A bucket seat is an individual seat designed to wrap around a single occupant. Unlike classic bench seats that stretch across the cabin, bucket seats feature contoured side bolsters that hold the driver in place during fast turns. They are standard in sports cars, and common in trucks and SUVs equipped with a central storage console.
Modern bucket seats contain a lot of safety and comfort tech. They house side-impact airbags, seat weight sensors for passenger airbag control, electric heater elements, and power adjustment motors. When replacing or modifying these seats, you must disconnect the battery to avoid triggering the airbag light or accidentally deploying the side airbag module.