New Camry Driver's Seat Uncomfortable

sangfroid · 2003-11-09T13:29:52+00:00

Because I've been told that my '97 Camry LE 4 with 88,000 miles needs newengine seals (a puff of white smoke on startup in the morning, sometimes --no signs of sludge), and that it will cost $900 - $1200 to repair, I'velooked into replacing it instead. I've driven the Accord, Passat, andAltima, but decided that the new car I would most enjoy driving until itcraps out (perhaps prematurely again) would be another Camry. So yesterdayI rented one and drove it 500 miles to see whether I'd really like it.The driving experience is very similar to my current Camry. Some thingshave been improved, some are worse. (I'm 5'7" and the radio and A/Ccontrols are a long reach for me.) But the big difference, and what willkeep me from buying a new Camry unless a solution can be found, is thedriver's seat. The front passenger seat and the back seat are allcomfortable. But the driver's seat has an adjustable lumbar support thateven at its minimum setting is sticking me in the back. An aftermarketlamb's wool seat insert helped alleviate the pressure, but I was stillfeeling it at the end of the day.I've seen comments from other people that the driver's seat in the '97 - '01Camry didn't have enough lower back support. (For me it's comfortable.) Ithink Toyota heard the complaints but went to the opposite extreme.Does anyone know what's inside the seat there? Is it an air bladder? Ifso, what would happen if you let ALL the air out? Would the seatbackcollapse inward? Can anyone suggest any other solution?As of now, it looks like the dealer will be reaching into my wallet foranother $1200. For an engine that should have lasted a lot longer.

Nov 09, 2003 20 Replies

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springer.connie 8 years ago

I purchased a 2017 Camry LE with under 3000 miles a few weeks ago and have had nothing but backaches since driving it. I owned a 2003 Camry which I ha d to give up because of expensive repairs, but now I wish I'd kept it. I ca lled Toyota to discuss the problem seats and told them that online I've run into dozens of other complaints from people about Toyota seats, but they i gnored me with a "there's nothing we can do" attitude. I feel I need to sel l the car and get one with a better design for bad backs.

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