2017 model front head restraints

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koborn

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
6
I think this is becoming an industry-wide problem, but -

Just swapped a 2015 (UK) 24kwh Leaf for a 2017 30kwh. All well, but the front head restraints no longer have any fore and aft adjustment, and are positioned so my wife (5'3") has her head forced forward (hurting her neck) unless she has the seat back laid way back (hurting her back!). The only fix we found so far is to remove the restraint completely.

So we swapped to what was supposed to be an "identical" car in general terms and she can't drive it.

Any thoughts? Anyone else had this problem?
 
Not too helpful: I AM someone turning in a 2015 car. No chance of swapping the head restraints with the old one, it's already been sold on. It is not possible to buy "obsolete" spares. I suppose a scrapyard is a theoretical option, but there will be very few instances around.

And dammit, why should my only recourse for a change that the manufacturer has imposed, that makes the car unusable, be to search around scrapyards?

In theory I have 14 days sale or return. It might be interesting to try that--.
 
Not too helpful: I AM someone turning in a 2015 car. No chance of swapping the head restraints with the old one, it's already been sold on.

I'm talking about swapping headrests on the car you just acquired with the headrests from a car that someone else is going to turn in, with the older design, for a cash incentive. If that doesn't apply then I don't understand your situation. As for "obsolete" parts not being available, that isn't always the case. Just look for a Nissan parts supplier who has headrests acquired by them before the changeover. It's called "new old stock" or NOS.
 
garsh said:
koborn said:
Any thoughts? Anyone else had this problem?
And I found a solution, posted here:
Headrests are uncomfortable
For more details, see the "Adding Headroom" section of my blog: http://garsh.myevblog.com/

Yes, one of the commenters in "Headrests are Uncomfortable" did the same thing we did. My wife is 5' 2" and we turned the head rest around in our 2011 Leaf in the passenger side. When she is driving she also uses cushions to raise herself higher so she has a better view while driving. Being a couple inches higher seemed to help.

We recently got a 2017 Leaf. When she is in the passenger side she also leaned the seat way back that seemed to help, but also try switching the headrest around in reverse.

Let us know if that works for your wife.
 
I cannot believe that someone is ready to return a brand new car over the angle of headrest!!

The answer is very easy.. 1) Flip the headrests so they angle the other way OR, 2) Go to any auto body shop. Have them put the steel rods in a vice and bend them to the angle you want.... Done!
 
No, I'm not seriously going to turn the car in, although of course the problem is not "bad head restraints" but "no way to get a pain-free seating position" which is a little more significant.

We have this sort of problem with any new car: I just get in and drive, she has to spend weeks playing with seat positions, cushions and so on. It's obviously hard to design a seat that fits all sizes, but 5'3" is not that unusual!

As for bending the headrest pillars, I have a strong suspicion that this would backfire at the end of the lease. It's not exactly "fair wear and tear". So I would have to buy two new ones then.

@LeftieBiker: given that the rate of registrations around here is <1 /week, and most of those are first-time, I'd have to hang around a *long* time to find someone else trading in a '15! This also assumes that the dealer/leasing company would A: agree and B: remember they'd agreed. I looked at NOS, and basically for Leafs it doesn't exist here. The stock in breakers is also minimal, and I'd probably have to scour the country for a long time.

@garsh: yes, reversing them would probably work. Of course, in the event of a collision, any claim for whiplash related injury would be thrown out, but that's a small risk in the overall scheme of things.

I think the best thing is to experiment with back support seat inserts to bring the driver's back position forward a little.

Thanks for your ideas everyone!
 
koborn said:
As for bending the headrest pillars, I have a strong suspicion that this would backfire at the end of the lease. It's not exactly "fair wear and tear". So I would have to buy two new ones then.
You only need to bend them about an inch. It's not noticeable at all, and it makes a huge difference.
@garsh: yes, reversing them would probably work. Of course, in the event of a collision, any claim for whiplash related injury would be thrown out, but that's a small risk in the overall scheme of things.
Note: that was not _my_ suggestion. Whiplash is about the most common injury in auto accidents, because getting rear-ended is the most common type of accident.
I think the best thing is to experiment with back support seat inserts to bring the driver's back position forward a little.
The downside to that solution is that the heated seat feature no longer warms up your back. But since every car sold nowadays is required by law to have this awful headrest position, it's probably a good investment not just for this car, but for every car you buy in the future.
 
@LeftieBiker: given that the rate of registrations around here is <1 /week, and most of those are first-time, I'd have to hang around a *long* time to find someone else trading in a '15! This also assumes that the dealer/leasing company would A: agree and B: remember they'd agreed. I looked at NOS, and basically for Leafs it doesn't exist here. The stock in breakers is also minimal, and I'd probably have to scour the country for a long time.

Have you searched Ebay for a set? You can set a continuing search that will alert you when a set comes up for sale. It's just "Leftiebiker" BTW. I don't Twit, or tweet, or whatever. I tried something similar by posting in only subject boxes for about a year, but got bored with it.
 
The USA models never had adjustment ahead and back so I had the same issue when I got the 2015. Try raising the headrest as high as possible while still providing support. The angles of the support posts on the headrest and support tubes in the seat back cause the headrest to effectively move back as it is raised. I drive with the headrest in the highest position even though I am only 5'-7".
 
I am 5'10" and have a foam tailbone cushion I sit on (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AE9V3WQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1). With that combination, I get the least discomfort with the headrest all the way down. Without the cushion, it was better to have it raised fairly high.
 
I have a 2015 SV purchased in February of this year. I also have found the front seat headrests uncomfortable - to say the least. I sat in the car this morning and in the rear view mirror and noticed the head rests for the rear seats were much smaller. So, looking at the simplest solution available, I switched them out front to rear. I plan on driving the car on my normal commutes all week and I will report my experience next weekend.
 
koborn said:
I think this is becoming an industry-wide problem, but -

Just swapped a 2015 (UK) 24kwh Leaf for a 2017 30kwh. All well, but the front head restraints no longer have any fore and aft adjustment, and are positioned so my wife (5'3") has her head forced forward (hurting her neck) unless she has the seat back laid way back (hurting her back!). The only fix we found so far is to remove the restraint completely.

So we swapped to what was supposed to be an "identical" car in general terms and she can't drive it.

Any thoughts? Anyone else had this problem?

I just recently noticed this too! The headrests seem bent/shaped too far-leaning forward. Right now I dont notice it much when I sit to drive, but just looking at it makes it look so tilted forward and looks a bit ugly.
 
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