I bought a new '11 TSX (4cyl, base) two weeks ago and I've been using it for normal driving around town, no trips longer than an hour. I have developed a pain or ache along the back of my right leg sort of running along my hamstring and glutes. I've tried adjusting the seat several different ways but the problem hasn't gone away. I don't notice the discomfort while I'm driving - it's after I've gotten out of the car.

I'm a young guy without any previous injuries. The car I traded in for the TSX was a Mazda sedan, roughly the same size as the TSX.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any tips on how to make it more comfortable?

 

are you super tall?

are you yao ming?

 

Do some of this before you get into your car.

 

Nope, 6 feet, 150 lbs.

 

I agree maybe you just need some stretching exercises before you drive

 

any other activities give you similar stress? maybe like sitting at a desk or something in class?

try this, sit at a work desk and try to best emulate the motion of driving the car for 10 minutes, then get up and see if its the same effect, the key to pin-pointing whats ailing you is the ability to re-create the stressor

if you can figure out what position/action is stressin ya maybe we can then narrow it down in the car

 

Is your right foot turned to the right or is it facing straight up?

Some footwells and pedals can cause a leg cramp

 

The TSX is super-adjustable. You can move the seat all the way forward, all the way backward, up, down, etc. The steering wheel also adjusts in several ways, up, down, and telescoping in and out.

When I first got my TSX, I adjusted it to what I thought was comfortable for me. I'm 5'10", so I moved my seat backward. After a couple of weeks, I realized that I was having leg pains. I didn't notice it while driving, but I noticed it after driving.

After a long road trip where I had someone sitting behind me (thus, my seat was moved forward), I realized that I wasn't getting the pain anymore after I drove. It turned out that being an inch too far made me point my toes too much. I haven't had any issues driving ever since I permanently moved my seat forward (thank goodness for memory seats).

Basically your car is so accommodating, you probably haven't been using your optimal seating position. I would play around with the seats to find settings that work for you.

 

+1. When I first started driving my TSX I adjusted the seat based on what I was used to in a '98 Camry: seat low and back. I developed discomfort and allowed myself to "break tradition" and try a different seat configuration: higher up (I previously did not like the "minivan" position), just a little further forward, and lower steering wheel.

Now, I can take extended trips without feeling any discomfort at all.

 

i would say, adjust the height of the seat so that your butt is closer to the same height as your knees. adjust your seat back to a more upright position. i think the key is to distribute your weight over the length of the seat bottom, so that neither your butt not the front of your thigh (where the seat bottom ends) is sustaining the pressure from sitting.

i'm 6ft tall too, and i was able to find a comfortable seating position in the tsx, and my previous car, which also happened to be a mazda sedan

 

Interesting ideas, I am surprised that I would need to stretch before driving but will give it a try. Also need to keep playing with the seat adjustments. It seems like the strain on my leg is coming from pressing on the brake, I think there was not as much tension on the pedal in my old car (due to wearing down).

 

I get the same problem, but adjust the seat to be lower and a little closer, and with less lumbar support has done wonders for my leg and back

 

I have same problem, ends up i am using pillow to support my lower body, not back. I always feel there is something missing between lower back. Lumbar support is useless, beacuse it is too high.

 

Well I'm still adjusting the seat but the pain hasn't gone away, if anything its gotten worse. I feel it in my right glute and/or piriformis. I don't know what else to do to try to fix this...I'm worried I'm going to have to trade the car in after 2 months and take a total bath.

 

At 6'5" I have just as much room in my TSX as I do in my 2005 RL. As for my old 2003 TL, forgetaboutit.

 

rotflmao you are tooo funniiieeee...

 

Well I still haven't found any solution to this, I guess I am just going to take the loss on the car (despite the fact that I like everything else about it).

 

Try driving an A4, I just traded in my 07 A4 for a TSX Wagon, my right knee is loving life now.

 

I have the same problem with my TSX. I commute 2-3 hours per day, so have had a lot of time to experiment with fixes to this annoying problem. The problem is the TSX seat. The lack of proper padding on the bottom center section forces the overly stiff side bolsters to intrude, and it is made worse if you wear a wallet in your back pocket. My first suggestion is to never wear a wallet back there when driving. The second is to get a pad for the bottom of the seat. I am using a closed-cell foam hunting pad made for sitting in deer stands to elevate me just enough so the side bolster doesn't intervene so much. Third, try to move around and relieve pressure as much as practical while driving.
By the way, I am a male, 6 feet tall, 175, normal proportions--regular clothes sizes fit me. The bad seat design has been one of the negative aspects of driving this very good commuter car. If you look at the TL or RL or MDX seat, for instance, they have more and better padding on the bottom of the seat than the TSX. If I could retrofit one of those seats into my TSX I would consider paying for it.
For the record, stretching before you drive as a way of solving this is humorous--really. I am a certified strength and conditioning specialist and there's nothing about stretching prior to driving that will alleviate this problem, which is basically a product of too much pressure on the nerves in this area.

 

Have you taken the car to an upholstery shop to see if they can add padding on the center and make the side bolster padding softer?

 

It's almost like you maybe need more pottassium in your diet. Try this, I'm curioust if this helps. For the next week every morning eat a banana. If not into bananas take a multi-vitamin once a day.

 

No, I have not taken this to an upholstery shop--that is a good idea, but right now the silly-looking hunting pad is doing the trick. It's about 3/4 of an inch thick.

 

Potassium is another non-solution for a nerve pressure problem! Not sure where people get these ideas. What's next, a copper bracelet? Flossing my teeth? Yoga? Meditation?

 

Sorry to say I eat half a banana every morning.

 

You had a 6, I remember your user name from Mazda6Club

 

Ok. Hmm Might be a muscle spasm. Being a paraplegic (actually a quad by diagnosis) I get leg spasms. I take a muscle relaxer very 8hrs. If youre having spasms, it could be a pinched nerve.

 

not for nothing, but i think it could be very possible that these people just can't find a comfortable position in this car. i lol when others are trying to come up with other reasons for their leg pain.

 

well hello there. what was your username on 6club? i've ditched that forum a while ago, but still hang around the 6crew forums.

 

I'm on the crew and the 6club. LapisLazuli6. I'm more active on 6club because I can remember the password easier lol

 

What do you mean by alleviate pressure?

 

I had the same exact problem when I first purchased my 06 TSX 5 years ago (6'3", size 14 shoe, 335lbs). My right leg and right hip joint would really ache after a long drive (+90 min). I had an "A-ha” moment when I drove out to my in-laws 3 1/2 hrs away in my jogging suit with zero pain when I arrived. It was my oversized wallet in my back left pocket lifting me up on the left side and putting all the pressure on my right side. A big butt, bolsters and a oversize wallet on one side was the deadly combo for me.

I purchased a new wallet about 1/2 inches thick and I have been pain free for 4 1/2 years and +70,000 miles. I never had any problems sitting in our RDX. The RDX feels like a dining table chair upright sitting position. The TSX always felt more like a soft recliner with just the foot rest extended.

 

Don't yell at me if i missed anything. Didn't read everyones post! I had the same problem, back pain, leg hurts and etc.. Found this on youtube and was actually useful and eliminated most of the issues if not all. Try this out-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyL-SjuJ8p4

 

Unfortunately, we come in all shapes and sizes (long/short legs/torso/arms, injuries, age, too big/small, etc...). I've never owned a car in 25 years that fit me; I had to fit into the car. I don’t think Asian and European car makers take into account how widely varied in size/shape North Americans can be. Not everyone wants to purchase a +5,000 SUV, full size truck/sedan for the extra leg room.

It could be:
- You have a unique body style that the car can't adjust to,
- You are selecting a seating position that is putting stress on your body, or
- You might have something physical that is preventing you from getting comfortable (arthritis, old sports injury, left leg is shorter than the right leg, Daisy Dukes too tight, etc...)

Another thing I starting doing for long trips was wearing sandals or flip/flops. I take off the shoes and toss them in the back seat when I get the car in cruise control. It feels a lot more comfortable when driving when I don’t have the 1-2 inch heel of my shoes changing the angle of my leg. It is like getting an extra 2 inches of seat travel.

 

Wow, I am going to sound like an asshole here, but all u fuckers complaining about leg pain/cramps are straight fucktards. The fucking seat adjusts in any way you need it to.

It's not the car's fault, it's the fact that your mom was smoking rocks while she was pregnant with you. Jesus Christ, get a grip man.

 

Dang! Who took a dump in your cereal this morning? It must be nice to be average and the TSX is perfect for you.

 

6'1'' 220 lbs. I'm just not a big enough pussy to get "injured" while sitting down, turning a wheel and pressing pedals...

 

LOL man that's harsh, but i lol'd.

 

i know. who can take a guy like that seriously?

 

It was funny tho.

As the OP has determined, this problem is usually caused by an improper seating position/pressure.

I have an ass without much padding and I have noticed this car to be more difficult to get comfortable in that any other car I have owned.

 

Bingo. It's the car. Most people don't spend enough time in the car to get these problems, and that's fine--for them. When you commute 2-3 hours per day, that's when you get problems if it's designed poorly. The TSX seat is a bad one, for the reasons I've already outlined, and no amount of using the f-word will avoid that. The TSX seat is inadequately padded in the center--period.
On Mr F-Bomb, funny how the internet turns wimps into screen heroes, isn't it? Mr F-word would be the same guy who would run away from his girlfriend, wife or child if they were confronted by a REAL bully in REAL life. Here, he can imagine--on a seat thread...