I purchased a 2015 Nissan Altima from Herb Gordon Nissan in Silver Spring MD. The car was really nice and had great features including the keyless remote, spacious and overall great looking car. However after a week of driving I had a considerable amount of backpain.

My commute to work is about 45 minutes each way and then if I had running around after work or on the weekends so I noticed after a week of driving this car I felt like someone had beat me up when trying to get in and out of the car. The pain was horrible along my middle and lower back. I had to go into the dealership to finalize some paperwork with the finance department and when I got there I told them the seats were just too uncomfortable. I googled to see if there were any other complaints and learned there were.

These seats were labeled "zero gravity" seats and supposed to be so comfortable. Well they were horrible! During the course of the week I went and bought a pillow to place in my lower back while driving but that did not work. There was no lumbar to adjust for my back it was like sitting in a bucket seat and I just sank in it. I tried propping the seat straight up but the head rest made my necking drop forward which made it worse.

The bottom line was I had to make a change with this car. It would cost more to have a lumbar added to the seat for comfort and then what if i wanted to sit on the passenger side? I would need one installed on that side. Luckily I had not finalized the paperwork and the dealership worked with me on switching to another vehicle, a 2015 Hyundai Sonata.

I have been driving that for about 11 months. Since then my back has still been hurting and I had to buy a back pillow designed for cars with no lumbar in the seat. I discovered I now have a herniated disc in my back. So anyone who experiences this please do not just deal with it. If you can work out a deal to switch cars do it. I like the car I have now but unfortunately my back had been damaged as a result. Not sure what my next steps are for getting my back back to normal. I have been referred to a spinal doctor which may refer therapy. We shall see.

I just leased this 2015 Altima one week ago today (Monday). On the first Saturday, I went on a 60 mile round trip drive and that night when I bent over, I felt a twinge in my mid-back area. I never have back trouble and had not done any heavy lifting. The next morning my back was definitely in pain and the muscles were spasming.

It didn't take long at all to figure out that the cause is the bucket seats in the Altima. The seat back curves and bulges into my back, pushing it into an unnatural position and pushes hard on the muscles. The curve stops halfway up the seat, making the bulge even more pronounced. It's so uncomfortable for me to drive now with that bulge pushing into my back that I have been reclining the seat far back and sitting up straight so my back doesn't touch the seat! It's unbearable and I can't fathom driving this thing for the next three years, as the lease calls for.

I called the dealership where I bought the car--Hendrick Nissan in Shawnee, Kansas, explained my problem and asked if they could waive the early termination fee and allow me to return the car. They refused to allow a return and were not willing to eat the cost of offering me a car with lumbar adjusting seats. Their only solution was to suggest that I buy some type of gel seat cover. Wow, that was bad customer service--especially considering that I had just a few months before bought a 2014 Altima from them for my daughter. (She has no problem with her seat--maybe it's different in that model year.) Besides, a gel seat cover wouldn't work as the Altima's seat bulges out so much. I guess I'll try hanging a pillow from the top that comes down to where the bulge stops in order to make it more uniform support. One thing is for certain, I will NEVER buy a Nissan again. Getting a new car is supposed to be fun, but this has turned into a painful and chronic back problem and it's hard to enjoy life when you're in pain.

Update from Jan 26, 2015: Another notable problem with the seats are the headrests. They angle too far forward (Nissan sacrificed comfort in order to score well in a safety test) and it's annoying and uncomfortable.