[redwheelwells]

I'm looking to modify the driver's seat on my 2012 Liberty. Even though it's power adjustable, I can't seem to get it to fit me. (I'm average size, by the way.) It doesn't have the movement range of other power seats I've owned. The seat is also heated, and who knows how the electrical/electronic aspects all interact, so I need somebody knowledgeable about all that, in addition to having old fashioned upholstery competance. So far, Mopar and the dealers haven't been of appreciable help. I rented Libertys (cloth, non-heated, manual seats) without any discomfort many times for extended road trips before I bought this new one (power adjustable, heated, leather). Who da thunk that the upgraded seat would be a problem? The discomfort became noticable after driving the new vehicle for about half an hour; I did not negotiate a "money-back guarantee," and don't have the money to absorb an immediate loss on the new vehicle by selling it/trading it in now.)

Thanks for your help, "Allparers."

 

[ImperialCrown]

What aspect of the seat doesn't fit you comfortably? Lately seat designers have become more interested in crash-safety than comfort. Dealers, mobility vehicle and interior upfitters may be reluctant to modify a seat that may also affect your safety and their liability.
Side (thorax) airbags and active head rests (AHR) have had their share of consumer complaints by making occupants have to sit in funny positions.
The wife's Liberty has nice cloth, chair-height power seats and she finds them comfortable (she has a bad back). She felt like she was sitting on the floor in my Neon and needed help getting in and out of the car.
You can Google: improving driver's seat comfort or ergonomics for tips and possible solutions.

http://ergonomics.about.com/od/car/ss/adjusting_the_drivers_seat_4.htm

 

[redwheelwells]

Thanks for your response, ImperialCrown. I'm sure you're right about the safety/liability aspects. And yes, aren't door entry height and step-in depth and seat height all important factors especially for us Seasoned Citizens? The seat back part of my Liberty seems great for me! It's the seat base that's the problem.

My specific problem is sort of cramping the underside of my right leg, cramped/irritated in the course of using the throttle and brake. As mentioned above, I never had this problem with cloth, manual Liberty seats on rental vehicles, even when driving them on day-long trips with a lot of stop-and-go traffic thrown in. One of the rental Libertys was brand new; I was the first customer to rent it, so it's not a matter of the rental Liberty cloth seats being worn in/pressed down when I drove them.

The problem with the Liberty I bought seems to be a combined problem of, toward the front edge of the seat base, too-hard seat base foam padding/leather/ seat heater element (heater element is made of carbon fiber by the way!) all right at a pressure area on the lower side of my right leg, and a too-high minimum height of the seat bottom at that area. I've tried different sizes/configurations/positions of pillows and cushions, along with all the adjustments of the power seat, and nothing seems to help.

RecentlyI sat in some used Libertys with manual, cloth seats and could feel the difference right away! No pressure there with them!

Mopar.com shows two or three different seat base foams and frames, apparently along with a cheaper cloth, a "premium" cloth, and a leather cover. I'd like to see, for example, about such options as using the other (softer?) foam (or a custom-fabricated foam), possibly removing the seat heater, and going to a cloth seat bottom. Not sure about the possible effects on seat belt tensioner, bus-related interactions, error codes, active head rest, etc.

By the way, the dealer referred me to Chrysler customer care about this---they referred me back to the dealer, and here I am, looking for other help.