[Harry Ford]

At the dealership on Friday I had a chance to sit behind the wheel of our SES, right before they got to work cleaning/detailing our car for delivery on Monday. I was a little concerned about the view aft, since those 3 headrests really seem to block a lot of the real estate behind the car.

We're going to try removing the center headrest first and see if that helps any, although I think we will probably end up removing all 3 since nobody will ever ride back there anyway.

My situation aside, are you leaving the backseat headrests in place or taking them out of the car?

Harry

 

[eRic]

I leave them in. the center one is no big deal. the two outboard block some of the rearward visibility but I've gotten used to them. on occasion I have rear seat passengers and I don't want them to get whiplash from acceleration.

 

[iamz]

I will remove the two outer headrests and store them in my garage and then take the center headrest and install it on one of the sides. I almost never have any passengers and it's even rarer to have a backseat passenger, and when I do, it's only one.

 

[Corvair]

You need to have them in when someone sits there. They are a critical safety device. The center one goes way down.

What's behind you doesn't matter.

But when you are going backwards, behind you in now in front of you.

 

[Fiesta33460]

The right side rear one creates a huge blindspot (when combined with the large C-pillar). I was going to remove just the right side, but it looks silly, so I removed both large headrests. I may buy 2 more centers to replace them, but I'm sure they're ridiculously expensive (esp. in leather).

 

[GapBoyPCS]

I'd leave them in if I knew I was driving people around.

 

[MegEtc]

I'd leave them in if I knew I was driving people around.

I'm leaving them in during my show-off-the-car phase because chances are high I'll have someone back there eventually. But once everyone is sick of hearing about my Fiesta, I'm going to rip them out, maybe keeping one in the trunk at all times. I would go years without back seat passengers in my old car.

 

[IB-5]

Like Fiesta33460, I too, am thinking about buying 2 more rear center headrests to
replace my right and left ones (luckily, I have cloth interior).
I know I could just remove the outer headrests, but I just don't like the "something
missing" look of that.
I don't expect I will ever have any rear seat passengers in my Fiesta.
Though it will cost me a few hundred dollars to do it, I think that, with the added
visibility it will afford me, and with the abillity to fold the rear seats down without
having to remove the headrests, in the long term, it will be worth it to me.

 

[golf strom]

An interesting angle....could the better designed euro headrests be used instead?!?!?

 

[LMTech]

When I first heard about the rear headrest issue before I got my car I was already starting to think that I would need to buy two of the smaller center headrest.
I can tell you for me that it hasn't been an issue. The main reason is that the outside spotter mirrors make having to look back too see if there is a car beside me a non-issue. I have always in the past had to look over my shoulder to see if a car is in my blind spot but with these mirrors I haven't had to look back over my shoulder once. Also the inside rearview mirror gives a good view of what is coming up behind you until they appear in the outside main mirror and spotter mirrors. I already have realized that the car beside me can actually be seen in any two mirrors until they reach my vision out of the side windows.
I have to say also that I thought the little spotter mirrors would be distracting to me but they have become my favorite non-electronic feature.
The only thing that I have found that the two bigger outside headrest have created is when trying to lay the back seats down they hit the back of the front seats. I don't see that as a big enough of a problem to spend the money on the headrest. I will just either move the front seatback up straighter before folding the back seat down and then put the front seatback to the driving postion I use or pull the headrest out while the seats or folded down and put them back in after they are folded back up.
No big deal and a whole lot cheaper and safer if I do have rear seat passengers.

 

[Reddog99]

The headrests haven't been a problem for me during forward driving, it's when I'm backing up that they restrict my vision. The mirrors can't help in that situation.

 

[LMTech]

I haven't had a problem when backing up either because the spotter mirrors are also useful for that because they give a wider view behind you.

 

[Griff2002]

Rear vision is not too bad in the sedan. Another problem with the headrests though is you have to remove them to fold the seat down all the way.

 

[TeamFord]

One option is to get the net for the trunk, take off the 2 large headrest and store them in the net. That way you always have them when needed, and they will be bouncing around the trunk.

They also make some nice custom luggage compartment accessories that have fold-able storage dividers. It can also fold flat when you are not using it. Get the optional cooler with it.

 

[Jaxx]

One option is to get the net for the trunk, take off the 2 large headrest and store them in the net. That way you always have them when needed, and they will be bouncing around the trunk.

Do you have a part number for the trunk "net"?

thanks!

 

[BRGT350]

I am leaving them as I don't find any issues with looking out the back. Besides, I try not to forget the number 1 rule of Italian driving; "What is behind us, doesn't matter"

The EU Fiesta had rear head rests that could moved up for rear passengers, and stored flat when nobody was back there. Of the dozens of test drives I took people on, nobody could figure out the rear head rests. So to please the public that can't grasp moving head rests, the US Fiesta has giant ones that don't retract.

 

[TeamFord]

Do you have a part number for the trunk "net"?

thanks!

VAA6Z-54550A66-A for both Sedan and Hbk.

 

[AlanBDahl]

I am leaving them as I don't find any issues with looking out the back. Besides, I try not to forget the number 1 rule of Italian driving; "What is behind us, doesn't matter" .

Gumball...

 

[BRGT350]

Gumball...

well done, I wasn't sure if anyone here would catch that one.

 

[eRic]

An interesting angle....could the better designed euro headrests be used instead?!?!?

I wouldn't necessarily call them "better designed". The EU rear head restraints are similar to the center rear head restraint on the US Fiesta. This past weekend I got to compare them. AJ the tweeting EU Fiesta was parked near a US 5-door Fiesta and I went back and looking at the similarities and differences. replacing the two outboard head restraints for a center one would help rear visibility [I tried it on mine at home] but would make rear passengers uncomfortable in the lowest position. at least it made me uncomfortable when I sat back there because it was pressed into my back.