I saw on another thread somewhere on the board that someone had said if you sit all the way back in the seat, you'll feel something hit your tailbone . . . since I just got my 8 I was driving today playing with the seat and sure enough when I sit my butt all the way back in the seat, there is something sticking up on the bottom cushion.

It feels like a stick up my butt (sorry to say this)

It's strange because its like something is sticking up in the middle of the seat ... anyone else notice this ?



Go down about 5 posts to see a picture of what I'm talking about

Sorry dude! Can't help ya there. Try giving your seat a reach around and see whats really going on behind closed doors.

If it squirts at you, jump up and get the hell out of the car ASAP

there's a bar that my husband complains about when he puts the seat down, is that what you mean? It's more like sitting on a rail or something, though. Try upping your seat a bit...I think it depends on whether you have enough, ahem, "padding" in that area, because I've never had a problem with it. Smaller rears tend to angle down in the seat more, hitting whatever that is.

try it for a while, you may like it.

"Internal" seat warmer? :)

I don't think it's the seat bar because I would tend to think that the seat bar would go run around the edge of the seat like a frame which BTW I still have no idea what people are talking about since I have tried to feel this bar and have no clue to where it is.

I just checked out my car and it seems I am sitting on a sensor that makes a clicking noise when you push it. Check the picture below and see if your car has this . . . BTW this is not my car but I hope who's ever car it is doesn't mind I posted this pic.

If you look at this seat there is a slight indent where the arrow is, I am guessing this is some type of seat belt or airbag sensor to figure how big the person in the drivers seat is

Originally posted by Jeff_pap31s
Sorry dude! Can't help ya there. Try giving your seat a reach around and see whats really going on behind closed doors.


:D :D :D :D :D :D :D


:eek:

Carguy, do you have cloth or leather seats?

I have the same issue with my 8 with cloth seats, I slide down more into my seat and its gone... It may no be present on the leather seats as they are a slightly better padded than the cloth seats I believe.

Take it to the dealer and let them know what's happening... and how you're unhappy with it.

Most dealers have upholstery shops to work with, or they'll get Mazda involved.

Don't wait... get it on record right away.

Originally posted by Carguy
I just checked out my car and it seems I am sitting on a sensor that makes a clicking noise when you push it.

If you look at this seat there is a slight indent where the arrow is,

The thermostat and thermometer for the heated seats looks like it should be right at that location. :dunno: (this board needs more smilies)

DiVious . . . I have the power heated leather seats . . . are your heated also ?


Racerdave, I don't think it's an issue yet since I was just playing around with the seat, my normal seating position is a little more relaxed and I don't feel it.

Though if I were to sit in a more upright position, it could be an issue.

Clyde, does your seat have this ?

Originally posted by Vampyr
If it squirts at you, jump up and get the hell out of the car ASAP

ROFLMFAO........Ya'll ain't right!

Originally posted by Carguy
Clyde, does your seat have this ?

Cloth seats here...no heat except what I pass on my own. :eek:

LOL Clyde... :D

I'm a chunky fella and I dont notice it in my cloth seats.

I have cloth seats and I do notice the bar running at the bottom of the upper portion of the seat, but perhaps there is just not enough cushion on ME back there. (only 165lbs at 6') :D

I will try to take it to the dealer in the next couple of weeks to point it out. I found it is not a problem for me when I adjust my sitting position. I think it becomes a lot more noticeable on long trips, which is where I first noticed it anyway.

Originally posted by clyde
Cloth seats here...no heat except what I pass on my own. :eek:

That was great. LOL.

Wow that pic of the brown leather interior makesme jealous that I only have regular cloth. Ohwell. Maybe inmy next life.

Originally posted by Carguy
DiVious . . . I have the power heated leather seats . . . are your heated also ?

...

Though if I were to sit in a more upright position, it could be an issue.


Nope, not heated... its not that annoying unless i sit uprite, i usually notice it when i just get in the car, but its gone once I slide into a more relaxed position... its also prolly b/c I'm lacking some cushion at 130lbs. Prolly bring it up when i take the car into service.

Originally posted by clyde
The thermostat and thermometer for the heated seats looks like it should be right at that location. :dunno: (this board needs more smilies)


:) :) :) :) :) :) kinda hard to smile when you got something stuck up your butt.......lol:D

in ref. to the opening post....:eek:

The more everyone that notices this bitches to their service advisor and Mazda, the better the odds of them doing something to resolve it.

The Infiniti G35 sedan had a seat problem like this and they came out with a TSB for it.

(now, mind you the TSB didn't totally solve it, but at least they attempted something)

Originally posted by racerdave
The more everyone that notices this bitches to their service advisor and Mazda, the better the odds of them doing something to resolve it.

The Infiniti G35 sedan had a seat problem like this and they came out with a TSB for it.

(now, mind you the TSB didn't totally solve it, but at least they attempted something)

I am going to email them now since it really is annoying and makes no sense why they have this . . .

This thread is proof positive that Aliens aren't the only ones capable of "probing"

ok, after examing where I feel this little bump in the seat, it is where the green arrow is when in my regular seating position, my butt doesn't sit back far enough to really hit the red arrow. Meanwhille I push down on that area with my hand and I don't feel anything in the seat ... maybe there is more padding there for some reason ?!

Originally posted by Carguy
. . . .It feels like a stick up my butt (sorry to say this) . . . .[/SIZE]

Uhhhhh... have you checked for a stick? :D

Seriously. Since I don't have my 8 yet, I can't go to my garage and check myself. Have you tried to feel from the underside of the seat while pushing down from the top with your other hand? Perhaps using more pressure this way will give your fingers a clearer picture of what is poking you than your butt can provide.

Had an old Mazda 808 and had this type of problem and it turned out to be a small (1/4') ball of twine used in upholstry.

Originally posted by maxwell72764
Uhhhhh... have you checked for a stick? :D

Seriously. Since I don't have my 8 yet, I can't go to my garage and check myself. Have you tried to feel from the underside of the seat while pushing down from the top with your other hand? Perhaps using more pressure this way will give your fingers a clearer picture of what is poking you than your butt can provide.

Had an old Mazda 808 and had this type of problem and it turned out to be a small (1/4') ball of twine used in upholstry.

I checked and was surprised to find there was no stick :D

I know what it was hitting my butt . . . it's a sensor in the seat which is located where the red arrow is in the picture above . . . there is no doubt it's there,. Strange thing is sometimes I can feel the sensor when pushing down on my seat with my fingers and other times I can't . . .

You didn't buy that RX8 in Amityville (sp) did you?

No I bought it at Country Mazda in Huntington ... I don't think there is a Mazda dealer in Amityville ..

Mod edit: Not appropriate for this forum. Thanks.

LMAO . . . thanks for explaining that, now I can just sit back and enjoy the ride :D

Okay, NOT appropriate at all. noahprtlnd, I sent you a pm about this post. Apologies, but I have to edit it now. And sorry to do this here, but I don't know how else to get your attention since you're not reading your private messages.

Just to fill in anyone checking out this thread, this is defnitely not limited to my car, I just drove my step fathers RX8 and he has the same exact feeling in his seat and I again felt the sensor though if you look at the green arrow in the picutre I put on the board, both my car and his, feel like there is something else in that spot though when I feel it with my hand, I don't feel anything like a sensor like I do with the one with the red arrow.

Alan... take it to the dealer and show them, both on your car and others in the dealership. Log the complaint... it just might make a difference.

Dave, I am leaving on vacation tomorrow but will back on February 8th so when I get back I will take a trip down to the dealer and see what they say.
Also I sent an email to Mazda about it and here is what they said

Dear Alan,

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you.

In regards to your question, I've personally inspected my RX-8 and another RX-8 that also that the Grand Touring Package with heated seats. However, I was not able to find any "stick" or sensors that was sticking out. I could clearly put my hand across the seat.

I've looked at the picture on the website you had provided on your message. Unfortunately, I was not able to find anything. You may want to have your local Mazda dealership inspect your vehicle to determine what it may be.

You may locate your nearby authorized Mazda dealership by visiting our website at www.mazdausa.com/dealers/default.asp.

Please let me know how your visit goes with the dealership. If you have any additional question, please don't hesitate to ask.

I can feel this 'stick' which could be the temp sensor? Similar to the old sensors under a waterbed mattress? Anyways, it is not something I feel when sitting but I will aks my service people about it cause it does feel close to the surface and not well padded.

My car is a very early vin# BTW, 4901.

That was we that posted the thread b4. My problem is actually after checking it out more was the seat frame in the bottom of the seat back not at the back of the seat cushon. I gotta call Mazda again and update the problem. If you all want to complain call mazda usa at 800-222-5500 and ask to have this fixed. I'm going to call my guy at my dealership to get this looked at and see if it can be adjusted.

There are a few solutions for those who are unhappy about this.

Protoolskid, please check you private messages and email, I sent you both.

Have you considered going to an upholstery shop and asking them to make something in a black leather that is cushiony that can be attached to the bottom of the seat back . . . I am sure they can make it look beautiful

If after some more time I am not used to the feel of the seat then I am going to have a leather shop make a cover for the seat or something along those lines to make the seat more cushiony & comfortable while still retaining the same look the seat has.

There are so many talented people out there that can do this while maintaining a nice look to the seat so it doesn't look cheesy. Though I will still let my dealer and Mazda USA know about this I am not going to wait for them to have the answer when for a few $$$ I can fix it myself and enjoy my car.

Alan... don't be so quick to take the car to an upholstery shop.

My friend used to work at a Ford dealer. If a customer complained about an uncomfortable seat that needed more, or less, padding in an area to make it comfortable, the dealership (with Ford $$ I believe) would send the car and customer to an upholstery shop to "tweak" the seat for them... with NO cost to the customer.

I see no reason why a Mazda dealership couldn't do the same.

Originally posted by Carguy
Dave, I am leaving on vacation tomorrow but will back on February 8th so when I get back I will take a trip down to the dealer and see what they say.
Also I sent an email to Mazda about it and here is what they said

Dear Alan,

Thank you for contacting Mazda North American Operations. I appreciate the opportunity to respond to you.

In regards to your question, I've personally inspected my RX-8 and another RX-8 that also that the Grand Touring Package with heated seats. However, I was not able to find any "stick" or sensors that was sticking out. I could clearly put my hand across the seat.

I've looked at the picture on the website you had provided on your message. Unfortunately, I was not able to find anything. You may want to have your local Mazda dealership inspect your vehicle to determine what it may be.

You may locate your nearby authorized Mazda dealership by visiting our website at www.mazdausa.com/dealers/default.asp.

Please let me know how your visit goes with the dealership. If you have any additional question, please don't hesitate to ask.

ALthough it may not answer the question, this (and few other things I've seen) is SO much better than the generic BS responses that we get from BMWNA.

I'm liking this Mazda ownership thing more and more each day. :cool:

This problem is not confined to US cars. I took delivery of my cloth 8 here in Sydney last week (Dec 03 build) and have exactly the same issue. No matter how I adjust the seat, the horizontal frame at the base of the backrest really DIGS into the lower spine. It's simply lacks sufficient padding. I'd be interested to hear how you guys get on.
I'll certainly be raising it with my dealer at the first 1000km service... As it doesn't seem to affect all cars, perhaps its a recurrent production fault. Hard to believe they could have got the basic design that wrong, expecially as most Japanese, like me, have fairly light frames ( = limited padding in the crucial b... zone!).

Well I got my shop manual and looked up what is in the seat . . . the thing I was feeling is something that has to do with the heated seat, it's a sensor there for it. So I would think if you don't have heated seats, this sensor wouldn't be there unless all seats are manufactured with it !?

I will take a closer look tonight and post exactly what it is called if someone wants me to.