[jonco223]

Also found the headrest to be too far foward. Here's how I fixed it on my Model 3

 

[garsh]

@jonco223, so the headrests are on posts and are adjustable and removable?

Perfect!

 

[btpier]

Also found the headrest to be too far foward. Here's how I fixed it on my Model 3

I was thinking this could be done without removing the head rest cover if you wrapped the headrest in a nice thick towel to protect the leather. Thoughts?

 

[jonco223]

Yes, that would likely work - I just didn't want to risk damage. The covers were pretty easy to remove and I was also curious to see how they were put together.

 

[scaots]

I was thinking this could be done without removing the head rest cover if you wrapped the headrest in a nice thick towel to protect the leather. Thoughts?

Or maybe firmly secure the posts, making sure they have to stay straight, and pull on the headrest part.

 

[scaots]

Also found the headrest to be too far foward. Here's how I fixed it on my Model 3

I was used to it once I found a better seating position, but wife says it is way too forward to be comfortable so I will be trying this on the passenger side.

 

[SalisburySam]

These too-far-forward-tilting headrests are a big comfort issue for me. I'm 6'2" and have to either sit hunched over or put the seat back more than I'd like. For my 2012 LEAF, I was able to simply lift the headrest out, turn it around, and push it back in. This tilted the headrest backward a bit instead of into the seating position. I did the same on another vehicle I have. Yes, this reduces effectiveness against whiplash in a rear-ender, but the headrest is still there and will offer some protection. I was rear-ended hard back in a 1980 vehicle with headrests about the same distant from my head as the LEAF's reversed headrests with no complications. Since a simple reverse does not seem possible in the Model 3, I'll probably go for jonco223's very effective solution.

 

[Sealander]

I removed both headrests and turned them around and reinstalled and I think it is going to work for me. They still look good when reversed. You really can't tell they were intended to be the other way. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Stream3]

I removed both headrests and turned them around and reinstalled and I think it is going to work for me. They still look good when reversed. You really can't tell they were intended to be the other way. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm concerned about this too. Get my car in two weeks. Could you share a pic or two of how your seats look with the headrests installed backwards? I'll probably be doing that too - doubt I'll start bending on the posts unless I absolutely have to.
Thanks!

 

[SoFlaModel3]

I removed both headrests and turned them around and reinstalled and I think it is going to work for me. They still look good when reversed. You really can't tell they were intended to be the other way. Thanks for the suggestion!

Can you share a picture?

 

[NightStorm]

The headrest bothers me too, feels like it pushes my head forward (I got referred to this thread from the "How to make the drivers seat comfortable" thread where I originally noted my problem).
I've found that a small pillow that looks like a door draft stop (i.e., long and round) helps. I just ordered one of these from Amazon, will see if it helps while looking better than my door-draft-stop pillow (I've white interior).

 

[Winnie]

I have the same problem and feel that the headrest pushes my hear forward more than it should. I will try reversing the headrest.

 

[Norm Rechtman]

And moving the seat back doesn’t work for you? You should not be close to th steering wheel, the closer you are, the bigger chance of serious injury in a crash, when you’re on top of the steering wheel, you should be at least 10 inches from the steering wheel

 

[NightStorm]

I've been using the head pillow I linked above for a couple of days now. I like it real well, it increases my comfort plus it looks a lot better than the temporary solution I had before. One other advantage is it keeps the oils from one's head from staining the head rest, something I think will prove valuable for the white interior.

 

[Ev's EV]

And moving the seat back doesn't work for you? You should not be close to th steering wheel, the closer you are, the bigger chance of serious injury in a crash, when you're on top of the steering wheel, you should be at least 10 inches from the steering wheel

Actually, this did work very well for me. I moved back another 4 or so inches and neck pain went away.

 

[Kizzy]

I wondered about the headrest position. This may annoy me as I tend to have a quite upright seat.

Well, so far, it doesn't bother me. I even leaned into it and it felt fine.

 

[garsh]

I was thinking this could be done without removing the head rest cover if you wrapped the headrest in a nice thick towel to protect the leather. Thoughts?

I've made a similar adjustment to other cars' headrests. I just wrapped the headrests in a small piece of carpeting that I had lying around to protect them. Soft on the side that touches the material, durable on the outside that gets clamped, and pretty thick overall.

 

[cfcubed]

@jonco223 Thanks man, you helped save my wife & I's neck & back. Lowered comfort "issues" my wife has for the 3 vs her comfy, cushy, tall 2008 RX.

Our builds, heights, (upright?) postures causes us to play head-forward/neck-pain roulette whenever we rent cars. Some so bad/have *very* far forward headrests our heads actually tilt down toward steering wheel when driving in our usual positions.

Our June/027XXX VIN 3's aren't as bad as that but are noticeably farther forward (for our seating positions) than other cars we've owned (e.g. 2008 RX, 2016 base/TSI Golf, others). Played around with 3 seat's many positions several times and headrest position was always still (somewhat) annoying, esp. on longer or non-smooth drives & when compared to our other cars. E.g. the Golf feels more vertical in headrest stance, not tilted forward like 3s, and of course has up/down headrest adj that our 3s lack.

Those that experience this issue know what this means; your primary(?) upper-body contact area is the back of your head vs your shoulders & upper back as it should be. And, yes, I know the safety implications surrounding whiplash threat and after this mod our heads still either rest on the headrests, or are within an inch of them, during driving - they just don't press into the headrests nearly as much.

Some tips FWIW beyond those in the video:
* didn't remove headrest cover, just used soft towel as others say. No marks, etc, no evidence of work on them afterwards
* actually made a sort of jig using 2 thick, smooth plywood scraps to hold/support all of both front & back of headrests
* used a large C clamp across top of plywood brace boards/between headrest stalks as a hand-hold & to maintain integrity/position of headrest clamping boards
* bought $10 1/2" x 24" (Southland 563-240HC) Galvanized/****** pipe from HD. Only thing needed for bending, nearly perfect ID to fit stalks & long enough for leverage. And could be returned after job as its not affected in any way by the job.

Following video went back 2" from stock stalk tips & now find the positioning acceptable for both of us. Again our heads still rest on headrest or within about an inch of it. Would think 2X about bending > 2"/2.5" at stalk tips, and may not help further based on the angle/shape of the headrest. This mod brings our car one step closer to perfection (want that Blind Spot Monitoring!)

P.S. IMO flipping headrests around puts them way too far back for safe use, at least for any builds/postures I can imagine. Plus they look funny that way. Do the mod instead.

 

[scaots]

I don't think bending would help my wife. She is short and only gets the bottom of the headrest where it juts out from the seat back. By bending it would still stick out in front of the seat back the same or maybe stick out even more at the bottom. She liked it much better on backwards.

 

[cfcubed]

Sorry, guess you're right @scaots If you're not tall enough for your head to reach at least the middle of the headrest bending probably wouldn't help. Too bad the seat profile is a bit on the headrest-forward side of things + not adjustable.