I'm trying to love this truck. Really, I am.....

I've got a love/hate relationship with my '08 Taco. I was sold at the dealership; it rides great, it's got LOADS of creature comforts that other makes lack and it just "feels" solid. I loved it!

But I can't ride in it for more than about 15 minutes without a severe backache.

I've tried adjusting the seat, but no joy. Up and back, just doesn't get it. I've adjusted the steering wheel all over the place, but it's still WAY too far away from me. The arm rests are WAY too low. I can't rest my upper body weight on my elbows because I can't reach the arm rest or the console and still touch the steering wheel (at least comfortably).

I can't stand any more of this backache stuff, this truck's gotta go.

Am I the only one that feels like the steering wheel is too far away or the accelerator pedal is close to me?

 

im 6'1" 285lbs and i fit very comfy in mine have taken it on 300+ mile road trip and didnt stop till i needed gass. took a little to break in the seat for me. But my 07 trd prerunner is great.

 

i think the pedal area is a bit cramped in general.
i love my truck but there are A LOT of things i don't like about it.
i think it's human nature to start nitpicking anything, even something damn good.
i consider every vehicle i buy imperfect and a work in progress to get it all just right.

but if your body and positions don't match the interior without a complete overhaul, it might not be for you.

 

why dont you try putting one of those comfort things that drape over the seat on? you know like the ones that massage and heat and stuff???

 

I think you may have back problems with or without the truck. IMO

 

How was the last vehicle you owned ? You might want to rent different vehicles to find the one that provides the most comfort.

 

That's just it, everyones body is different. What one person loves, another will hate.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm tired today and my back hurts, so I'm probably not taking the time that I should to explain it all. I took the driver's seat out and had a seat cover made for the bottom that includes an inch of "firm" foam to get my butt up above the lumbar stuff. Any lumbar pressure at all hurts. I've got it dialed all the way down to nothing. I even shimmed the front edge of the seat up to get more support up under my thighs. The seat seems short and even 1/4" helped. I have a towel rolled up and crammed down into the crevasse between the back and the seat. Finally, I pulled up the floor mat and pulled out all that styrofoam that's glued to the bottom of the carpet. AHHHHH, now that was a good move. All that helped, but not enough.

neontrail, I'm seeing a doctor in case I have a problem, but this is the ONLY vehicle I drive that makes it hurt. (waiting on x-ray results and blood work now) I drove a full size Dodge 1500 quad cab before this (too big and bulky), but it didn't make my back hurt. My wife drives a Dodge mini-van and it actually feels GREAT. I had a Chevy Silverado before the Dodge that didn't hurt at all. Two Cherokees before that and an S-10. Nothing made my back hurt like this Taco. I've been driving the mini-van for two weeks and felt great, so I thought I'd drive the Taco today and WOE IS ME. And I want to love this truck so desperately. I'm trying; really I am.

It's all in the steering wheel if I had to sum it up. I drove around with a large piece of foam on the arm rest for a couple of weeks and that helped, but not enough. It's all in supporting my upper body weight. And having to lean way forward to reach the top of the steering wheel is only making it all worse.

I found the thread on re-covering the arm rests with leather and that gave me some hope. Maybe I can re-cover mine and add 3" or so to their height at the same time. Now for a similar solution to the console and perhaps I can live with the steering wheel.

Has anyone had any luck extending the reach of the telescoping aspect of the steering wheel adjustment. It sure seems like a puny little bit of adjustment as it is. Maybe 3" at best.

 

I have taken 8 trips of 150 miles + (to see my 85 year old mother) and each trip has been easier on the back. The worst part of the seat layout is that I alway seem to catch myself leaning to the right and forward, causing low back pain. The one thing that has not got better is the pain in my legs. The f-ing seat cushions are so short there is just no thigh support. My left leg especially will cramp up from holding it up, or goes to sleep if I let it rest on the cushion. These seats seem like they were designed for people of shorter stature, or for women. On a positive note the seats seem to be forming to my shape and a pocket is developing, so hopefully things will continue to get better.

 

I had to do the same thing in my old tundra. I had a pillow similiar in size to a camping pillow I would shove between the door & the seat cushion. It helped so much. Not quite as bad in the Tacoma tho. Hope you figure it out.

 

I am 6'1", 243lbs-chronic low back probs....IMO because the pedals are closer as you mentioned, it causes you to 'spread' your legs sideways which, whether you realize it or no, creates a lateral pull either way on that lumbar!! Try this- when you drive, prop a board between the seat and console so that it puts your right lower leg IN LINE with the gas pedal-this will cause your knee to be further up by the wheel BUT it takes that pressure off the back. I am only speaking from experience here. The fact that the seatfoam is hard as a rock dont help either anyway, these trucks are wonderful, but IMO the Japanese designers just dont seem to get American ergonomic needs.

 

It's definitely something with you, at least IMO. I had lower back surgery a couple years ago (herniated disc) and I've taken two trips, one 470 miles each way and another 600 miles each way, and I haven't had one problem. Now, after a softball game or a hard workout, sure, I still get soreness and slight pain but not in the truck. Basically what I'm saying is, if anyone should have pain it should be me but I don't.

I will say this: The driving position seems like it was designed for Michael Phelps (short legs, long arms and torso). They aren't the best seats by any stretch but they work fine for me even if I do have the back more upright than I do in other vehicles.

 

I'm 6'1" and it took me a few months to get used to my double cab. For me, it's all what you get used to... but I also subscribe to the theory... no pain, no pain. Good luck!

 

I have not problems.... I am also a skinny dude. 5'11" 155lbs.

I also have Wet Okoles... That made a big differance (kinda wraps around you...)

 

Hey man I know you probly know but your wheel should come out not just tilt. The lever on the bottom should bring it closer to you.

 

Yeah, that's the only glory in this truck. When my wife drives it, I don't have to fish around for my personal settings in the wheel and the seat.

Just pull it all the way out and all the way down and I'm back to where I was. As for the seat, just pull it forward until my legs cramp, then back it up one until my arms can't reach the steering wheel.

91r100gs and Ridgerunner know what I'm talking about. The seat cushion is short, but I solved that with the seat cover I had made. I just used a layer of 1" foam that's a little longer than the seat and now it feels like there's more pressure on the back of my thighs closer to my knees. Not real pressure, but perceived pressure and it helps with the lateral pull that Ridgerunner is describing.

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one that has this trouble. Has anyone bought a custom seat for a Taco? Fully adjustable electric sure would be nice. Anyone?

 

Back in the mid-80s my wife bought a Ford Thunderbird. The driver's seat was very adjustable, electric, went up and down and back and forth, had a lumbar cushion that you could firm up or soften down, it was fabulous......and killed my lower back! I don't even have back trouble, but 20 minutes in that seat was torture for me. Same with a 2000 Honda Civic, of all things.

The bench seat in my Taco feels great, I recently did a trip which entailed two 900+ mile days of driving solo and not so much as a stiff muscle. Some cars/trucks are just not ergonomically suited to certain individuals, that's all there is to it. My current vehicles have all been driven in excess of 900 miles in a day by me and suit me fine. I couldn't drive 100 miles in the Civic or the T-Bird without needing to check into an ER. I'm not sure why, but there it is.

 

Have you tried sitting in a sport or OR model? The seats are different, the bottom cushion has more support for your thighs?

 

Hey guys one thing that i have forgotten from my truck driving days. The Tacos seat foam is a little firmer than other trucks i have driven so this might help.

Take your wallet out of your back pocket.

I have a front pocket cardholder now. From all the hours of driving i dont even carry a wallet anymore that is one thing can kill your back when driving especially if you have one that is over stuffed.