[pbeinetti]

Does anyone know how to remove the lumbar support in the driver's seat? I have had alot of back pain driving my M-o, and have tried almost everything. I seem to be better in the passenger seat which does not have the solid rod for the lumbar, but a spring. I'd like to remove the lumbar and experiment by using a spring instead. I'd take it to my Nissan dealer to take out the lumbar but I know he would charge me a fortune.

 

[rokyracoon]

I also am having back trouble in the drivers seat as opposed to the passenger seat. I'm looking to find some kind of seat cushion to try to relieve the uncomfortableness. Is that a word???

Let me know what you come up with.

 

[CVeeT]

Wonder if it is possible to reverse the seats for you. Of course the seat controls will be hard to reach in the gap.

 

[pmw0826]

Thought I was the only one with this problem, so I did not post on it before. I test drove briefly an '03 with cloth. . no problem; then borrowed a friend's '03 with leather for a day or two . . again no problem. My '04 has leather and this has too much lumbar. I wonder if it is the power lumbar? I think it is the fact that the lumbar is too low. I have a Saab 9-5 wagon (soon to go), a Saab 9-3SE convertible, and a Chrysler T&C, and the lumbar on all of them seems to be a little higher. I agree, however, just to be able to turn it off more would be great. How can we do it?

 

[esemes]

2004 is power lumbar.....................

it should be possible to have a custom upholstery shop pull the seat and maybe either supplement the lumbar cushion, or, remove it altogether......


i feel the seats are too flat (making the lumb. feel as if it pushed out too much), and would be better served to have side bolster augmentation....

esemes
(l-5 lumbarectomy)

 

[Riv]

I't's good (bad) to hear others with the same problem as me. My back kills me after a drive in my MO, and I can't seem to find a sweet spot with the seat adjustments. I thought it was because I'm 6'4". Are any or all of you tall? I think we should send something to nissan about this. The lumbar support is way too low. What's up with that?

 

[Enforcer]

For 03:

 

[pbeinetti]

Enforcer:

Does the manual give any hint on how to remove the lumbar? I've got the back of the seat apart (wasn't easy), but I can't figure out where to start with the lumbar removal.

 

[esemes]

try actuating it to see how the paddle moves outward (from the arm)


then you might find the answer that way (hope)

 

[Enforcer]

Snap ring on lever?:

 

[pmw0826]

Like I said in my last post, I can't quite figure out why the '03 seemed comfortable to be, but the '04 sure isn't. Sounds like the '03's have similar problems. Yesterday, I drove my '01 9-5 wagon and my wife's '02 Chrysler T&C, followed by the MO and to my way of thinking not only is the lumbar out too far when it is off, but also it seems like it is lower (more in the belt area rather than a true lumbar area). All I know is that as much as I love the MO, this is a literal pain in the back. I hope we can come up with a solution. I bought the MO for its comfort, now I don't have what I really wanted.

 

[pbeinetti]

I have had continued back pain from the M-o from the first day I bought it. We took it on a coast to coast trip soon after getting it and there were many times I needed to stop and get out of the car my back was so sore. I have taken the backing off the seat and made numerous changes, but nothing seems to work. I've come to believe that the way the facing of the seat is designed is wrong for some people. My last resort is to take the lumbar off . I'll use a seat pad if I need to, but I'll sell the car before I use a seat pad full time.

 

[Enforcer]

I suggest you call 1-800-NISSAN1. They are going to ask if you talked to your dealer first, so you might talk to your dealer first.

I'm 6'1" and it's perfect for me. I have my lumbar set to max.

 

[pmw0826]

Each and every one of us has our own personal choice of seating position. That's why the MO should be so great. When one has an infinite number of seating positions, lumbar position, plus pedal position, one would think that a perfect level of comfort could be achieved. Although I have scratched the h%^^ out of the door panel, my seat position is perfect, actually two positions. However, I cant' get the lumbar anywhere near where it should be. This is a d*&^ shame in my opinion. I hope there are enough of us who have a problem that Nissan can come up with some sort of solution. The MO is too perfect ( in my case so far 800 miles) to have a problem like this permanently detract from its usefullness. I've said that if I cannot get this fixed, I'll take my loss and get another car quickly. . a darn shame I feel. . .but comfort is very important when one drives a great deal.

 

[rokyracoon]

Today I brought my Chiropractor out to my car to see if he could adjust the seat to fit my posture. He mentioned that the seat cushion is too short and the cushion is not flat enough. The bump in the seat cushion causes a "valley" between the seat back and the seat cushion which causes the back problems. Just one more annoyance that will have to be fixed by an after market product or my pillow.

 

[pbeinetti]

Rokyracoon:

What did your chiro means by the "bump in the seat cushion causes a valley between the seat back and the seat cushion"? Does he mean you sit too low in the back of the seat cushion? I've wondered about that myself, if that's what he means. I would like to sit more flat on the cushion, but the front of the seat won't go low enough. I'm 6 feet tall and when I lift the back of the seat cushion high enough so my butt is flat I'm nearly touching the roof with my head.

 

[rokyracoon]

That's it exactly. If you sit in the passenger seat, you'll see that you won't have this problem. Oh well, at least the car looks good.
I'm looking for a seat cushion to see if this will solve the problem. Of course with a seat cushion, you can't use the heated seat. I'll let you know my progress. Let me know what you find out.

 

[Enforcer]

Interesting document on lumbar support:
http://www.ergosolutionsmag.com/ergoforum/ErgoForumP.pdf

 

[rokyracoon]

Thanks Enforcer for the info. This is why I bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair for my office. Now lets send this article to Nissan.

 

[Enforcer]

Well...I think they will say that is exactly how the MO drivers seat is designed. That document shows exactly what the MO lumbar does for me and I have been on five - 10 hour road trips with no problems. And I have lower back disk problems. I wish my chair at work had lumbar support.

But it doesn't work for some people. The issue seems to be, it is either too much, not enough or it needs to have a vertical adjustment to accomodate a wider range of people.

Talk to your dealer and NNA. They may be able to remove the lumbar support or move it up or down to fit your needs. They may also be able to add supports or padding. Your chiro or doctor may be of some help in this process too, determine at exactly what height and how much throw you need.

If none of that pans out, and you can't do it yourself, I would try a local auto shop.