Interior rearview mirror restricting forward visibility

[Johnkn]

I'm 6' 3", put the mirror all the way up and have the seat at about half way up. I think the mirror is perfect with these settings, and have no issues at all. So I guess it's personal preference.

Completely agree.........


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[MakinDoForNow]

I guess my legs are too long: I won't comfortably fit if I lower the seat much.

It also appears rather silly to have to lower the seat just to deal with an excessively low rearview mirror. I'd rather spend a little time coming up with a mirror tweak and be happier driving the thing over the coming decade or so!

I am 6'1" and inseam of 29", my son is 6'3" and inseam of 34". He lives in North Carolina and as far as I know he has never sat in a maverick. Also, I drive with the seat in my wife's preferred position so I have to slightly lower my head to use her mirror setting. In any case I have no significant issues with mirror. Someone months ago posted info on a mirror that was wider and had either one wide view or three cameras in rear for excellent views unobstructed by anything in the cab. Some have replaced their mirrors with one off a KIA if I remember right which was on clearance. Maybe the stinger on those were longer and would fit. Many mirrors are made by few companies for many different manufacturers so parts most likely will be interchangeable. One guy had video on how to change the computer board in a $300 mirror for a few bucks with one out of clearance mirror. Just a thought....

 

[JimParker256]

Being a bit taller than average, I probably have the seat set a bit higher, and then my viewing height exacerbates this issue of course.

And I certainly don't want to lower the seat.

Why not? Only the back portion of the seat lowers when you lower the seat, so your distance from knee to the pedals remains the same. It just puts you in slightly more of a "recumbent" position, which is actually pretty ergonomic. You may need to lean the seat back just a bit, and move the steering wheel a bit closer to get everything situated correctly. You'll find your eye-level is now lowered - probably enough to make the mirror "cluster" a non-issue for you.

You might consider giving that a try before attempting a "fix" that could be challenging. I've driven mine adjusted this way for almost 4500 miles, including 20+ hours of highway trips where I was sitting for 3+ hours at a stretch. and LOTS of in-town driving with traffic lights, overhead signs, etc.. Zero issues, no complaints. The Maverick Lariat seating position is one of the most comfortable I've driven (and I've owned Mercedes, Audi, VW, Chevy, Ford, Toyota, and many other brands).

Oh, and the rear-view mirror? Only notice it when I "check my six."

 

[Tiger Dude]

I am going to go ahead and assume that every person on here is an adult who is fully capable of deciding how they want their seating position.

OP, yes it's an issue, I like your idea of a longer bar-thing. The first thing I do on rental cars is push the rearview mirror up as far as it will go. The Mav is drivable, but I'd rather it be higher. I have never on-purpose sat in a car with the seat in anything other than the lowest position, but I feel like it's okay if others have a different preference.

 

[JimParker256]

Of course it is perfectly OK for each person to pick the seating position they most prefer! That's self-evident.

But just as some never realized that mirror could be adjusted up/down on those ball joints, others never realized that the seats do NOT actually raise and lower, but instead basically "hinge" at the front, with only the rear part raising and lowering. That's a whole different ergonomic approach which is beneficial to some, and not-so-beneficial to others.

The whole point is to share information, and suggest alternatives when people are having issues. Personally, I'm REALLY happy when someone shares an idea that might save me money and trouble, even if all the suggestions don't work out for me. But you do you...

 

[rivermaverick]

I'm 6'2", hope I don't have a problem with the Lariat, I've had this problem with other vehicles - the rear view mirror can completely obscure a car on the right at a 4-way, after a near collision I learned to duck my head down to check.

 

[rlhdweman]

I added a bulky auto dimming mirror so it's even worse for me now. Just ordered a gentex extension mount off of amazon so I'm hoping it can get the arm far enough away from the plastic camera shroud to make a difference.

Will report back when it comes in.

Cant post a link but search for "Advent GENMM5 Gentex Extension Mount"

I tried one of these extensions, it will not work, the problem is the mirror itself & the angle of the windshield, the ball mount on the mirror is at it's max up adjustment & it's not far enough, the extension only brings the whole mirror down & makes it worse, if this extension was tapered (narrow at top wide at bottom) I think it would help, or the mount length between the 2 ball mounts was 1 inch longer. I thought of mounting the mirror to that big piece of plastic covering the electronics, but am not going to drill into something until I can see what is inside.

 

[Rockingchair]

Being a bit taller than average, I probably have the seat set a bit higher, and then my viewing height exacerbates this issue of course.

And I certainly don't want to lower the seat.

I'm just under 6' and I Lower my seat. My 5'3 wife Raises her seat.

 

[dalola]

If it really bugs you, just remove it. The center mirror is basically useless anyway.

 

[RLmesc]

I won't get my Mav until July and have never even been inside one but I do see that this may be a problem for me as well (6'2"). Why did they not just hand it from the WS/Roof header? It makes no sense to glue it to the WS. If you fix yours, let us know.

 

[Wilbur]

The rearview mirror problem was one of the significant negative things I noticed on my first test drive.

It absolutely creates a forward blind spot, although it isn't unique to the Maverick in that regard. With high beltlines and A-pillars that are thick with safety equipment, visibility is not great on any modern car.

Of course, I am comparing it to a 1967 F100, which has a lovely high seating position and glass in almost every direction, so visibility is immense in such a vehicle.

Keep us informed on your solution, as it is something I am interested in learning about once you land on something you like.

 

[RLaurenH]

Curious if anybody has tried moving their rearview mirror to this location.

 

[FJM]

Thank you, this is good to know. I also tried something else to get a better vision through the back window. I took the back headrests out just to see what it would look like. It's actually not too bad. I don't get many passengers so it's not a big deal. I stored the headrests under the backseat and was good to go.

 

[haze10]

Being 6'-'5" tall, with a long torso and a senior citizen, I can see from these posts that most average size people just don't understand some of the difficulties we tall people must endure.

Electric drivers seat is already lowered to its lowest position. No, you can't just recline the seat way back, because you also have long legs and have the seat way back, so that if you recline - now your arms don't reach the steering wheel.

Don't think in terms of solutions unless you first realize that the height of our eyes is the same as the height of the mirror. Most average size people have their eyes below the mirrors, so they look under it. When we turn our heads all we see is a blind spot.

So three pages of posts, but not one real solution on how to raise the mirror higher. That's the only solution that will really help.

Sorry if I come across a bit forward. But this is a real problem without an easy solution.

 

[Montauk]

This is a valid line of questioning. Field of view and situational awareness are important, at least if you’re over 30. Sub-30somethings can’t wait until full self driving is here, lol. What about a video-based solution? It may take some finagling but a screen could be mounted up higher at a different angle and its ability to reflect the view wouldn’t matter.

Maybe something like this:

WOLFBOX 10" Rear View Mirror Camera.

https://a.co/d/dlSwPkS

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