V70 2001 Locked Rear Seat-Back.

jlsmas0 · Post by **jlsmas0** » 30 May 2009, 18:45

One of the rear passenger seat-back sections is locked in upright position. The release latch freely moves and won't engage the lock mechanism. How can I access the lock mechanism so I can determine the problem and release the seat-back?

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 30 May 2009, 19:03

V70LockSidePiece2001.pdf: (48.94 KiB) Downloaded 395 times

jlsmas0 · Post by **jlsmas0** » 31 May 2009, 07:21

Thanks for the information to access the seat-back locks. This will be esential to final repair.
Unfortunately, as described, the seat-back is in upright locked position and can't be released. There is no clearance between the seat and the door pillar to access the assembly bolts. Any suggestions?

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 31 May 2009, 09:34

jlsmas0 wrote:Thanks for the information to access the seat-back locks. This will be esential to final repair.
Unfortunately, as described, the seat-back is in upright locked position and can't be released. There is no clearance between the seat and the door pillar to access the assembly bolts. Any suggestions?

I think it will be hard to get it loose without damaging something. Can you cut the upholstery along a sewed seam (so you can resew it later), and peel back the fabric to gain access to the lock? Maybe you can work a screwdriver into the pin area and pop the latch over the pin. As a last resort I guess you could use brute force, maybe get behind it and kick the seatback forward, but that will probably break something - either the latch or the pin.

FUBAR · Post by **FUBAR** » 01 Jun 2009, 14:43

I had the exact same problem about a year ago. The method of releasing the seatback isn't easy. What I did, was i removed as many screws as I could from that trimpiece in which the slider moves, I believe there are 3 on the side, and 1 or 2 on the top. They are all covered by rectangular covers that simply pop out. The idea is to loosen this trim piece as much as possible, then get a long screwdriver or something else in there and push the release. The trim piece, although it feels quite stiff, flexes more than you might think.
Later today I'll take some pictures of the mechanism, so you'll have a better idea of what to do to release the seatback, and post them up.

J5T · Post by **J5T** » 01 Jun 2009, 21:38

I had this issue about 6 months ago. If you just drill the plastic portion that slides with the red pop up button you can get to access the release level. The whole level will have to be replace anyway. Do not go to deep and just drill the part that move. Then you will have to remove the side cover and replace the release level. Glück.