Canada Girl, how high/low is your headrest? I'm assuming you played around with the height and it showed no improvement?

 

Nope. I'm 5'5" so can't have it jacked up TOO high, but the height really didn't help. The only relief came from the seat back angle.

 

Yet another possible solution would be to buy new different front seats. Or just the driver seat. Not sure about the seat height though. And it wouldn't be exactly cheap.

Another thought...if you set the seatback a little more reclined and then attach a headrest/upper seatback cushion on top, it theoretically should work for you. I just don't know any cushions off hand.

 

Someone else suggested a "butterfly" shaped neck cushion which may be the ideal solution. Will check out my local Canadian Tire when I get a chance...

 

Yah, same here.

I doubt I will have a problem, when my Fit arrives. And if so, the head cushion sounds like it will work.


I've actually had the opposite problem in most cars I've owned which is the headrest is too far back, I dont think I ever used it. I'm hoping that this headrest would offer more support for those long distanse trips.

 

Like I said in the other post, this is a major design flaw that I've noticed on all new Honda vehicles. They must think everybody has the same body structure and sits the same way when they designed this, but many (including myself) find it excruciating.

Although it looks stupid and defeats the intention of the headrest, I always pull them out and turn them around (facing backwards). That's the only way I have been able to be comfortable (and not get a sore neck). Oh, and I would rather have a sore neck in an accident rather than have one all the time :>)

Actually, I am going to try bending the shafts right where they enter the headrest, so it shouldn't affect the active head restraint (if done correctly), but haven't thought of an easy way to do this yet.

 

Well... if someone toasts my fit.. I sure don't want to let them out of a lawsuit by preventing whiplash!!!

But U R the owner... it's certainly NOT against the law to make yourself comfortable..

So... if you choose... here are my tips...

My issue was the darn thing kept moving up on me and of course locking itself there as I got in and out of the car. I hit the dealer with this and his solution was to reverse the headrest.

I didn't care for that one. If I could keep it locked down, I was pretty comfortable, so my non-destructive fix was to remove the headrest, stick the end of a cut rubber band on the hole and replace the rest. The rubber holds the headrest in place, and does not destroy anything.

 

Internal to the auto industry (hint, hint, wink, wink, I might work for an OEM) the new IIHS standard is the problem. As I previously stated, ALL OEM's are having problems meeting the top score while providing comfort. Some are succeeding marginally better, but not many. Some have said to hell with the rating, we will do what we think is best.

The active headrests are a different system, but the work in concert with each other. I know that the Honda headrest is in the right design position and not in a constantly "active" position based on the simple mechanism they use.

Rotating the headrest around 180, and bending the shaft is the wrong thing to do if you want the best crash performance.


Go here for more info before modifying things.
Q&As: Neck injury

 

I will tear them out and burn them rather than drive with my head facing the floor!

 

Hey, there's no length the gummint won't go to keep us safe from ourselves...
With the likely outcome of the election, it is only apt to get worse.
Moon

 

Lol. I never thought of that idea...that would definitely fix it!

 

Hi,

I am about to buy a Honda Fit (later this week) but for one problem: the headrests!
I'm hoping this car will last me 15 yrs, but since I have a longtime medical neck/back problem, this headrest thing is a big issue.

(Such a bummer; the Yaris seats felt so much better; but I don't love the Yaris, while I do love the Fit...)

Any news/resolutions on this head rest problem?

Anyone find out/try anything with putting in a different headrest? (This is what I'm hoping for most!!)

Or a cushion in the lower part of the seats that would move you away from the headrest?

I'm tempted to turn them around...but I seem to get caught whenever I cut any corners...

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

G

 

I just picked up my Fit today. I'm a female 5'4", and while I do notice the headrests are a little bit forward it doesn't bother me. Has anyone tried raising the headrest height so their head just hits the lower half of the headrest, which isn't angled so far forward as the upper part of the headrest?

 

To solve my wife's FIT headrest problem we purchase a headrest for a 2007 Honda Accord. They just happened to have one in the showroom and we swapped the headrest while we were looking at the car. The old headrest is not angled forward and worked much better. It worked great so after we bought the car we bought a headrest from Honda Parts for about $99 U.S.

You have to have a VIN number of a 2007 Honda Accord so they can order the right one/color. Call your selling dealer and ask him for the Vin of a Honda Accord which matches your Fit's interior. The part number for a black one which matched our FIT's interior was:
81140-SDA-A46ZA HEADREST NH167L
The dealer said there were 2 part numbers he could order and he didn't know why. He order the cheaper one and while it works, it is still slightly more forward than the one we tried in the dealership. So maybe get the other partnumber. But regardless it was a solution.

 

I hate to say this but I have never met any other group of owners that complain more than GE owners. Seriously. Ive seen a thread for just about every littlest thing that bothers some people. Who actually uses the headrest? If I lay my head back on the head rest im looking up too much and not to mention youll hit your head on it every bump. If I sit upright I dont feel the need to have a headrest.

 

HOLY BATMAN THREAD REVIVAL!!! I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU FOUND THIS SPECIFIC THREAD AND DECIDED TO GIVE IT A GO LAWLZ

OH WELL....

and +1 qb.......This Fit was designed with every intention of making the Fit better compared to the previous generation ie. Arm rest, dead pedal, etc......

I just don't get it

 

Just because it is an incredibly great little car, perhaps many of us hold it to a higher standard than we would an ordinary little, cheap car.
It feels and drives much better than it's modest cost should indicate, so we compare it to more expensive models instead.
Or else we're just a bunch of whiners.
Moon

 

Same problem here. I'm a 5'6 female, but have very long legs and a short torso (so I sit shorter than some people my height would). I haven't had a problem with my usual daily commute (thus, didn't notice during the test drive) since I tend to sit up very straight during those short commutes. I have noticed that my head hits the headrests the whole time I'm driving in city traffic rather than forward from it like every other car I've had. But this weekend I drove a 350 mi round trip, and about 2-3 hours into the trip, the pain in my neck from having my head stuck so far forward without an escape for that length of time was causing a lot of pain. Sad, because I was anticipating a nice drive because of the excellent lumbar support (this is where my pain usually ends up during long drives). I ended up with terrible pain by the time I arrived at my destination, and the next day I got a severe migraine (attributed to the neck strain). My neck still hurts today.

On the way back I tried raising and lowering the headrests, adjusting the seat, and later turning the headrests backwards, none of which helped at all. I got desperate and stopped by a Target off the interstate and got a pillow. I was able to address the neck issue, but my upper back had way too much pressure on it.

I will follow some of the advice offered, maybe checking into a different Honda model headrest (or older Fit model headrest), if this has relieved the problem for others. I also considered bending back the prongs, has anyone tried this? I think if I could just angle it back maybe 10 degrees it would be perfect. My head would then be in a very natural position, and I could still be looking forward. I just want to be able to sit up straight without touching the headrest.

I just can't believe that with Honda's excellent quality, that the seats could be so poorly designed. Safety is one thing, but I'd rather take a minor risk of a little bit of whiplash IF I get hit, rather than get a migraine every time I have to drive more than 2 hours in this vehicle. I don't see why it can't be reasonably comfortable AND safe.

I'm really getting upset about this car, because I love everything else about it, but the headrests are ridiculous. Ugh.

 

Holy Lazarus, Batman. The thread is back.
I actually thought about this the other day, as I had some 'how I fit in my Fit' issues when I first got the car.
I truly haven't noticed any of those issues lately, including a two-hour trip. My wife keeps grousing it's not a comfy as her Passat, but she drove it back from Harrisburg and didn't have too much bad to say about it, including about the headrest bumping her hair.
Anyway, where I'm going with this, Calculass and others, relax and try not to be too fixated about it. Kinda like a pair of shoes that breaks in with some use.
Moon
ETA-'course, my other car is a TJ Jeep; the Fit feels like a Grosser Mercedes by comparison...
M

 

Yeah, like I said, it doesn't bother me on a day to day basis, and I don't do a whole lot of long distance travel, so maybe I'll just try a better pillow or something. Other than that it's very comfortable!

Thanks though!