The seats are a deal killer.

[flamaest]

I am just guessing here, but given the Bolt's seat electronics, if heated, and having passenger sensing circuitry, (any airbags?), I wonder which other seats might be compatible as a 'drop in'?

I hear the Volt 2nd gen front seats are OK, maybe they would fit into a Bolt or could be found at a pick-and-pull from a total loss?

 

[flamaest]

BTW - I bought a memory foam pad at walmart for $25 and it definitely helps, Now i just feel the bar, its no longer painful, just tolerable.

Glad you found some relief. I also found a pad which seems to make things tolerable, but I feel as though this is just not acceptable, given the cost of this car, and all the accolades it has been receiving.

Even most cheap cars which I have driven have good/OK seats, so the argument being tossed around on this thread about the Bolt being a CHEAP car, 'so deal with it', is not OK. The seats are just badly designed.

If a few of us are already seeing this as an issue at this early roll-out stage. With GM having only sold about 1k of these, I am sensing a growing complaint-snowball looming as GM rolls the Bolt out to the rest of the country.

 

[michael]

I'm puzzled. I formed the impression that the Bolt and Volt seats are very similar. I sent my wife down to the dealer to check both out and she felt they were both fine.

I haven't driven a Bolt yet, but I've got a decent amount of "seat time" and I don't yet see an issue.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I am just guessing here, but given the Bolt's seat electronics, if heated, and having passenger sensing circuitry, (any airbags?), I wonder which other seats might be compatible as a 'drop in'?

I hear the Volt 2nd gen front seats are OK, maybe they would fit into a Bolt or could be found at a pick-and-pull from a total loss?

The very first seats I'd try are the heated Leaf seats from 2012 on. They should be available in salvage yards, and have the necessary electronics.

 

[Fargoneandout]

5'7". 150 lbs. 30 inch waist. Seats are fine (LT) for me but I like a tight seat so I don't slide around. Padding is just fine, bolsters are perfect for someone with a taste for not sliding around. I have sat in all four positions and have no issues with any of the seats. Firm? Yes. Uncomfortable in any way? No.

 

[schan2464]

I finally got a chance to sit in a Bolt last night, and I was more than curious about this seat issue. Keep in mind that I'm 6' 5" and 280, so I'm definitely in the upper 1% as far as size. I can definitely see what people are complaining about, but I was able to readjust myself into a comfortable spot. Basically, once I initially sat down, I lifted my butt up and centered myself. Once I did that, nothing was digging into me. If you fail to center yourself, and are of the large variety, I could see how it would be uncomfortable. Since this is largely for my wife to drive (5' 5", 118), I doubt she will have an issue, so it's not a deal breaker for us.

 

[mbepic]

I finally got a chance to sit in a Bolt last night, and I was more than curious about this seat issue. Keep in mind that I'm 6' 5" and 280, so I'm definitely in the upper 1% as far as size. I can definitely see what people are complaining about, but I was able to readjust myself into a comfortable spot. Basically, once I initially sat down, I lifted my butt up and centered myself. Once I did that, nothing was digging into me. If you fail to center yourself, and are of the large variety, I could see how it would be uncomfortable. Since this is largely for my wife to drive (5' 5", 118), I doubt she will have an issue, so it's not a deal breaker for us.

Once again, there could be a difference between the LT cloth seats and the Premier leather seats.

Sure glad that they worked for you............and I don't foresee any problems for me at 5.9" & 165lbs.
32" waist.

 

[schan2464]

I finally got a chance to sit in a Bolt last night, and I was more than curious about this seat issue. Keep in mind that I'm 6' 5" and 280, so I'm definitely in the upper 1% as far as size. I can definitely see what people are complaining about, but I was able to readjust myself into a comfortable spot. Basically, once I initially sat down, I lifted my butt up and centered myself. Once I did that, nothing was digging into me. If you fail to center yourself, and are of the large variety, I could see how it would be uncomfortable. Since this is largely for my wife to drive (5' 5", 118), I doubt she will have an issue, so it's not a deal breaker for us.

Once again, there could be a difference between the LT cloth seats and the Premier leather seats.

Sure glad that they worked for you............and I don't foresee any problems for me at 5.9" & 165lbs.
32" waist.

Not sure what the difference is, but I sat in a LT with cloth seats. And yes, compared to my fat body, you should be just fine!

 

[flamaest]

but I was able to readjust myself into a comfortable spot.

This seemed to be the case with me also, but after 40-100 miles worth of road bumps, turns, lane changes, etc, my body naturally fell back into the original position with the seat digging into me.

 

[Anonymous]

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

- 6 foot 1 tall
- 195 lbs
- Played soccer all of my life so I have big thighs and big butt
- Got the Bolt Limited (wanted the premier but none of them had the DC Charger and I was in a rush as my other lease was done and over with and I was without a car for over a month now)
- The two (2) initial test drives were fine. However, as soon as I took the car on a longer ride (30+ min) I immediately started to feel pain on my left thigh/butt cheek area.
- I tried several foam/pillows from Amazon but nothing really seemed to help
- I agree with most here that the leather seats option is much better
- IMO the width biggest problem with the seats. They were made way too narrow so your body gets boxed in. Consequently, some people complain about them while others are ok. For instance, my dad is a 250 Lbs guy but he has a big belly and shoulders while his butt and legs are pretty skinny. So he can sit fine and very comfortably in the car. I am not sure why GM did that since there seems to be plenty of space between the seats and the door to add another 2-3 inches of seat

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

 

[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.

 

[gpsman]

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

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

 

[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.