There are a lot of quirky issues that car buyers can sweep under the rug for the right vehicle, but an uncomfortable seat isn’t one of them. As the single point of contact between the driver’s rear and the vehicle, seats are some of the most thought-out and scrutinized components. J.D. Power’s 2024 Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study found that automakers have made significant strides in seat comfort, but buyers remain frustrated with the quality of their vehicles’ headrests.
The organization rates vehicles on the number of problems per 100 units they experience, or PP100. Owners reporting headrest issues found several other issues with the seats, reporting 6.7 PP100 for seat problems, compared to people who liked their headrests. Their responses indicated 1.0 PP100, showing far better overall satisfaction with the seats.
Ashley Edgar, senior director of automotive benchmarking, said, “Headrest adjustability needs to be prioritized by seat manufacturers as it does have an effect on overall seat experience. As much as manufacturers can address many of the other aspects of seat quality, overall comfort is lost without a proper headrest.”
J.D. Power’s seat rankings are broken down by segment. Winners include:
- Mass-Market Small/Compact Car
- Mass-Market Midsize/Large Car
- Mass-market SUV and Truck/Van
- Mass-market midsize/Large SUV
- Mass-Market Truck/Van
- Premium Car
- Premium SUV
The study included seat manufacturers, which in all but one case were third-party companies separate from the automakers. Adient made the seats for the Kia K5 and Toyota Camry, while Lear Corporation manufactured the seats for the Chevy Equinox, Ford Explorer, both Chevy trucks, and all models in the Premium Car segment.