TFL 10k (almost) mile Lightning review

[DanielM92563]

Sitting in a Lariat Lightning mannequin a couple of weeks ago, I was concerned about the cheap feel of the seat. Initially I thought it was just the lack of a 4 way adjustable lumbar (it’s only 2way) but TFL confirmed it, the leather felt cheap. Planning to replace a Ram 1500 doesn’t help, their seats, leather, interior is top notch IMO.

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[sotek2345]

Sitting in a Lariat Lightning mannequin a couple of weeks ago, I was concerned about the cheap feel of the seat. Initially I thought it was just the lack of a 4 way adjustable lumbar (it’s only 2way) but TFL confirmed it, the leather felt cheap. Planning to replace a Ram 1500 doesn’t help, their seats, leather, interior is top notch IMO.

Yeah, I wasn't overly thrilled when comparing it to my 2017 Raptor (which is really a Lariat interior with branding). Not sure why Ford went so thin on the material.

 

[metroshot]

When I first sat in my Lariat, I thought the seats were vinyl because it didn't have the stiff leather feel that most cars I have had.

It's hard to believe it's leather because of the give.

If I had a choice, I would rather have the the XLT cloth seats - my first choice trim too...

Or maybe my rear end had gotten used to the stiff BMW leather of 20+ years ?

 

[ExCivilian]

It's hard to believe it's leather because of the give.

If I had a choice, I would rather have the the XLT cloth seats - my first choice trim too...

Or maybe my rear end had gotten used to the stiff BMW leather of 20+ years ?

I doubt it is leather. All these car manufacturers are advertising "vegan leather" indicating a market shift toward calling seat covering other than vinyl/cloth "leather" regardless of its source.

It's not a new thing--those BMW seats are so stiff mainly because of the urethane coating they use for UV protection. I used to restore E30s and when we redid seats we'd have to sand that coating off first. The issue was they do (or did, rather) use top grain leather and it would shrink over the decades but couldn't be rejuvenated due to the coating. So we'd either have to try and soak the oils through the lacing, do weird things like cover them with garbage bags in the sun, or sanding. But if you took the time to do it right...

In any case, those pictures of loosening leather panels is unacceptable. They will get worse and eventually tear/crease and become unrepairable. Personally I would already consider them unrepairable. I did not have high hopes these seats would be any great quality (and also preferred the cloth for that reason--but now I have my doubts the cloth would wear much better) and intended to reupholster them professionally with the best leather available.

I strongly suggest those of who experiencing seat panel puffing, pinching, twisting, etc. file warranty claims ASAP. What you don't want to do is wait 10K+ miles and have them deem it "wear and tear."

 

[troon002]

Making me a little nervous...hadn't thought to take a look until this thread...sure enough, it is creasing up on me, only 1k miles

 

[sotek2345]

Anyone try taking this to their dealer yet?

 

[ExCivilian]

Anyone try taking this to their dealer yet?

You know, I"m still unfamiliar with this forum software and how it embeds ads right in the middle of someone's post. So this is what I saw:

Don't know if that gives you a chuckle but it caught me off guard and I laughed when I realized what I was looking at. I'm assuming you meant the seats...lol

 

[sotek2345]

You know, I"m still unfamiliar with this forum software and how it embeds ads right in the middle of someone's post. So this is what I saw:

Don't know if that gives you a chuckle but it caught me off guard and I laughed when I realized what I was looking at. I'm assuming you meant the seats...lol

Yes, I meant the seats - the ads throw me sometimes too (esp. car photos)

 

[MichaelCA]

These seem to be similar material to the 2015 mustangs+, I dont think there were any issues from the mustang forums outside initial QC where the material wasn't stretched enough from the factory.

 

[sotek2345]

These seem to be similar material to the 2015 mustangs+, I dont think there were any issues from the mustang forums outside initial QC where the material wasn't stretched enough from the factory.

Yeah, it did remind me of the material / pattern from the GT350 - though not at nice or thick.

 

[Joneii]

Less than 2000 miles and here is mine. I noticed this in the first week. There is also a bit of fraying/wear around some of the holes in the middle of the seat that doesn’t show well on the photo.

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