Help! rear seat back is stuck in the upright position and the handle broke!

[hop]

Hi all,

 

Hopefully someone can help me out with the latest problem with my 97 Legacy wagon:

 

The little post that you pull up on to fold the rear seat down has broken off and the seat's locked up. This happened once before but I caught it before the seat locked in position so I just took the seat back off and put a wire in place of the rod that broke. Now, years later, that repair failed and it's stuck.

 

Any ideas? I tried to get in through the hole (impossible) and through the back (equally impossible) so I figured I'd check here before I start unbolting the entire seatback.

 

Of course this would happen on the eve of a big move. Drat.

 

On a more positive note, after being stuck in ~23mpg per tank for the past three years, I got exactly 27 on the last tank.

Edited October 7, 2011 by hop

[johnceggleston]

there are mounting screws at the hinge point. one on either side and at the split point in the middle. if you remove the mounting screws, you may be able to get it out. once out disconnect the latch mechanism, either the latch or the bracket it latches to.

 

good luck.

[hop]

Fixed. A fishing expedition with some long hemostats to grab and pull the broken wire from the 1st repair was the savior. The wire's been replaced by some cord from a line-throwing gun.

 

Had I not been able to grab the end of the wire I'm not sure what I would have done. I took apart the entire seat but there is absolutely zero access to that spring-loaded latch unless you're going in from that side, and if it's stuck shut, you're not going in from that side w/o saws, knives, and massive damage to the seat.

 

If this ever happens to you and you don't have a wire to grab I think the best thing to do is nuke the rest of your car from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.