I just got a 2014 Focus SE hatchback. The car is in great condition overall, but there’s one major issue:
The driver’s seat (powered leather with lumbar support) feels uneven. The bolster near the center console is fine, but the front corner on the side near the door seems to have lost its shape. It feels like I’m sliding off the seat, especially during turns, and it’s killing my hips after just a few minutes. My roommate checked it out and agreed something’s off.
I’m coming from a 2007 Mercury Milan, which was super comfortable, so this is a huge downgrade for me. I love the car otherwise, but this seat issue is making me not want to drive it.
Do you think this is a blown-out cushion or a structural issue? Replacing the cushion sounds expensive, and I’d hate to do it and still have the same problem. I pulled a seat from a 2012 Focus at a junkyard to see how it works, and the disassembly didn’t seem too bad.
Another thought: Are the passenger and driver cushions interchangeable? Maybe I could swap in a passenger cushion from a junkyard since those are usually less worn. Do the 2012–2014 Focus models use the same size cushions?
I even considered getting an aftermarket cushion to put on top, but if the seat underneath is uneven, that won’t help. Any ideas or advice? I’m desperate to fix this.
@Shawn
It might not be about weight as much as how long it was used. My dad’s 2007 car’s driver seat collapsed after years of long drives for work. He wasn’t that heavy, maybe 185 lbs at most, but he spent hours in that seat every day.
Riley said:
The passenger seat cushion won’t work since it has electronics for detecting if the airbag should be active.
I thought maybe I could just swap the foam inside since it looks the same. I read someone on a Focus forum did it successfully. Do you think it would work if I left the electronics alone?