headrests

Again as I stated above, the OP is not talking about completely removing the headrest. Headrests have been in vehicles for years and have prevented numerous serious injuries. The Active Head Restraint system is just a slight improvement on the standard headrest in that it retracts back when your head hits it with force. Get in and push on the headrest and you will see what it does. Nobody is talking about dying.

 

I know you mean well, but I am going to mess with it one way or the other. its either that or I am selling the truck. Only options, since I don't see live with it as being acceptable.

 

I'll trade you my 08 for it !

 

I agree with the OP - as I drive the truck I find that the seat is one of the things I have a problem with. I feel like my head is tilted too far downward. I've resorted to leaning the seat back a little further than I would like to try and unkink my neck. And then of course the shifter is a little further away and the 1, 3, 5 shifts are a long reach.

Its not a problem when I'm driving around town and shifting around in the seat but longer highway drives get tiring with my neck in that position. I'm going to flip that mofo around and see if that helps.

 

If the only reason you are getting rid of the truck is because the headrests are uncomfortable then you are probably better off just buying a Yugo. I hate the seat in my truck but I bought it because it is the best truck in its class plus about a million other reasons.

 

I disagree...the Yugo is definitely a step down in comfort.

Seriously - if a vehicle gives you a crick in the neck every time you drive it, then that obviously takes away from the whole experience. People's comfort zones are different - seems like you were able to look past the uncomfortable seat and focus on the good things.

I'm going to experiment a little with the headrest and post if I come up with something that works. Haha maybe the headrests from my 350Z will fit

 

appreciate it.

That was the big reason I bought my Tacoma as well, it really is a great truck on paper and theres a lot of good things about it. I just found one design feature to drive me nuts.

 

Uh, no, that is the opposite of what it does.

It actually pushes foward against your head in a rear end collision. There is a thing in the back of the seat that when pushed with enough force it makes the head rest move forward an appropriate amount to "catch" your head before your head even moves.

 

I have an '08 so don't know about the '09 head rests. I had to turn mine around because I like to sit almost straight up when I drive. On long trips I cannot get comfortable - I end up hunched over. I am not short 5'8" but the seat just does not "fit" me. It's 100% better with the headrest turned around - I can use it if I need it, but it's not pushing my head/neck forward.

 

Do you have kids?

Replace them with some dvd player headrests... They don't have the angle the stock ones do, and can be had fairly cheap...

 

I turned mine around backwards yesterday. It looks ridiculous. Haha my seats as a whole look completely funny anyway. I punched some shower curtain rings through a black bath towel and hooked it around the headrest posts. I draped the bathtowel down the back of the seat to keep my toolboxes from scuffing up the seat. It looks like darth vader is sitting in my truck. If I get a helmet for the headrest it will complete everything!

Anyways...the headrest being flipped around is way more comfortable but there is zero contact with my head. I have to kick my neck way back to even get my head to touch it so I don't think it would be as safe in a rear-ender. Next move is to try a swap from the 350Z and my g/f's Scion tC (when she's not looking).

 

"but as it currently is, it will not be much as far as life saving is concerned"

Am i misunderstanding? How do you figure? Proofread please

 

Confirmed today that the headrest from my g/f's '08 Scion tC will fit the Tacoma and is a perfect angle. The only bad things are that I had to go through hell to convince her to give it up and the upholstry on it is black while the Tacoma is grey. I can't see it when I'm driving so I don't care too much.

 

great! lots of scions around. thanks

 

I had to promise to buy one for myself and return hers...so I merely got permission to 'borrow' it I did a quick search on eBay. Lowest price I've found so far is $75 + $20 shipping for a new one.

 

I use the "small" version of these in another car...thinking about getting them for the Tacoma:

http://kushneck.netfirms.com/products.htm

Looks like they're out of gray right now, hopefully back in stock soon.

Take it from someone with cervical spine disease (congenital, not form an accident): you don't want to take any changes with your neck/cervical spine.

Of course, day to day driving comfort is important, but I'd be careful not to do anything to compromise they safety system. Who knows what the active headrest system will do to your neck with a "non-standard" headrest installed in case of an accident?

Also, as an aside, if you have weird pains in your neck, or numbness or tingling in your arms or hands, I'd suggest getting it checked out by an orthopedist or (preferably) a neurosurgeon. If you have a latent problem with your c-spine, a "harmless" rear-end collision could spell big trouble for you. Better off getting it checked out up front.

</soapbox>

 

I'm about to get a set of Scion front headrests on ebay. has anyone else done this besides SmanZ?

Thanks,

 

I agree with the OP also. At first I turned the headrest around. The increased comfort was worth the loss of safety. Now I am using one of the headrests from the back seat (crew cab) because it has slightly better support. I am still not happy about the loss of safety but the standard headrest is unacceptably uncomfortable. I am considering bending it back but I am afraid I can not do it without making it unusable. Still hoping for a better solution.

 

Hi Wolf13,

I have a 2007 Tacoma quad cab and I have the same issue. I have a big head and the headrest bug the crap out of me. I also didn’t notice this until after I purchased the truck. I found a simple solution. I just pull the headrest out on the driver’s seat and turned it around. This tilts the headrest back just far enough to keep it from touching my head.