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How to Adjust Driver Seat Height in Ford F150?

How to Adjust Driver Seat Height in Ford F150?

Ford F-150 comes with an adjustable driver seat that makes it easier to share it amongst family members of variable heights. 

For example, I like to drive by raising the seat height and closer to the steering wheel. But, at the same time, my wife has a hard time going in this position and requires the seat adjusted to a different height.

How to Adjust Driver Seat Height in Ford F150? In general, you can adjust the driver seat height in Ford F150 by using the lever. First, raise the seat height by uplifting the lever. Next, adjust the lower seat and push it towards the floor of the truck. Next, adjust the back support and raise the driver seat height. Finally, you can lower the seat by pushing the lever down.

How to Adjust Driver Seat Height in Ford F150?

Adjusting the height of the driver’s seat in models with power seats is more manageable and provides multiple degrees of freedom in its movement.

Power seats have electric motors underneath them to allow their movement. In addition, you will find separate adjustment buttons on the side of the driver’s seat for each kind of movement.

Find the adjustment lever

According to the model and trim level, you will find 1, 2, or 3 adjustment levers/buttons on the side of the seat closest to the truck door.

They adjust the lumbar support, seat recline position, move the seat forward or backward and adjust the seat height. 

There can be a lever/button to raise or lower the seat, depending on the model and type of vehicle.

It will be in the first position among all 3 buttons. In 10-way adjustable power seats, it has the additional function of moving them forward or backward. 

Pull up the lever or button to increase driver seat height

You can independently move the front or back up in 10-way or 8-way adjustable driver seats of higher trim levels of Ford F-150.

Pulling the lever/button from the front end will move the seat until you achieve the desired height.

Similarly, pulling the back end of the same lever will lift the seat from its backside. To raise its overall height, pull the lever up from the center until it moves to the desired position.   

Push down to lower the seat

The lever used to raise the seat also has the function of reducing its height. Pushing it down its front or back end will reduce the height of the front seat accordingly.

To lower the driver’s seat, push the button from its center until it is comfortable for you to drive the truck.

Use 2nd lever to control the back support height

In 10-way adjustable power seats, there is a third button to control the recline of the back of the seat.

By pulling or pushing it, you can change the back slope of the driver seat to vertical or closer to the horizontal position.

In 8-way adjustable power seats, you will not find this function and have to move their back support up or down manually. 

What is the appropriate height of the driver seat in a Ford F-150?

The appropriate height of the driver seat in the Ford F-150 depends on several factors, including the driver height, the comfort level of seats for long drives, and optimal road visibility above the dashboard of your truck.

The general rule of thumb is to raise it to a level that there should be a distance of at least 6-inches between your head and truck ceiling.

It will allow you to see the road above the dashboard and steering wheel.

The height of the back or front of the seat depends on the comfortability of driving over long distances. It can vary from driver to driver, and everyone adjusts it according to his requirements.  

Ford F150 Memory seats with options to save adjustment settings

Availability of memory seats in higher and latest variants of Ford F-150 will facilitate the owners to save seat adjustment settings for up to 3 different drivers.

It will enable to drive the truck by people of varying heights. Besides the seat, it also remembers the steering wheel, pedal, and side mirrors. 

To save the seat position regarding other parts, adjust those parts to the desired position, including its height and different adjustment settings.

First, press the set button on the dashboard until you hear a chime sound. Next, press the number from 1 to 3 to assign the position you want for those specific settings. A popup on display will confirm the successful saving of seat adjustment settings. 

You can also synchronize your seat position with the key fob. Before entering the truck, press the button relevant to preset seat settings, and it will automatically move the seat height and other positions according to saved data.

This advanced feature is ideal for a family of persons with different adjustment requirements.    

Trim levels in Ford F-150 with adjustable driver seat height

Various trim levels of Ford F-150 come with different seat options. The base variants like XL are factory-equipped with manual seats with no height adjustment options.

However, mid-range trim levels such as XLT have 8-way adjustable power seats. You can raise or lower the driver’s seat by using the adjustment buttons.

Advanced variants like Lariat and King Ranch have 10-way adjustable power seats with additional features and the option to raise or lower them by simply pressing a button. 

How to raise the height of manual seats?

Base variants of Ford like XL contain manual seats with no height adjustment options available.

Therefore, it can be challenging for specific drivers with such trucks with prefixed heights.

However, Ford motor company has provided alternatives to upgrade the driver seats in those models by installing power seats.

It is an excellent option, but it will cost a considerable sum of money to purchase and integrate them with the existing system. 

There is no predefined method to raise the height of manual seats because of their fixing in the floor of the truck’s cabin.

One of the simplest methods is adding cushions to increase height, but it is not an optimum way to tackle this problem.

However, drivers have found or devised methods to raise the back of the seat by an inch by adding spacers under the seat footings.

It is a customized arrangement by any mechanics or workshops in the market. Authorized workshops of Ford may not do or allow for this change due to the impact of spacers on the cabin floor.

Kit to raise Manual Driver Seat

This driver seat riser kit contains 2 spacers, 2 high-grade longer bolts to match the hole size in seat feet, and 2 washers to install between spacers and seats. It will cost around $40-$50 if you install it by yourself. 

The installation process of the riser kit to increase the height of the seat is pretty much straightforward, and you can do it by yourself.

First of all, remove the 2 mounting bolts on the back of the seat. Next, loosen the 2 bolts on its front side.

Next, lift the rear side to slide the spacer between the seat frame and floor of the truck cabin.

Next, tighten the new longer bolts to fix spacers with the seat frame and base of the truck. In the end, set the front screws to fix the seat in its place.

Finally, paint the spacers black to match them with the seat frame and floor color. 

It will take about 1-2 hours to complete this whole procedure and require no advanced technical skills.

Benefits

This arrangement of lifting the rear of the driver seat in the Ford F-150 will increase the comfort level for long drives by reducing pressure on the back of the driver’s legs.

Moreover, it will improve the driver’s road view capability due to an increase in the overall height of the seat.

It will provide an elevated height of the driver’s seat without changing or damaging the structure of the truck or driving efficiency.  

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