5 Weeks / Almost 1,000 Miles - Painful Driver Seat
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Hi guys. New owner here as of 1 week and 850 miles ago - Turbo Premium Plus, Polymetal. Two days into ownership I did a big roadtrip, 4-5 hours or so each way. Now, around town the 30 is a great car, but after the trip one way, my thighs were aching and my feet were tingling like they were half asleep, for a couple hours after the drive. On the way back I tried a couple different things, like keeping my knees up off the seat entirely, but that only shifted the pain to a drilling in the left hip after about 3 hours. EDIT to add: I am mid-40s, 5'6" and 190ish lbs. Not slim, but not a behemoth - definitely a "dadbod", the ladies have said. Heh.
Note: I had even told the dealership that I was hesitant about the 30 because of this very thread (and similar), but I ended up going with it because it was the best money/features combo of all the cars I was looking at.
Anyways: This 700ish-mile round trip is one I do every 6 weeks or so, so I immediately contacted the dealership after the first half of the trip to say hey we may have an issue. Of course they say they can't take the car back, but they told me to go ahead and look at the other models like the cx5 and cx9, and they'd see what they could do for me. So I did that today.
In all honesty, I think the cx5 is so upright as to be just plain unattractive, especially compared to the cx30. Its saving grace is that its front seats are padded differently. The whole seat bottom is deeper front to back and the front area is like a big pillow under my whole knee area, as compared to the 30's seats with the flat center and the front edge that seems to just stab the back of my thighs. The cx9 is a very comfortable seating position and a much smoother ride due to its size, but the seat itself is not as padded along the front edge as the cx5's, so it's in between - all three models' seats are slightly different in design. (The 6 is different still, I noticed, while the 3's seats are the same as the cx30) Were I to get either of the larger cx models, I would have to get the Carbon edition, because I absolutely want polymetal grey and black wheels. But the Carbon lacks features that I have in the 30: the HUD and the 360 cams. For $9k more. $#!+.
I feel like I am about to take an absolute bath on this car. One hail mary: anyone out there put CX5 seats in the front of a CX30?
Cheers
Note: I had even told the dealership that I was hesitant about the 30 because of this very thread (and similar), but I ended up going with it because it was the best money/features combo of all the cars I was looking at.
Anyways: This 700ish-mile round trip is one I do every 6 weeks or so, so I immediately contacted the dealership after the first half of the trip to say hey we may have an issue. Of course they say they can't take the car back, but they told me to go ahead and look at the other models like the cx5 and cx9, and they'd see what they could do for me. So I did that today.
In all honesty, I think the cx5 is so upright as to be just plain unattractive, especially compared to the cx30. Its saving grace is that its front seats are padded differently. The whole seat bottom is deeper front to back and the front area is like a big pillow under my whole knee area, as compared to the 30's seats with the flat center and the front edge that seems to just stab the back of my thighs. The cx9 is a very comfortable seating position and a much smoother ride due to its size, but the seat itself is not as padded along the front edge as the cx5's, so it's in between - all three models' seats are slightly different in design. (The 6 is different still, I noticed, while the 3's seats are the same as the cx30) Were I to get either of the larger cx models, I would have to get the Carbon edition, because I absolutely want polymetal grey and black wheels. But the Carbon lacks features that I have in the 30: the HUD and the 360 cams. For $9k more. $#!+.
I feel like I am about to take an absolute bath on this car. One hail mary: anyone out there put CX5 seats in the front of a CX30?
Cheers
Welcome to the forum. Before losing a lot of money trading a basically new car for a new car maybe look into a really good upholstery shop sculpting the current seat to better suit you. I've read of at least a couple of people who have done this and for a few hundred dollars gotten just the seat they want. The CX-5 seat is another good idea although being a wider car I'd be suspicious of it being too wide to fit. Good luck with whatever you wind up doing.
I agree with Leo_B. When I saw the idea of putting the CX-5 seat in the CX-30 the first thing that crossed my mind is size. I've always been one to like tinkering with stuff but something tells me the seat switch would be a huge deal. More than you'd bargain for. BUT! It might work. If one could find a donor CX-5 seat from a wrecking yard or similar just to test the fit before spending too much, that's what I'd do. The upholstery shop is the better idea, I think. I have a 2010 C6 Corvette and kinda wouldn't have minded a C7 except for the seat. Even more painful than the CX-30's. The seat base side bolsters are just way to hard. A solution I saw one C7 owner do was to peel back the upholstery and drill a lot of holes in the bolster foam. When the upholstery was replaced the seat looked the same but the bolsters were a whole lot friendlier. (Softer) I though about doing that to my CX-30...but I don't know how durable it would be in the long run. Another idea would be replacing the seats with something from Recaro that would absolutely fit and hopefully be more comfortable. But that might not be any cheaper than a hosing from the dealer by trading in for a CX-5 or CX-9... 😂
Yep wish I had read about this before buying as I have the same seat comfort problem.
I tend not to do long journeys so can live with it for now - I am hoping that usage will soften the bolsters / remould them to fit me better.
I tend not to do long journeys so can live with it for now - I am hoping that usage will soften the bolsters / remould them to fit me better.
I would love to find out specifically about the CX5 seat for the 30. I asked on r/mazda and so far, no comments and the whole thing was downvoted to nothing. Yay. I've also asked the dealership. If that works, then I would gladly buy a pair of CX5 seats... and hold onto them for when I inevitably upgrade to a CX50 which I just found out about today. LOL.
Oh yeah! I also had a C6 corvette for a few years - 2005 though, first year and I know some things changed for the 06 and beyond models. But that seat was pretty good; longest trip I ever did in mine was probably another 5 hour one, DC to somewhere in NC. Never tried a C7, but always wondered about them. (and the C8 is just less practical without the huge hatch space, so pass...)
I have done just under 2000 miles in my CX30 which has a leather, electric, driver's seat. I have pretty bad back problems from time to time. However, I have found what seems to be a really comfortable position (which I remembered to commit to the seat's memory). I hope other here who have issues manage to fix them. Nothing worse than something that spoils an otherwise good new car experience.
After 1 year and 11,000 miles nothing really changed. I had to keep adjusting the seat throughout the whole year and found a somewhat tolerable position which I cannot, however, call comfortable. Without regular stretching in the gym I get chronic pain in the right hip, knee and ankle. Multiple times this year I've been close to just breaking the lease and going for something else.
Out of curiosity, do you carry a wallet and if so in which pocket and how fat is it? That might be a contributing factor which if corrected would at least make things better.
I have a slim card wallet that I always carry in the left pocket and my left leg never suffers as I always keep it fully extended. I never have my phone in the right pocket as I connect it to AA.
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Hi guys, stumbled on this thread as I was doing some searching, I've been having terrible back pain after upgrading from a 2019 Mazda3 to a 2022 Mazda3, and thought I'd post here to share similar problems I've been having as the seats should be common.
I recently got a 2022 Mazda3 Sedan Turbo, it's been over a month now and I still cannot get comfortable in the driver seat. For some context, I originally had a 2019 Mazda3 Sedan GT, and never had any issue with seat discomfort. The lease came up last month, and I upgraded to the 2022 Turbo, which on paper, has the exact same power leather seats as the car I traded in. On a quick test drive, I really didn't notice the difference, but with over a month of driving this new car on longer distances, I'm beginning to have a lot of discomfort in my lower back.
Trying to quantify this, I've found the following:
1) The seats in the 2019 Mazda were quite firm but supportive, but in the 2022, the seat cushion almost feel 'squishy' and when you sit, you 'sink into them' much more than before. At first it feels fine, but very quickly it starts putting a lot of pressure points on my hips and thighs.
2) The side bolsters seem much wider and more aggressive in the new car. The seat feels narrower, and the bolsters are hard and digging into the side of my legs.
3) The most troublesome of all, the seatback shape has a very firm, pronounced lumbar support (even on the lowest setting), that is also very low on the backrest. Instead of supporting the spine, it almost feels like it's pushing my hips and tilting my pelvis forward. Again, initially it's not bad, but after a few minutes of driving, I feel an unnatural arch in my back and being forced into this 'too upright' position.
To try to overcome these problems, I find I am adjusting the seat vastly differently than I normally do in any car. I've had to raise the seat very high to counteract the 'sinking hips', and tilt the backrest much farther back and almost scooch forward in the seat to avoid the painful lower lumbar support, and keep a more neutral spine. It reduces the pain, but feels very awkward like I'm driving an SUV and leaning far back.
Is it just me, either I somehow got greatly out of shape and developed back problems overnight, or these seats in the Mazda3 and CX-30 changed mid-cycle? Only thing I can think of is the 2019 was Japan manufactured, and the 2022 was Mexico, not sure if different parts?
Appreciate your thoughts.
I recently got a 2022 Mazda3 Sedan Turbo, it's been over a month now and I still cannot get comfortable in the driver seat. For some context, I originally had a 2019 Mazda3 Sedan GT, and never had any issue with seat discomfort. The lease came up last month, and I upgraded to the 2022 Turbo, which on paper, has the exact same power leather seats as the car I traded in. On a quick test drive, I really didn't notice the difference, but with over a month of driving this new car on longer distances, I'm beginning to have a lot of discomfort in my lower back.
Trying to quantify this, I've found the following:
1) The seats in the 2019 Mazda were quite firm but supportive, but in the 2022, the seat cushion almost feel 'squishy' and when you sit, you 'sink into them' much more than before. At first it feels fine, but very quickly it starts putting a lot of pressure points on my hips and thighs.
2) The side bolsters seem much wider and more aggressive in the new car. The seat feels narrower, and the bolsters are hard and digging into the side of my legs.
3) The most troublesome of all, the seatback shape has a very firm, pronounced lumbar support (even on the lowest setting), that is also very low on the backrest. Instead of supporting the spine, it almost feels like it's pushing my hips and tilting my pelvis forward. Again, initially it's not bad, but after a few minutes of driving, I feel an unnatural arch in my back and being forced into this 'too upright' position.
To try to overcome these problems, I find I am adjusting the seat vastly differently than I normally do in any car. I've had to raise the seat very high to counteract the 'sinking hips', and tilt the backrest much farther back and almost scooch forward in the seat to avoid the painful lower lumbar support, and keep a more neutral spine. It reduces the pain, but feels very awkward like I'm driving an SUV and leaning far back.
Is it just me, either I somehow got greatly out of shape and developed back problems overnight, or these seats in the Mazda3 and CX-30 changed mid-cycle? Only thing I can think of is the 2019 was Japan manufactured, and the 2022 was Mexico, not sure if different parts?
Appreciate your thoughts.
Sorry to hear that your seats are spoiling your experience of the new car. The issue of car seat comfort is a perennial one and I would guess affects just about every make for some owners. I have quite bad back issues (caused me to change out my much loved MX5) but, thus far, I have found my CX30 to be very comfortable and it has cause me no issues at all to date. Sadly though, it's all a bit of a lottery and car seat design is, I think, treated by manufacturers as much as a fashion or marketing item as a comfortable, safe one. Hence what can be a comfortable seat gets changed out at facelift time for a different shape etc. Short of changing a car out I would think the only thing you can do is to explore options available on the market for adding covers, cushions etc to the existing seat and, as you are doing, seeing if anyone else has tried particular solutions. I realise that I am not providing any concrete assistance but I can assure you that you are not alone with the problem and I do sympathise 🙂
I've found the drivers seat in my 2022 CX-30 CE very comfortable thus far (~1200 miles driven). I did fiddle around with the power-seat settings some in the beginning to find what worked for me & saved it. I'm a 6ft2in tall guy, approx 185lbs, & I do tend to have a sensitive back by nature. My tire PSI is set at 37-38 now (still a few PSI higher than the standard 36), but came from the dealer set at 45 PSI or so (way too high).
SDH makes a very good point about tyre pressures. Mine too were way too high on first collection. This seems quite common and is an indication that many dealers (including mine for that and other reasons) are not performing a proper PDI. If your tyre pressures are also way too high you might find that reducing them could make a noticeable difference to the ride that benefits your back. Not sure it would, of itself, be a complete fix though but you never know 🤞
Okay, 75 posts about this issue, many are follow-ups to previous posts. That's out of almost 4,000 members, so I'm not sure you could typify this as a "lot of people" having this complaint. More like, "of complaints about the CX-30 (which are relatively few) these are some of the more common."
That being said, you should look at this as if it were a pair of SHOES. All our feet are different sizes, lengths, widths, long arches or short, high or low, pointed or duck-like (MINE). I can wear VERY FEW shoes comfortably, even fewer for a long period of time. Factor in anticipated usage, walking/running VS standing around, and it's difficult to find a good, much less GREAT set of shoes for me.
That is your body fitting into a shaped receptacle for long periods of time, just like into a car. Any motorcycle riders out there know that the manufacturers basically throw "a seat" on the bike, and if you want something custom/comfortable/softer/harder, supportive, etc. you go BUY ONE and and install it or have your seat customized to fit.
But a car seat should be perfect from the get-go? Sorry, it doesn't work that way. There are basic differences for who the car is designed to fit and their baseline morphology and body habitus. Europeans, and Asians even more so, are on the whole in a lot better, and different, shapes than Americans. I'm just over 5"9", and have been driving my CX-30 for about 18 months now. It was comfortable enough when I bought it, driving 40 minutes to work, but not as comfortable on 2-3 hour trips.
Now, I can drive for 3 hours and pop right out of the car and am not sore or even stiff at all! Have I just gotten used to the car/seat, or has it "broken-in" somehow? NO. I was 196 POUNDS when I bought it, and last November decided that as I was quickly approaching 70 years old I needed to get my ass back in shape. Went KETO diet, walked 4 miles a day, and started working a LOT more doing strenuous yardwork and pool training to get back into surfing shape. The result is I now weigh 172 pounds, my sleep apnea disappeared, my core muscles are back to 80-90% of where I want them to be, I'm sleeping better, got back into old clothes I almost got rid of, and, oh yes, MY SEAT NOW FITS GREAT and is much more comfortable. WHY? It fits me better and complements my body shape, instead of being expected to hold me INTO shape...
The CX-30 is NOT a behemoth SUV with massive, plush-o-matic seats you could fit a sumo wrestler into. It's not Designed for The American Driver, but for drivers who like a more sporting vehicle, etc. This "shoe" does NOT fit everyone and should not. If it's bad for you, get something else, as it was not designed for you.
Go watch Magnum, P.I. reruns and notice that Tom Selleck drove the Ferrarri 308 with the roof panels out. HE was TOO TALL to fit inside the car! Not every car fits everyone, or should.
That being said, you should look at this as if it were a pair of SHOES. All our feet are different sizes, lengths, widths, long arches or short, high or low, pointed or duck-like (MINE). I can wear VERY FEW shoes comfortably, even fewer for a long period of time. Factor in anticipated usage, walking/running VS standing around, and it's difficult to find a good, much less GREAT set of shoes for me.
That is your body fitting into a shaped receptacle for long periods of time, just like into a car. Any motorcycle riders out there know that the manufacturers basically throw "a seat" on the bike, and if you want something custom/comfortable/softer/harder, supportive, etc. you go BUY ONE and and install it or have your seat customized to fit.
But a car seat should be perfect from the get-go? Sorry, it doesn't work that way. There are basic differences for who the car is designed to fit and their baseline morphology and body habitus. Europeans, and Asians even more so, are on the whole in a lot better, and different, shapes than Americans. I'm just over 5"9", and have been driving my CX-30 for about 18 months now. It was comfortable enough when I bought it, driving 40 minutes to work, but not as comfortable on 2-3 hour trips.
Now, I can drive for 3 hours and pop right out of the car and am not sore or even stiff at all! Have I just gotten used to the car/seat, or has it "broken-in" somehow? NO. I was 196 POUNDS when I bought it, and last November decided that as I was quickly approaching 70 years old I needed to get my ass back in shape. Went KETO diet, walked 4 miles a day, and started working a LOT more doing strenuous yardwork and pool training to get back into surfing shape. The result is I now weigh 172 pounds, my sleep apnea disappeared, my core muscles are back to 80-90% of where I want them to be, I'm sleeping better, got back into old clothes I almost got rid of, and, oh yes, MY SEAT NOW FITS GREAT and is much more comfortable. WHY? It fits me better and complements my body shape, instead of being expected to hold me INTO shape...
The CX-30 is NOT a behemoth SUV with massive, plush-o-matic seats you could fit a sumo wrestler into. It's not Designed for The American Driver, but for drivers who like a more sporting vehicle, etc. This "shoe" does NOT fit everyone and should not. If it's bad for you, get something else, as it was not designed for you.
Go watch Magnum, P.I. reruns and notice that Tom Selleck drove the Ferrarri 308 with the roof panels out. HE was TOO TALL to fit inside the car! Not every car fits everyone, or should.
Exactly the same issue. Recently purchased a 1-year-old 21 model with 5000 miles on it. I've been in excrutiating pain, and I've basically had to arch my back and stand the whole way home, about a 30-minute drive. I've put an inflatatable ring cushion I purchased in a drug store in my driver's seat. It makes things bearable now but by no means comfortable, and it looks positively embarrassing, but we do what we have to do, right? I'd love to swap the seat from another model or even another brand if I could find a local shop locally that can make that work safely without costing me what I paid for the car. BTW, I'm 5'-8" and weigh 250+. Maybe I'll try that bolster drilling thing I saw elsewhere, here.
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You hit the nail on the head, there is nothing wrong with the seats in the CX-30. The vehicle is a sub compact, it is impossible for it to fit everyone. IIRC, at one point in this thread people were posting their height & weight and those with issues tended to be heavier.
Last week I did two 10 hour drives in four days with restroom and gas stops only, the seat was great.
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Congratulations!
Several years back I had a similar experience, I went form 203 to 155 and found it easy to maintain 162+/- and settled there. Many miles cycling.
As one of those 'heavier' drivers, I can tell you that I traded a Honda Civic hatchback for the CX30 and had a Honda Fit and a Ford C-Max before that, all very comfortable. I've owned Mustangs and a Mitsubishi Mirage convertible. I have NEVER owned any car of any size that's put me through any pain, much less the pain of driving my CX30. It's indescribable, and I'm flummoxed that an off-the-showroom-floor vehicle can be so otherwise greatly designed but so poorly designed at the same time. I guess heavier people don't desserve a Mazda. I should get in better shape so that my car won't hurt me. Nothing like a little body shaming here on the board to end the discussion. Others feeling the pain are sure to shut up and get in shape instead of complaining...
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