.But I greatly appreciated not feeling sunken into the Kona, like I did with the Civic. I'm constantly fiddling with all the seat settings so perhaps something will feel better over time. The two back support cushions I ordered are here which I hope help. I can't stand the contouring now so I don't think those would help me.
Might be cheaper to see a chiropractor or doctor first. You may have underlying issues that are exacerbated by the seating position.Unfortunately I'm in the same predicament as the original poster. I bought a 2021 Kona Limited about two weeks ago. No matter how I adjust the seat, lumbar, steering wheel, etc., I still have tension/popping/pain in the back of my neck and upper back/shoulder area. What perplexes me is that a few months ago I rented a Kona for a few days and had no problem at all. In fact, I was impressed by how comfortable it was during a 2hr+ drive. I don't know what year model that was, but I'm pretty sure it was the basic SE model. Is there a difference in the seat design of the the SE and Limited?
I'm about 5'9'' and 160 pounds, so that seems about average. I doubt that height has much to do with it. NatureQuest, I'm also thinking that I might have to trade-in the Kona and get another vehicle, and of course I will lose tons of money if I have to do that. I've ordered a neck cushion to put on the seat, so hopefully that will help. If not, I may have to look into selling. I hope it doesn't come to that because I like everything else about the Kona.
Hi There,Unfortunately I'm in the same predicament as the original poster. I bought a 2021 Kona Limited about two weeks ago. No matter how I adjust the seat, lumbar, steering wheel, etc., I still have tension/popping/pain in the back of my neck and upper back/shoulder area. What perplexes me is that a few months ago I rented a Kona for a few days and had no problem at all. In fact, I was impressed by how comfortable it was during a 2hr+ drive. I don't know what year model that was, but I'm pretty sure it was the basic SE model. Is there a difference in the seat design of the the SE and Limited?
I'm about 5'9'' and 160 pounds, so that seems about average. I doubt that height has much to do with it. NatureQuest, I'm also thinking that I might have to trade-in the Kona and get another vehicle, and of course I will lose tons of money if I have to do that. I've ordered a neck cushion to put on the seat, so hopefully that will help. If not, I may have to look into selling. I hope it doesn't come to that because I like everything else about the Kona.
Thanks for the advice, NatureQuest. I never thought about the headrest position being an issue, but that's certainly worth a try. My latest theory is similar to what you mentioned in no 1 of your original post. I think the contour of the seat back may be causing a situation where the middle part of my upper back is not supported well. This morning I placed a wadded up towel behind my neck/upper back and that seemed to help. Normally I've been feeling a kind of tension and slight burning in between the shoulder blades when I sit in the Kona sit. This doesn't happen when I sit in my brother-in-law's old Jeep Liberty, and it never happened with my previous car, a Hyundai Sonata.Hi There,
If it's mainly your neck / shoulders bothering you from the headrest, there might be a solution. You can actually take the headrest out (just depress the black button that allows it to go up until it's completely out) and flip it around so the flatter side faces your head. It didn't help my main issues with seat comfort but it certainly helped with preventing my head from being pushed forward, especially with the seat in a more upright potion.
Fingers crossed it may help you. I'm still deciding if one of the back cushions I ordered makes it a tolerable enough ride so that I don't have to sell. It really is a great car otherwise.
I use an wrapped roll of paper towels on my belt line & it seems to help somewhat. A long ride & I'm doing a slow exit because the seat does make you go into flexion(forward) instead of extension(backward). I'm trying different angles of the seat back. Hope this helps.Thanks for the advice, NatureQuest. I never thought about the headrest position being an issue, but that's certainly worth a try. My latest theory is similar to what you mentioned in no 1 of your original post. I think the contour of the seat back may be causing a situation where the middle part of my upper back is not supported well. This morning I placed a wadded up towel behind my neck/upper back and that seemed to help. Normally I've been feeling a kind of tension and slight burning in between the shoulder blades when I sit in the Kona sit. This doesn't happen when I sit in my brother-in-law's old Jeep Liberty, and it never happened with my previous car, a Hyundai Sonata.
I'm glad that I found this forum so I can compare notes with someone who has a similar problem. Like you, I really hope I can keep the Kona. It's such a great vehicle in every other way.
Hi, I have some exact same issues with my brand new Kona. I'm short 5.1 and not big, but no matter how I adjust the seat I can't get rid of the pain across my shoulders. I've driven over 3000km so have given it a good trial. Apart from this I love the rest of the car and it's going to end up a very expensive exercise to change cars but I just can't handle the pain anymore. It's not worth it.So I just bought a 2021 Kona Limited about 3 weeks ago, trading in my 2018 Civic. It had a lot of upgrades to the Civic I was very excited about. However, I guess the 15 minute test ride wasn't enough to determine that, after driving about 300 miles, I find the driver seat extremely uncomfortable. It seems to me it was not designed to accommodate long legs, i.e., tall people. I'm 5'10 with a 34 inch inseam and a shorter torso. The problems are as follows:
1. The seat is terrible for good posture. It is too curved, with your mid-back curving inward and shoulders pushed forward (so you are shaped like a 'c'), and the side contours too narrow and stiff. The straighter you have the seat the more it exaggerates that posture putting a lot of strain on your back. This is relieved the further back you can extend the seat, but...
2. The steering wheel does not extend far enough for me to be able to have the seat back enough while being able to comfortably reach it (yes, I extended it all the way, which isn't much). So I'm forced to either have the seat a little further back and strain to reach the wheel or put the seat up straighter and be in back pain. I did not find the lumbar support very helpful, as it pushes firmly a little higher than what would be helpful. I've tried every-which-way with all the seating positions so far and no overall relief.
3. Also, and not a complete deal-breaker but not ideal, the footrest for your left foot is too far up so I find myself putting my foot in-between it and the break so I have more length to rest it.
Did they have any tall people test this car when designing it?!!! Seriously.
Right now I've placed a smaller rectangular cushion from couch on the seat to push me forward so my back doesn't cave, which is helping a little. I really want to keep the car. I like most everything else about it. I've ordered two different full-length lumbar support cushions and really hope they work. If not, I simply can't live with how uncomfortable the driving experience is and will need to sell or trade this in taking a MAJOR financial hit considering I just traded in a perfectly fine vehicle that was paid off. I can't tell you how devastated I've been about this, hardly sleeping.
If anyone has any helpful advice please do share!
I sympathize entirely with you. Although I'm short I have exactly the same issue re pain. Let us know if you have any success trying to correct the problem.Unfortunately I'm in the same predicament as the original poster. I bought a 2021 Kona Limited about two weeks ago. No matter how I adjust the seat, lumbar, steering wheel, etc., I still have tension/popping/pain in the back of my neck and upper back/shoulder area. What perplexes me is that a few months ago I rented a Kona for a few days and had no problem at all. In fact, I was impressed by how comfortable it was during a 2hr+ drive. I don't know what year model that was, but I'm pretty sure it was the basic SE model. Is there a difference in the seat design of the the SE and Limited?
I'm about 5'9'' and 160 pounds, so that seems about average. I doubt that height has much to do with it. NatureQuest, I'm also thinking that I might have to trade-in the Kona and get another vehicle, and of course I will lose tons of money if I have to do that. I've ordered a neck cushion to put on the seat, so hopefully that will help. If not, I may have to look into selling. I hope it doesn't come to that because I like everything else about the Kona.
Hi There,Hi, I have some exact same issues with my brand new Kona. I'm short 5.1 and not big, but no matter how I adjust the seat I can't get rid of the pain across my shoulders. I've driven over 3000km so have given it a good trial. Apart from this I love the rest of the car and it's going to end up a very expensive exercise to change cars but I just can't handle the pain anymore. It's not worth it.
Hi, I have the Elite model with leather seats. I haven't been able to find a comfortable seat position yet and suffer from shoulder and neck pain because of the shape of the seat. Am about to search for some kind of seat support to alleviate the problem. I'm quite upset as this sort of issue never entered my head when purchasing and I don't really want to have to change if I don't have to.Does anyone know if the uncomfortable seat issue applies to the leather model(s) only or is it the same with the cloth seats i.e. SE and Night edition?
