The seats are a deal killer.

[mbepic]

Found this thread after doing a Google search and unfortunately I have the same problem. Here are my details:

I am hoping that GM would do something about it but I highly doubt it

I think each owner that is having a problem has to take the initiative to have something done about that; unfortunately, I'm not in that position yet and I'm thinking that with the Premier and my size, will likely not have the same problem.

I would start with the dealer first, take it up with the owner if you have to.........certainly the Sales Manager. Then get the name of the GM/Chevy district rep and take it further up the pole.
Send off an email to Mary Barra and some of her underlings at GM headquarters. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, so they say...............

[devbolt]

Now that I've had time to sit in the car and drive it again, my opinion is that they're just like the seats in my wife's Mini Countryman. She approved of the seats in that car and she approves of the seats in this car. I'll have some minor adjustment period, but it should be fine for me.

For the record I'm 5'2", 175 lbs and a 31" waist. Wife is 5'4", 150 pounds and a 30" waist.

[LeftieBiker]

The following is a joke, not a genuine theory.




Q: Why did GM do that Awful Thing to the Bolt's seats?


A: Because they don't want people to become Uber drivers just to afford the lease.

[mbepic]

The following is a joke, not a genuine theory.

Q: Why did GM do that Awful Thing to the Bolt's seats?
A: Because they don't want people to become Uber drivers just to afford the lease.

People with 'skinny' butts would not have a problem.............you could focus on a 'niche' market.

Uber drives for only 'skinny butts'..................also offer a discount because they are lighter weight, use less range!

[jeff3948]

Dear leodoggie, I understand your uncomfortable feeling about the narrow seats. I have a similar problem with many narrow compact cars. The Bolt is considered a sub-compact crossover, so that is probably why the seats are narrow. I have sat in more uncomfortable seats than the Bolt. But, I agree they could use improvement by widening the rear part of the bottom front seats and making them more ergonomic. One of the must ergonomic and comfortable seats I've sat in was the 2010 Equinox both front and back were excellent but that is a much larger crossover than the Bolt. So Chevy, please listen and improve the ergonomics' of your Bolt front seats. Thanks.

[jmatero]

I've been driving my i3 for 2 years now and I'm very sensitive when it comes to seat comfort. They're narrow as heck but extremely comfortable. I want to jump on a Bolt but I agree, the seats are a deal-breaker. I'm not spending $43000 on a car only to have to sit on a hemorrhoid pillow.

[gpsman]

I have found the seats narrow but OK.
I work as a mechanic and while I wear over-alls, sometimes a little grime makes it to my street clothes. I wanted decent looking seat covers. Found these on the shelf for $26 each at O'Riley Autoparts.

They are "faux" leather (polyvinyl I think).
They come with a tiny (1/4") layer of padding and fit really well. They do not interfere with airbags on the sides. You can pop the head restraints off your Bolt EV by unscrewing the plastic bezel exposing the shaft. On the shaft is a plastic clip with a metal wire spring retainer. You need not remove ghe plastic clip or the wire spring retainer. You just need to "expand" the wire ring (make the diameter greater) to be able to pull the head rests up and out. They then easlily "snap" back in.

Here is the product. It is dark now. I'll post photos from the car when I get a moment in daylight.

#1 I wanted a dirt/oil (even sweat) protector. This does it well.

#2 Since I no longer have to take keys out of my pocket, including home and work keys, I wanted to prevent my keys from tearing the fabric. I think this will do that.

#3 Bonus: since I had cloth, these make the seats a little more "slippery" which makes it easier to get in and out of the vehicle.

#4 Bonus: since the seat's comfort was "marginal" the tiny bit of padding adds to my comfort, without adding significant height.

#5 the heated seats work just as well IMHO.

IMG_0609.JPG (89.77 KiB) Viewed 2595 times

IMG_0610.JPG (129.12 KiB) Viewed 2595 times

IMG_0608.JPG (118.07 KiB) Viewed 2595 times

[gpsman]

I could only add 3 photos to a post. Is that correct?

The manufacturer was Plasticolor and is supposidly a GM licenced product.

IMG_0611.JPG (171.71 KiB) Viewed 2593 times

[jmatero]

So, drove down to Capitol Chevy in San Jose where they have 80+ Bolts sitting on the lot. I sat in 12 different cars and adjusted the seats to the same position. 7 were Premiers, 5 LT's with cloth. 4 Premiums and 2 LT's were comfortable, the rest were terrible... painful actually. There doesn't appear to be a running change in the seat design because there were comfortable seats in older builds and terrible seats in recent builds.

Here's what I did find:
In the cars where the seat was comfortable, the cushion barely or partly compressed. In the uncomfortable seats, the cushion fully compressed to the point where the plastic seat-side pushed into my thigh. In fact, you can feel the difference pressing on the cushion with your hands... it isn't subtle by any means: compresses with little forces vs compresses with lots of force. This suggests either:

1. An inconsistency in the density of the cushioning of the seat bottom.
2. An inconsistency in the seat frame supporting the cushion.
3. Both

Don't know if either are issues with the supplier who makes the foam or the seat frame itself, but it DOES suggest the issue can be rectified by replacing the seat and/or bottom cushion. I'd like to call Chevrolet and provide this feedback if anyone has a contact there.

For anyone considering the Bolt like me and turning away because of the painful seats, try several other cars on the lot. Also, contact Chevrolet asking whether they warranty such an item should it become painful in the future.

[flamaest]

So, drove down to Capitol Chevy in San Jose where they have 80+ Bolts sitting on the lot. I sat in 12 different cars and adjusted the seats to the same position. 7 were Premiers, 5 LT's with cloth. 4 Premiums and 2 LT's were comfortable, the rest were terrible... painful actually. There doesn't appear to be a running change in the seat design because there were comfortable seats in older builds and terrible seats in recent builds.

Here's what I did find:
In the cars where the seat was comfortable, the cushion barely or partly compressed. In the uncomfortable seats, the cushion fully compressed to the point where the plastic seat-side pushed into my thigh. This suggests 1 of 3 possibilities:

1. An inconsistency in the density of the cushioning of the seat bottom.
2. An inconsistency in the seat frame supporting the cushion.
3. Both

Don't know if either an issues with the supplier who makes the foam or the seat frame itself, but it DOES suggest the issue can be rectified by replacing the seat and/or bottom cushion. I'd like to call Chevrolet and provide this feedback if anyone has a contact there.

For anyone considering the Bolt like me and turning away because of the painful seats, try several other cars on the lot. Also, contact Chevrolet asking whether they warranty such an item should it become painful in the future.

Very interesting and makes me a little concerned about seat consistency. Thanks for doing this.

Please contact GM here: http://www.chevrolet.com/contact/call-us.html

I will also contact my dealer to see if I can get the seat exchanged with another bolt on the lot. My car has less than 300 miles on it.