The 2021 Ford F-150 is promising to make things a lot more convenient for owners. Whether it comes to backing up a trailer, reading the owner’s manual, or simply saving fuel, the truck will no doubt help drivers immensely. And for those that use their F-150 for work or other activities that requires them to spent a significant amount of time in the truck, the available Max Recline Seats should help them get to sleep more comfortably during a break or down time.
We’ve already told you all about these awesome new seats a few months ago, but Ford has just shared a few new details, including the story of how the seats came about.
Ford developed the Max Recline Seats as soon as it realized just how many owners were using their trucks precisely for that purpose.
“We know the folks who work on construction or mining sites use their truck cab for naps during downtime, and we learned everyday owners do, too,” said Jackie DiMarco, Ford truck product line director. “When I would take my daughters to hockey tournaments, between games, one would be sleeping in the back seat while the other would be on the floor of my truck, and it reinforced the idea that, ‘We need to fix this!’ ”
Ford developed the Max Recline Seats as part of its new human-centered design mantra. For the 2021 Ford F-150, the team wanted the truck to address the “pain points” pickup owners experienced when using the vehicles in ways the designers never intended.
First, the Ford comfort team got to work developing relatively simple mock-ups of their idea. Instead of an overly complicated process, the team quickly devised prototypes out of existing seat frames and simply used hot glue, pins, and foam core to build multiple concepts. A fully-functional metal prototype allowed the team to refine the motion and comfort of the seat itself.
“There are no additional motors in these seats – just a simple mechanism that relies on the customer moving the seatback using the power recline function,” said Ben Kulhawik, seat design and release engineer. “It’s simple, it’s effective, and we believe our customers will love how much more productive they can be just by getting a little more rest during downtime.”
Designed to give sleepy owners more comfort than ever before, the Max Recline Seats in the 2021 Ford F-150 can fold fold flat to nearly 180 degrees. When deployed, the seat bottom is raised 3.5 inches while the upper seatback can be moved forward for neck support.
Potential use cases are numerous, including workers using the Max Recline Seats to get in a nap on the job site, sleeping while on a camping trip, catching some Zs at a rest stop on a long road trip, or simply napping in the truck when doing so in any other place isn’t really an option, such as during sporting tournaments being held in the middle of nowhere.
The unconventional seats earned Ford five patents associated with the overall design and assembly process. The seats will be a class-exclusive feature when they become available on King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited trim levels later on in the model year.
We’ll have much more on the new F-150 soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford F-150 news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
Why would Ford not offer these on all trims as most work trucks are XLT’S. and how about the Lariat. It is a luxury trim. I think it should be an option on all trims.
Good point, as we know now, Ford listens to its customers. If enough people ask for it good chance it will be considered seriously. It is not likely to be a standard option any time soon since not near everyone needs it.
I’m seeing these seats will, for the time being, only be offered on the higher trim levels which will offer the 12” infotainment system. Another show topper for the F150 with these seats, would be to integrate into this system a movie mode which would allow owners to play or stream movies while in the incline and in park.
We all know our personal luxury vehicles have become extensions of our homes anyway.
Don’t know why ford would acknowledge construction but only offer it in the higher trim levels, most construction or fleet runners use xl, stx, and xlt models. This is something that should be standard just like safety features, you shouldn’t have to pay a premium for certain things.
Great idea but I can see some knuckle heads trying to drive with these seats all the way back. I hope there’s a feature that disables full recline while the vehicle is in motion and also prevent the vehicle from being shifted out of park if the seats are reclined past a certain degree.
We r waiting for the f150 king ranch to come out when will we see them on show room floir
I had a chance to test out the max recline seats on a 2021 Limited. This particular model had built in massage features as well. It was quite the experience.
I agree….at the very least…XLT and Lariat….seems like a crazy decision…Limiteds, King Ranch and Platinum, they are Cowboy Cadillacs they aren’t really work trucks lol
Come on let the everyday truck pepes get a comfortable couple zzzz’s when they need it !! Get those reclining seats in lower trim levels !!