Cristoff

Hmm, they must have fixed your issue somewhere down the road. My 2013 headrests are adjustable and quite comfortable.

Norm Peterson

If you don't sit bolt-upright in the seat like you would in a formal dining room chair, they're a whole lot less intrusive. I'm not talking about being halfway laying down like you would be in some of those modified imports, just a few degrees.

BTW, I don't recall that the posts on mine were tubular, think they were solid. Look at the height-adjustment notches.


Norm

chuckdee

Yeah, bad idea

__________________
2005 5 speed
GT Convertable
Mac axle-back exhaust
Want; long tube headers
off road H pipe
cold air intake and tune
Chuck - aka the fly guy
Flight schools
Take flight

Roy_R

Maybe it was messing up his mullet???

sbradle4

This doesn't even remotely seem like a great idea

GTjoe49

The headrests were, at first, annoying, but 3-1/2 years later, I have'nt noticed. As was said earlier, a slight backward rake to the seat renders the issue mute.

RADTech

This (above) is precisely why I had to bend mine. FOR ME THE FIT WAS INTOLERABLE. I don't recline, I sit up more straight and the stock position made driving miserable. It IS LAME that they don't adjust, because now I can comfortably drive with my head in a natural position resting straight and up against the rest/restraint. I'm fully aware of the safety function of head restraints.

As far as the metallurgical integrity of the steel posts...I literally had to jump up and down a bit to bend them one at a time and I'm 225 #s!. I've been a metal fabricator/welder since the 80s (mostly DIY but as a job briefly), I know steel and those posts are TOUGH! It is a very rigid frame under that foam, made over-engineered for safety. There is no way in hell they are not strong enough forthe job after bending. Besides I since these are vinyl I still will get the adjustable leather version some day.

So put it this way: stock head restraints are so intolerable they were going toget tossed and replaced anyway if I couldn't get them in a usable position. I tried jumping on them loose on the ground, held one post in a vise...all to no avail. Could not bend them. I had nothing to lose so one day I got pissed and just drove the rear wheel on top of it and finally I had a method for holding the unit firmly while I could just stomp on the posts. To my amazement I found the posts surprisingly tough so I was very confident their integrity was not significantly compromised, I felt perfectly safe using them, and I did not have to throw them out until I canget some adjustable ones since the only drawback is a bit of the underside shows now, and of course, they are vinyl and I have leather seats.

I will attempt a photo or two if it ever stops raining up here!

RADTech

Sometimes you've got to think outside of the box, man. I've set up rear end gears, built engines, transmissions, frame welding, etc. This isn't the first factory design I've had to fix. I know what I'm doing. I think it out well. I question the opinions of the inexperienced and closed-minded.

It was a very good idea. Am I supposed to sell my '10 GT and buy a '13 with the improved head restraints??? Or better yet, suffer 3 1/2 years if neck aches? Really? Sorry, I'm a car mechanic, a metal fabricator, a professional problem solver.

Norm Peterson

At best it's a "best overall average" arrangement that makes a lot of assumptions. While it may fit most people at least acceptably well, there will be people that it absolutely will not work with comfortably (or indirectly as a consequence of discomfort, safely).

My wife also fits into the category of people that the OE headrest position/inclination does not fit - she also sits upright. My lower back simply won't let me sit that way, so I've never had issue, not even with a helmet on for 20+ minutes at a time.


So how safe do you think it is to have your chin forced down toward your chest every minute that you're behind the wheel, simply because your size/shape/seating posture isn't the same as Ford's human evaluators' and crash test dummy's were? Does the same size shoe fit everybody?

I've DIY-tweaked a few things on cars over the years to make them fit either me or my wife better, too.


Norm

Chromeshadow

I had a big problem with the headrests, I had to reverse them to be able to drive, both my wife and son couldn't ride for more than 10 minutes. One of the first purchases I made was the TMI adjustable tilt headrests. I could have modified the factory headrests, but I want to make sure if the car is hit in the back that my neck is protected, and the other insurance company can't say they will not pay because I modified the factory head rests. The TMI headrests are adjustable, look factory ( I have the premium interior) and are very comfortable.