The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro gets seats with built-in shock absorbers, but Toyota may be developing another variant of this idea.
A patent application titled “Kinetic Seat Cushions For Vehicles” was filed by Toyota with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Feb. 2, 2023 and published on June 8. It describes seat cushions mounted on a subframe, allowing them to move in response to forces acting on the seat.
Toyota kinetic seat patent image
According to the application, the seat design is meant to reduce fatigue by limiting the movement of the driver’s body. The pivoting motion of the seat assembly helps keep the driver centered in the seat instead of being thrown around by forces imparted by the vehicle, such as during cornering or when driving over uneven terrain.
This seems similar to the design intent of the IsoDynamic Performance Seat that will be available on the Tacoma TRD Pro. Toyota’s press materials discuss reducing fatigue and stabilizing the driver’s field of vision by allowing the seat to move, with shock absorbers damping that movement so it doesn’t transfer to the occupant.
Toyota kinetic seat patent image
Like the IsoDynamic Performance Seat, the kinetic seat design shown in the application has two shock absorbers on the seat back, along with two more underneath the seat. This allows the seat to pivot or tilt as needed. The amount of movement can be adjusted by occupants through a vehicle’s user interface.
With the IsoDynamic Performance Seat already headed for production in the 2024 Tacoma TRD Pro (it will be exclusive to that off-road-focused grade), it would be surprising for Toyota to launch a second movable seat design. This patent application could just be an attempt to prevent other automakers from implementing a similar design in their own vehicles.