Shoulder Pain related to 2007 RAV4

bigdadi118

Wifey has 07 Rav4 base AWD for 2 years and developed unexplained severe shoulder pain in right side. Today I mentioned her shoulder pain to another friend has 06 Rav4 V6 FWD. He said that he also has the shoulder pain in right side.

I am wondering whether this is related to the driver seat.

If you have RIGHT side shoulder pain and also driving a Rav4 please post your experience.

tidester

It will be interesting to find out whether anyone else has experienced this. A sample size of two may well just indicate a coincidence but some people can be very sensitive to various factors such as seat inclination, length, firmness, pitch, texture, hardness and so on.

I am curious. How long was it after your wife and friend started driving their RAV4s that they began to experience the shoulder pain and, if you don't mind, how old (approximately) are they?

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

bigdadi118

My friend is male in 40's. Wife is in the 50's.

kipk

Back pain for my wife and myself was between the shoulder blades and more to the right side. No problems now! (09 RAV4)

From Post 254 in the RAV4 Real world MPG Forum.


Drivers seat:

"For our comfort, Both Hondas required the driver seat be jacked up to their highest position for the best comfort. Pilot has 8 way electric driver seat and the CR-V had the mechanically adjusted 3 way seats as does our RAV4 Sport. So, we set the RAV4 seat to its highest position and went from there. Neither of us could get really comfortable with the RAV4 seat and my back would begin to hurt after just a few minutes. I tried some seat "Cushions" from Auto zone that made little to no difference. Just couldn't seem to get the seat back angle correct to get the head rest away from our heads and still be sitting up straight enough for comfort. Plus the door's arm rest was too far down for the elbow to reach comfortably. Tried the full telescoping and tilt adjustments of the steering wheel and putting the seat closer and farther away with little favorable results. Came to the conclusion that the "Smallish" steering wheel was part of the problem. After weeks of us trying to get comfortable in the "driver seat from hell" and balancing things on the door's arm rest and the console, to give our backs some relief, I got real innovative. :shades:

Lowered the seat so that the door's arm rest would support my elbow. It took 8 clicks down to accomplish that. Noticed also that the seat bottom cushion seemed to be tilting somewhat. Somehow the head rest is no longer an issue and the seat is comfortable for both of us."
Kip

bigdadi118

Thanks Kipk
Will try lower the driver seat and see the outcome. Another problem is wife is only 5' tall, she may benefit from 'highest' seat position to get better viewing, now she has to go opposite way.

kipk

Here is how it went down with us.

BACKGROUND:
In 2003, My wifes knees had started bothering her when getting in and out of her '95 Maxima, due to the low seat. So we started looking for a vehicle that was easier to enter and exit. We found that the CR-V allowed her to back onto the seat and swing her legs around without any squatting. IF the seat was in the highest position. Getting out was equally easy as her left foot touched the ground without either stretching or bending her knee. Basically just swing her legs around and stand up. So we traded for that single reason.

When time came to trade the CR-V, we drove several vehicles, even some sedans, and smaller SUVs and we both liked the RAV4 better than anything else we drove. So when taking delivery, I jacked the seat up all the way so she would be happy.

PRESENT DAY:

I had driven the RAV4 to return the seat cushion to Auto Zone.

Started really analyzing the situation in Auto Zone's parking lot. As I got back into R4, I noticed I ducked my head just a bit to keep from bumping it on the roof frame. Didn't need to duck with the CR-V or the Pilot. Also noticed the top of the steering wheel is considerably lower to the seating position, even though it is tilted all the way up. (Keeping in mind I had thought the smallish diameter of the Steering wheel was part of the problem). Already knew the arm rest(s) were too low. Then I slowly got out and noticed I was having to stretch to find the ground. Then slowly got back in and noticed I was on tip-toes to be able to slide onto the seat.

So started driving around and adjusting the seat 1 click at a time down. When I reached 8 clicks down, it felt right. And the top of the steering wheel seemed to be in the right position. Stopped the car and put my left leg out and there was the ground. No stretching needed. No tip-toes and no head ducking to get back in.

I adjusted the mirrors for the new seat height and went home. Didn't say anything to my wife, because I knew she wanted that seat all the way up as it had been in the CR-V. And she would have changed "MY PERFECT SETTING" :sick:

A week or so went by and I asked her if the seat was still bothering her. She said, "NO, I think I've gotten use to it"! :shades:

Hope all goes well with y'all!

Kip