[flt505]

Have had the car for 1 week and it's just about perfect.
My main complaint is with the headrest, it tilts forward too much.
Does anyone know if there is, or maybe will be, aftermarket headrests?
My wife's Lexus has headrests that have adjustable tilt.
I like my seat back in a fairly upright position and I find that I have to hold my head unnaturally forward just a touch to keep if off the headrest. After about a half-hour ride I have some neck fatigue. If I recline the seatback some it may be a little better, but I don't like the feel of the reclined seatback. Are headrests standardized by post size, spacing, notch design?
Maybe I could buy some (wrecked) Lexus headrests and have them
re-covered to match. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[flt505]

Have had the car for 1 week and it's just about perfect.
My main complaint is with the headrest, it tilts forward too much.
Does anyone know if there is, or maybe will be, aftermarket headrests?
My wife's Lexus has headrests that have adjustable tilt.
I like my seat back in a fairly upright position and I find that I have to hold my head unnaturally forward just a touch to keep if off the headrest. After about a half-hour ride I have some neck fatigue. If I recline the seatback some it may be a little better, but I don't like the feel of the reclined seatback. Are headrests standardized by post size, spacing, notch design?
Maybe I could buy some (wrecked) Lexus headrests and have them
re-covered to match. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[carman]

try turning them around.

 

["C"for me]

Yes, and as stated elsewhere ... turn them around. I did it and it seems they still give the required support yet don't "lean" forward.

 

[toothdoc]

how do you turn them around?

 

[LWOOD]

Push the plastic release buttons while raising the head rest...pull it all the way out. Turn it around, reverse process.

 

[toothdoc]

got it, thanks, the wife has been complaining about the head rests from day one. I did not realize you could release it by pressing the non-obvious release

 

[jcsganga34]

Hi All,
I'm not trying to preach to anyone here but for your safety, please do NOT turn the headrests around or swap them out. The headrests are only there for crash situations to provide support for your neck. You should not be resting your head against them at any time. They are not meant to be feature comforts. Also make sure that they are lined up with the back of your head and not too low as a serious neck injury could occur if you are hit from behind. I've heard lots of horror stories regarding people not using them correctly.

 

[joey]

The headrests are very odd looking and the first thing I noticed when I first saw the car at the dealership.
They look wrong, too forward. When I sat in the car they felt wrong too.
I havn't got my C yet, but I know I will be looking to replace the headrests.
I am not aware of any other car with headrests so forward looking.
Either this is a new trend, or the 300's are just plain quirky/wrong.

A front passenger door handle is the second interior mod I will be making.
My wife noticed it was missing immediately on our test drive.
She uses the handle all the time and really missed it.
The rear seats have the handles and a spare costs, I believe, around $65.
I am going to buy a spare handle and have it installed above the front passenger seat.

 

[mileshoover]

Joey, what do you mean by "handle"? I'm confused here.

The door opening handle is not grossly different than the previous LH models and is the same as on the driver's side. Can see no problem there.

If you mean an assist handle/strap, they're probably not there on the roof as in the LH models because of the side air curtains. I'd be very careful adding anything here if you have the Protection II package which includes these bags.

I agree that the headrests slope forward a bit more than before; initially that bothered me a bit. But by keeping my seat back set just a bit rearward of vertical, my headrests just give me about an inch or so clearance when sitting normally. I like this because, with almost no effort, my head can rest on the headrest. Likewise, the smaller amount of room backward makes me feel much safer in event of a rear crash.

 

[joey]

There is a pull-down plastic handle, not strap, above the rear passenger doors. When I was at the dealer about a week ago checking out the show room C's, I spent a little time tapping and inspecting the area above the front passenger door. It sounded hollow and had a similar look and feel of the area above the rear passenger door, that has a handle.

I am getting the protection group side airbags.
Not sure where they deploy from.
I once saw a picture of the inside of a 300 with the airbags deployed, but I can't find the pics.
Hopefully the handle won't conflict with the airbags.

 

[II kings 9:20]

My old 88 Beretta made my neck feel as if it would explode, not so with my C , I love the forward slope, Volvo is the same way for a reason. Look at any GM car esp. a few years old and the gap b/t the head restraint and the head is ridiculous and unsafe. I know the feeling of a poor fit b/t the head and restraint but I agree that reversing them puts you in serious peril in the event of a rear ender.

 

[mileshoover]

There is a pull-down plastic handle, not strap, above the rear passenger doors. When I was at the dealer about a week ago checking out the show room C's, I spent a little time tapping and inspecting the area above the front passenger door. It sounded hollow and had a similar look and feel of the area above the rear passenger door, that has a handle.

I am getting the protection group side airbags.
Not sure where they deploy from.
I once saw a picture of the inside of a 300 with the airbags deployed, but I can't find the pics.
Hopefully the handle won't conflict with the airbags.

OK, now I understand what "assist" handle you are speaking of. It is exactly as i said. Those "handles" above the rear doors (which also contain the rear inside lights and a clothing hook), are specifically recessed into the headliner to accommodate those handles.

There is none in the front on the right on these LX models as I said because of the side air curtains. Those curtains deploy by popping out the headliner at the very outside edge of the headliner and door beading just above the side windows. You don't want to put anything in the way or screw anything into that area to add another assist handle. Your wife is just going to have to learn to use another method of entering and exiting the car.

Please don't mess with that area, for your own safety.

 

[joey]

OK, now I understand what "assist" handle you are speaking of. It is exactly as i said. Those "handles" above the rear doors (which also contain the rear inside lights and a clothing hook), are specifically recessed into the headliner to accommodate those handles.

There is none in the front on the right on these LX models as I said because of the side air curtains. Those curtains deploy by popping out the headliner at the very outside edge of the headliner and door beading just above the side windows. You don't want to put anything in the way or screw anything into that area to add another assist handle. Your wife is just going to have to learn to use another method of entering and exiting the car.

Please don't mess with that area, for your own safety.

Found some pics (since I don't have my car yet ).
The airbag pic is from the Chrysler website.
I will be doing more research and checking with Chrysler before I make any changes.

 

["C"for me]

I'll disagree about the safety issue here. Look at any other car, and if ALL are angled that way then I'll agree. The idea is that they keep you head/neck from snapping back if rear-ended. So if your neck can't/won't flex rearward, then the rest becomes a comfort issue. In the interest of pleasing lawyers, please note that I am not offering modification or safety advice. Any change to the headrest is done at the owners risk and is intended for off road use only. Just my $.02