Can I Raise the Seat in a Hyundai Sonata?

Reader Question
Austin,

I am considering buying a different car – we like everything about (Hyundai Sonata) except for one thing – my wife thinks the passenger seat is too low and wants to elevate it an inch or two. I suppose putting in a space and longer bolts would do the trick.

Do you have any resources to help guide through this process or any opinions?

Mike

Hello Mike

Thanks for your email. I think you should talk to the dealer about it. My first thought would be, it is not a good idea to change the height of the seat because you are also changing the relationship of the air bag and the seat belt and the passenger in the event of a crash.

If the dealer can make an adapter or something that they feel is safe…then ok, let them do it. But I would not try to make a homemade version and do it yourself….just too much risk. There is a huge amount of stress placed on the seat during an impact. I would hate to find out the hard way that the bolts used to raise the seat up could not stand up to the stresses.

My grandmother sits on a small foam wedge that elevates her body. It makes the seat more comfortable for her, and it can be removed when other people want to sit in the seat.

Blessings,

Austin C. Davis