find a firmer one. Cheers again🙂