Headrest problem

The name headrest should be changed as it is not intended to actually drive with the head making contact with it. at least not so much that its actually resting... but barely touching it. This is more meant to be a whiplash protection.
Personally in all my driving years in all my different cars, I have never driven with my head actually resting on it. ot barely makes contact with it. I have to tilt my head back to rest it... enough that if I do, I have to look a bit downwards to see the road.

Personally, I can't see these headrest as being an issue as much as people having bad driving positions.

The pic in this post is a perfect example of bad driving position, anyone driving like that and complaining about headrests, should seriously consider either changing position, or handing over their drivers liscence, as they are not only a danger to themselves but to others by driving like that.

I'm 5-10 and my wife is 5-1 and neither of us have issues with the headrests, even after having made a 20+ hour road trip

Kayger12 said:

And very conducive to a face full of 200mph airbag.

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Exactly! I don't care what car you drive, even without the headrest you would hit the windshield every time you hit the brakes driving that upright! Totally over exaggerated.

speedbegone said:

The name headrest should be changed as it is not intended to actually drive with the head making contact with it. at least not so much that its actually resting... but barely touching it. This is more meant to be a whiplash protection.
Personally in all my driving years in all my different cars, I have never driven with my head actually resting on it. ot barely makes contact with it. I have to tilt my head back to rest it... enough that if I do, I have to look a bit downwards to see the road.

Personally, I can't see these headrest as being an issue as much as people having bad driving positions.

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Agreed. And the 90 degree example mentioned is a poor driving position.

I'm not sure what's wrong with an upright driving position. I think reclined driving positions are more dangerous. What is more puzzling is all the comparisons here with old vehicles. I just drove a 2014 Ford Escape, and it had a very high quality, multi-position, adjustable headrest. Without a doubt, it meets current US government safety standards. I think the argument that the CX-5 headrests need to be in their current fixed position to meet government safety standards is nonsense. Mazda could make them adjustable, as are the headrests on many other vehicles.

nothing is wrong with an upright driving position, its what should be done... I consider my driving position to be upright and it causes absolutely no issues with the headrest.

I actually started looking into other cars today in traffic, and realised that a a lot of people seem to be driving in bad positions, and probably don't realise it. In the CX5's case, since the headrest are tilted forward, its necessary to have them be at the right height, because if they are too low, the top part will be in the middle of the head, causing the head to be tilted forward. (witch is one of the things wrong in the previous posts picture, along with seat too upright, too close to steering, and probably too high):


The first image is the proper distance and height of the headrest (and how its positioned in my car):


In these images the right side ones are correct:


In these images only the top right one is correct:

Oblithian said:

Lots of people sit at 90 it is as if you were sitting at a chair with good posture, but the head rest gets in the way and makes it uncomfortable. I took the head rest out just to see, and man does that seat feel wayyyyy more comfortable. I am 6'2" with the 2014 Mazda 6 I have the same issue only worse, to reduce it I tilt the seat back and leave the headrest as low as it can go. However, 3 problems arise, 1 it doesn't fix the problem if I sit with my back against the seat, 2 I hunch more (which is bad for extended durations), and 3 (edit) what invader zim said

People on this forum are complaining about ooh safety, but other manufacturers have tilt headrests that are perfectly safe. All it needs to do is press on your head a touch unlike the older cars like cavaliers, my 1989 Oldsmobile etc. where your head isn't even touching the headrest.

I mean there are people returning and selling their vehicles over this, Mazda should just put tilt in.

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90 Degrees is not ideal posture for driving... it should be 100-110, relative to the tilt of the seat bottom. The seat bottom should be tilted up to keep the knees above the hips, so really its more like 115-120 or so. Gravity should pull you back into the seat. That's why they're designed like they are, as well as the headrests.

Some folks tend to lean forward while driving, so maybe this is why they set it to 90. That's not an ideal posture though, especially long drives, as it puts strain on the lower back.

Craigo, you make some good points. I am uncertain that lifting your knees equal to or above your hips forces your spine to curve even futher (I mean it does after you pass the joints range of motion) but I am not an expert you may well be correct. Really in some cars the first position forces people to lean forward, which is just ridiculous.

For those of you who are curious how to sit properly, here is a link to a reputable site that discusses the matter: (since that seems to be what this thread turned into haha) http://my.clevelandclinic.org/healthy_living/back_health/hic_posture_for_a_healthy_back.aspx

paris1 said:

You can't compare a vehicle designed to meet 2014 government-mandated specs with vehicles built a quarter century ago. You want to blame someone, blame your government! BTW: check out the headrests of other current vehicles. They're pretty much all the same.

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I think you miss my point entirely. However since you seem so upset by your interpretation I will reiterate: I was stating that my Oldsmobile is bad, as is my 2003 cavalier for not having good supportive headrests. Yet, Mazda should install tilt headrests like other manufacturers so that the seat can appropriately fit individuals of all sizes.

(I am not complaining, just explaining and making a suggestion, and if some of these people are having physical pain from this issue, and you are not, who are you to tell them to get stuffed?)

Mdbernie said:

I'm not sure what's wrong with an upright driving position. I think reclined driving positions are more dangerous. What is more puzzling is all the comparisons here with old vehicles. I just drove a 2014 Ford Escape, and it had a very high quality, multi-position, adjustable headrest. Without a doubt, it meets current US government safety standards. I think the argument that the CX-5 headrests need to be in their current fixed position to meet government safety standards is nonsense. Mazda could make them adjustable, as are the headrests on many other vehicles.

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Thank you, you seem to have understood. I hope my above clarification addresses your confusion about why older vehicles were mentioned.

Lastly, fdew had a good suggestion for swapping the seat. If you are having issues with the head restraint there is also a thread where someone actually took it to a shop and they reduced the amount of foam in the headrest:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...rests-cause-neck-back-pain-alternatives/page2.

I'd also be curious to see pics from the side from the people having issues with the headrests...(like the one that was posted multiple times in this thread) that case was clearly bad seating position.

I would like to see a photo from someone actually sitting in the right position and with the headrest at the right height and still having issues to understand the problem (ideally the photo would show the steering wheel as well as the seat back).

This is exactly how my wife and I look in our new 2014 Mazda 6. The headrest are set to far forward. They push our head forward, raising our upper backs and shoulders off the seat back. If I push my upper back into the seat, the headrest forces my head forward and down. Just like the above picture - chin on chest. This is our 6th Mazda and loved every one of them and have never had this problem. We have tried every recline and headrest position possible and can not get comfortable. It is now causing neck pain on longer trips. Dealer has been of little assistance. We will have to find a solution or get rid of the car. Love the car, hate the pain.

I have like four fingers distance, between my head and headrest and I would like to have less distance. I would have to adjust the seat's back, to 90 degrees to almost touch my head and that is not a comfortable seating position.
It would be nice, if the headrest's angle could be adjusted, like on more luxurious cars.
Eventually I will look into finding a headrest from another car which can be adjusted.
How about flipping over the headrest(180 degrees)?

ok you're all forgetting something very basic here. if the headrest is pushing your head forward 30 degrees while you back is fully against the seat (aka shoulders relaxed and flush with the back of the seat), then the driving position isn't going to make any difference.

if you're driving at 90 degrees then the seat is pushing your head to 60 degrees. if you're driving at 100 degrees, you're head is being pushed to 70 degrees.

proper driving position is one where you're relaxed, comfortable, have a full range of motion needed to control the vehicle well, and good visibility. if you look at race car seats, they're almost fully 90 degrees, this is safe at least considered by the governing bodies that regulate that stuff, so i'd say that it should be good enough for any everyday driver who chooses that position.



notice how the headrest is totally flat, and not pushing the drivers head into his lap? that's because he's sitting with his back FULLY against the back of the seat, which is the SAFEST way to be seated. you want maximum surface area in the event of a crash.

what you're arguing against seems to be:
A) adjustable seats (there's only one proper driving position?) and
B) logic (who cares how far reclined or not, if your back is following the shape of the seat, then it's thrusting your head forward at an awkwardly unsafe angle)



what you're arguing for is that "proper driving position" is never having your back flush against the back of the seat, and always leaning away from the seat at least a little bit, as that's LITERALLY the only way to possibly drive one of these cars without your head touching the headrest.

you people who are judging and passively antagonizing those who have this issue, you should ask yourself one thing: Do you sit with your back fully against the seat or not? are you leading forward so that it's more like you're sitting on a stool, or task-chair? something where maybe only the first foot up your back from the base of your spine is actually making contact with the seat?

My seat is currently pretty up-right to my taste and is at ~110 degrees (measured approximately from level). The bottom seat is at about 10 degrees (so overall angle of ~100 degrees from the bottom cushion to the seat back).
The headrest is ~30 degrees from the seat back. Note that the headrest surface is curved in my seat, so its middle part is more forward than top/bottom by a little bit. However, when I sit in the driver's seat, there are 2.5 fingers between the headrest and my head and my head does not lean downward.

We are not stick figures. The back of our head which touches or could touch the headrest is not a flat straight line to our neck and back, so it does not necessarily mean that (seat back angle) - 30 - 90 = (slanting of head) and in fact, slanting of head will be different for different people.

Everyone is different and thus I totally see some people will not be getting comfortable despite sitting in the recommended posture or any other position.
However, when I drive I do see many people which drive in peculiar positions: people which intimately hug the steering wheel and/or too close to the steering wheel as well as people which use way too reclined position, as if they are driving in bed. I think some posts above where very helpful in suggesting a good driving position. This should be a starting point for you to look for an ideal position.

Looking at the image above (post #51) it looks like the person is taller than me because the headrest is too low compared with the center of his head (is it you?). Note that if you raise it upward it will go slightly back because it is raised in an angle which is roughly the same as the seat back. When I sit with the headrest raised to its top stop, I have easily 5 fingers behind my head.

For me, the problem was different: unlike my wife's car and my previous cars, I could not reach the wheel while placing my elbow on the center or side armrest nor resting my hand on my leg. However, after trying many things I am now able to do the latter, so I am satisfied.

I hope you will be able to tweak your seat such that it will become comfortable. If you cannot, I highly suggest you either ask for professional help such that the seat/headrest is tweaked more to your satisfaction.

I did a little "Googling" on this issue and, as I expected, it turns out to be a common complaint on most modern cars, largely because of the design mandates of NHTSA that manufacturers are forced to comply with. High end cars design in more adjustability to their seat backs and headrests to avoid the problem. But the rest of us with more mundane rides suffer the consequences of a "one-size-fit-none" design strategy that leads to the never ending internet complaints exhibited here. Here's a link to a Mustang forum thread where an owner took matters into his own hands and solved the problem. http://www.allfordmustangs.com/foru...-how-fix-your-headrest-angle-pics-inside.html Some here might consider doing something similar. I also found a link to an aftermarket headrest manufacturer (modifier?) who makes adjustable Mustang headrests. http://www.mrt-direct.com/2010-up-ford-mustang-tilting-headrest.html. BTW, I tried bending the rods on my driver seat headrest with a bench vise and a piece of 1/2" pipe and it's hopeless!

How could I bend it a bit more forward? I have that press at work.

Forward??!! Good luck with that!

All I see in this picture is bad seating /headrest/seat height/angle and possibly distance to steering positionning.

the headrest should be much higher, (the angle of the rods will progressively send the headrest backwards due to the angle) and the seat angle could be 10-15 degrees more angled to the back.
also, his head seems to be very close to the roof, thats a bit high, and I'm guessing that the seat is raised in this picture, so in this case, everything from seating angle, headrest position, height of seating is wrong... Since we can't see the steering wheel, he may also be too close to the front.... bad bad bad seating position.

I can't believe there is no way to adjust the seat to fit most people. I could understand for extreme cases where people are very short (less than 5' tall) or very tall (more than 6'5") that adjusting seats would reach the limits as they are intended for the majority of people, but not extreme sizes.

FYI All,

My wife's 2014 Mini cooper hardtop headrest are a direct fit to the CX5 and bring a more straight headrest about 1 to 1/5 inch less -
works perfect for me - ...

only thing, these are not available as parts right now from Mini, need to wait a few more weeks to be able to order them

I have a question to crenninger. I tried a headrest of 2 hardtop models (2013/2015) in my CX-5 at a MINI store today. But neither headrest fitted in with CX-5.It was narrower than something of CX-5 between the shafts. Could your wife tell me details of a used vehicle and head rest parts number? Could you carry the picture which loaded a headrest of MINI on CX-5 here?

My wife's mini was bought in July 2014. it's the new model with 3 cylinders BMW engine if that matter. Model name in Cooper Hardtop I believe they call it the Model F56.

The part number for the headrest I am using now is 52-10-7-341-639 it's black in color.

crenninger,
Thank you for useful information. I refer to a local dealer.
It is very lucky if the item which is the same as these parts number is available in Japan.