The driver's seat of my 2014 Honda Civic is atrociously uncomfortable. I've had back pain on and off for a while, but every time I drove for more than an hour, my lower back became extremely painful for days. I would have to go to acupuncture to relieve some of the pain. Then I had to drive 3+ hours every day and developed chronic, excruciating lower back pain that was so bad, I had to have spinal surgery to repair a ruptured disk (laminectomy at L5). In addition, I developed bursitis of the lower hip bone, also incredibly painful. I felt so much better after the spinal surgery and didn't drive for a month to heal.

The minute I started driving the Civic again, my back started to hurt after everything I went through.

One major problem is the seat angle -- ergonomically the worst. It's tilted in the wrong direction so your spine gets pushed down and back. There's pressure right at the lumbar spine. My wedge cushion helps in an attempt to correct the angle and make it flatter, but it's not enough. I'm temporarily driving a Ford Eco long-term rental car and NO BACK PAIN. The problem with this is it has no power to handle highway driving and then I'm forced to drive the Civic. I don't know what to do. I can't buy another car at the moment. Thanks for listening to my rant.

The 2014 LX Honda Civic was the first car I ever leased and then purchased. This means I've been its only owner and I have had it for 7 long years. I paid it off in 2019 and I've been addicted to not having a car payment since. It has been incredibly reliable and low cost to maintain and drive. BUT, since the 2nd or 3rd month into owning it, I've had back and neck pain that is so severe that I now visit a chiropractor and massage therapist once a week.

Two years ago, I bought a second car for city driving just to avoid driving my Civic a majority of the time. Unfortunately, I think I will have to give up this car due to the plain a simple truth: the seats f** suck. My neck back hurts so much that I've called into work several times over the last seven years. What's worse is that I have tried to find an aftermarket seat, and I am willing to pay for ANYTHING to keep the car but just change out the seat. In the meantime, I am trying to stay out of a new car loan and find alternatives. If anyone knows of a comfortable aftermarket seat that would fit into the 2014 Civic, PLEASE let me know.

This complaint may seem petty to some individuals but it serious issue. The seat causes severe issues with lower hip and back. I am very active young individual and started experiencing pain preventing me from hard physical activity. Visited multiple doctors, therapists, and chiropractors. I should be better but sitting in the seats makes pain reappear. Driving this car is a big physical health danger and should be taken seriously from Honda. If anyone has experience in contacting Honda and figuring out who to talk to would help a lot. I will go to the dealership soon and would like to be prepared to find a solution that fits me not Honda. Please feel free to comment to me on anything.

I just bought a 2014 Civic LX. I like the car but the front seats, the driver seat for me, are really poorly designed in a concave shape. After about 5 miles or so, I am in terrific back pain, like my back had been wrenched. This is beyond discomfort, graduating to health hazard. I am trying lumbar supports with limited success. I was driving Nissan rouge, which gave me no problem. I have also driven a number of other cars recently including a 2005 Prius, a 2013 Kia Rio, and a Chevy Aveo, all with no problem. I have contacted the dealer and got a little sympathy and a promise to put me together with a Honda rep. I was extremely disappointed that an otherwise well engineered car has such a poorly engineered seat.

bucket seat too narrow & right bump on seat too high,pain

I have been doing physical therapy for a year now, because the bucket seat on my gas pedal (right) leg & hip

has been injured by this seat.... at a great personal expense. And I still have to drive the car for another year because I am in a lease, otherwise I would sell the car. PLEASE just make the seat FLAT... why does it have to have that "bucket seat effect? That bump UP is TOO hard/firm.

Next year, when my lease is up, I will be looking at other males/model cars for a more comfortable seat & positioning of the truck / gas opener. If Honda has not changed this by next year, I will be no longer be driving Honda.

Headrest and concaved seats are making my life miserable. I have a long commute in LA traffic to/from work. I usually use the time to relax and decompress from a day of teaching, instead this time has become dreadful and painful experience. I've had back problems and neck problem for years and I've recently realized its my stupid car! I just returned from a 3 week trip and my back problems were nonexistent during my travels...first day back home and driving and my back is killing me again! In hindsight, this has been the same for previous trips. Such a disappointment as I've been a loyal honda driver.

I just purchased this vehicle three days ago and the pain in my back is unbearable. Sitting, standing, working out, sleeping... everything is painful now. There is no lumbar support in the seats, the head restraints force you to lean forward and the seats are beyond "firm". I had spent a great deal of time researching vehicles before going to this one but even with the reliability, mileage and other perks. I am considering selling it back to the dealership at a loss just to get rid of it. I am hoping there is a magic fix other users have found so I don't have to do this. I tried a pillow to sit on and that helped a bit with the back pain but forced me further in to the head restraints. A pillow behind me kind of helps, but then I am leaning forward and have troubles with the steering column.

Please tell me there is a solution! If not, Honda really needs to replace the seats. Now I am finding that this is a known issue, too bad US News made no mention.

The Honda Civic seats are the most horrible, horrible, horrible, seats I have EVER sat on. I hate the car because of this. I am in agony when I have to drive, getting in and out is a nightmare. I avoid driving at all cost. Even a trip to the beach 2 hours away warrants a rental and NOT a Honda. Honda, has really gone down. People do not love them like they use to and its because they keep making their products cheaper and cheaper. Who the hell put these nightmare seats in this car.

I can't wait to get rid of this car and I will NEVER buy another Honda. So disappointed, car cheaply made and doesn't run so hot at all. Nothing like the civic of the past which I owned four of. Good bye Honda, you did it to yourselves.

After driving my brand new Civic for only short distances at a time I have begun experiencing really bad pains in the lower back and rib areas. I had no problems before this. I had driven a 2008 Honda Accord for six years and never experienced this pain. The driver seat is very uncomfortable and the middle of the rear back support, I guess the Lumbar area, is very uncomfortable. I did not drive the car for about a week and the pain disappeared. As soon as I drove it again, the pain returned. It is definitely the seat causing my back problem!

After two days of leasing this car, I started noticing back pains setting in, and it's been cumulative over the month I've had it. My longest trip has been 2.5 hours, and I woke up at 3:30 a.m. with excruciating back pain. Hip pain is now starting. Would not dare drive this car on a long trip, which unfortunately is why I got it. It has good fuel economy, good crash test scores, and reliability going in its favor, but none of that does any good if you're in pain driving (and afterwards). My husband's back went out after a 30 minute drive. My small niece complained of back pain after riding for 30 minutes. Honda is well aware of the seat comfort issues that have been plaguing the Civics and Accords, but they are still selling these to unsuspecting consumers. I regret not investigating this car more carefully -- concentrated too much on safety and mileage, and neglected to notice all the seat complaints. WARNING to people considering leasing: Honda Financial Services will not allow you to transfer your lease to another party who would then be responsible for it -- so, swapalease and leasetrader are a no go. The dealer (who was rude and pretended to know nothing of the seat complaints) said I could trade it in -- at a $3000 loss to me! I am reading of people who are trading in their new Civics or Accords for a different vehicle, and taking a large financial loss, which is not acceptable to me. I called Honda Motors corp. office and spoke to a very nice woman, who did nothing to address this problem. I will be sending a certified letter. Meanwhile, I continue to experiment with cushions and towels and hope to find something that will alleviate the pain somewhat. One more rant: I canceled my vacation trip that I was planning to take as it would've been 30+ hours of driving, which is impossible in this car.

Wish I had read this website before I purchased, I went online to query uncomfortable seats and landed here. Nice car, well trimmed out and looking forward to better gas mileage, but not sure it's worth it. Truly the most uncomfortable seat I have ever had in a car, and I've had many. I've owned both Civic and Accords in the past and they were also comfortable, what the heck happened?

Was fine on test drive, but reality set in when I drove it for more that a 1/2 hour. The "head restraint" pushes my head forward and the curve in the back of the seat, which can't be called 'lumbar support" is way too high up, hits right in the middle of my back, so basically from mid-back to the top of my head I am leaning on "air" cause I can't reach the seat. Had a back ache most of the next day and spent a fair amount of time online looking for seat solutions, cushions, padded seat covers etc. hoping someone may have a reasonable solution???

I bought a brand new 2014 Civic in March of this year after owing a 2005 Civic for almost 9 years. I loved my old Civic but it was time to move on. I was so excited to get my new car and I loved a lot of the features, such as the rear camera and bluetooth. However, within a few weeks time I started suffering back and leg pain which has gotten increasingly worse over time. Now, it is almost unbearable to drive! I can't believe I have put myself in this situation...I am so upset. I have tried a couple of different seat cushions, but still no relief. Not sure what I am going to do! Before this, I would never have considered another make of car...I was a loyal Honda fan. But now, I could never recommend it. Please listen, Honda. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!

The headrest is set at a ridiculous angle. You can't put the seat in an upright position without having your chin on your chest. I've read many complaints online about this design defect. Also, the seats are NOT comfortable. They're too hard and I don't think I'd enjoy a long trip in it. The test drive was too short to really notice these things. I just bought the 2014 Honda Civic and if I had noticed, it would've been a deal breaker. My husband just turned the headrest backwards and that fixed the problem. I've also bought a foam seat cushion and hopefully that will add enough comfort. Honda has been getting complaints about both these issues for years. Why aren't they listening?

My new 2014 EX-L has the most uncomfortable seating position I have ever experienced, even with the power seat adjustments. The head restraints force my head into a forward and down position. Looking out the windshield instead, the normal position for driving, causes upper back/ lower neck pain because my back cannot rest against the seat back. The seat has little support and it is very narrow. The shape is not in the least ergonomic which has resulted in hip and low back pain. If my legs are extended out enough, my arms have to be extended straight out because the steering wheel does not telescope out far enough. The seating area of the seat is short and extends to about mid-thigh so that the rest of my thighs dangle in midair. The leather seats are hard and have no give. Long trips, which are what I bought the new car for, are unbearable. I traded in my 2005 Civic for this and I regret it.

I will be trading this brand new Civic with 2000 miles on it for a more expensive and more comfortable car and taking a big loss, but it will be less than the cost of permanent damage to my neck and spine. Be very vigilant when you test drive the car to make sure your posture conforms to the seat, a rounded back with a head that juts forward would be optimal.