How to fix a pontiac grand am se 2001chair recline lever on passenger seat?

what tool do I need to fix my seat adjustment handle for the driver in the passenger seat to lean back and forth

It sounds like the inside of the recliner knob is stripped out. If you go to your local GM dealership and give them your VIN number they can order you a new one. Here is the removal and installation directions.
Driver or Passenger Seat Recliner Handle Replacement Removal Procedure

1. Use a flat-bladed tool to remove the plastic center cap from the center of the recliner handle.
   
   
2. Pull the recliner handle off the shaft.

Installation Procedure

1. Install the recliner handle on the recliner shaft.
   
   
2. Push the recliner handle firmly onto the recliner shaft until fully seated.
3. Install the plastic center cap into the center of the recliner handle.

Hope this helped please hit the accept button and positive feedback is appreciated.

Check the spring which puts tension on the lever to hold it in the lock position this may have dislodged itself or be broken or possibly bent.

Switch is shot probally

I wouldn't ruin anything by trying things yourself

I would have a dealer check it out

The dealer I used in the past, has a seat specialist come
in on Wed only, around 5:30 after the service bays close
& one service writer hangs out until that person fixes a
couple vehicles seat issues

I just had the recline of my driver seat go out today. What happened to mine was the interior plastic of the handle that wrapped around the release mechanism fell apart all I had to do was take the handle off. I used a small Crescent wrench to to pull the lever mechanism towards the trunk. The same direction the handle would of pulled it, and it made the chair recline I got it set to where I liked it and now I'm just going to use some bondo and put the handle back on. Most fixes doesn't require the entire assembly to be replaced and taking it to the dealership will just have them charge you for the entire price for the system regardless of how simple of a fix it actually was. I have saved my self thousands of dollars doing simple fixes my self, and if you have even the slightest amount of intellect you can do it too.

The problem:
The set belt stop has been lost so the seat belt retracts too far when the seat is laid flat. When laid flat the release mechanism locks as it should when not level so the seat cannot be raised up as the belt is too tight and locked.
The Solution:
1) Push the two little clips to release and remove the headrests.
Pull the grey lever on the right of the seat base, lift seat base up and forward toward the front seat..
2) See two red capped leversat the back of the two seat hinges and lever them to the upward position, this releases the seat.
Rock the very heavy seat unit upwards and lift complete unit upwards.
3) Take it out of the car and turn 180% so that the back of the seat and base are in the upward position and the seat belt will pull out as it should
4) Replace the missing belt locking stop (I used a tie pin permanently fixed using super glue).
5) Fold seat back down and test then either re-fit seat unit or leave out to decrease fuel consumption..

On W-Body vehicles, the front seats are secured to the floorpan by two front hook attachments and two rear bolts installed to nuts welded to the floorpan.
The manually operated two-way front adjusters provides only fore and aft movement of the seat. When the seat adjuster handle located on the front seat is pulled up, the seat adjusters unlock, permitting travel of the seat. When the seat is in the desired position and the seat adjuster handle is released, the seat locks in place.
A power operated six-way seat adjuster is available. The adjusters are activated by three 12 volt, reversible, permanent magnet motors with a built-in circuit breaker. The motors are energized by a switch bolted on the seat side panel.
The three motors drive the front seat and rear vertical actuators and a horizontal actuator. When the adjusters reach the limit of travel, torque is absorbed through the rubber mounted grommets located between the motor and the support. An overload relay is provided in the circuit and will open should excessive stall be applied.
The optional 60/40 split bench front seats have seat back head restraints on the driver's and passenger's seat back. The head restraints are designed so they cannot be removed from the seat back without first inserting a small rounded tool inside the head restraint support tube to release the locking tab. The 60/40 split bench seat is equipped with a reclining mechanism on both the driver's and passenger's side. The recliner lever is located on the outboard side of the spring cushion. When the lever is pulled upward, the spring loaded dual linear reclining unit located in the cushion frame is released, allowing the seat back to be pushed rearward or allowing the spring loaded reclining unit to bring the seat back forward.
Bucket seats are equipped with manual reclining mechanisms. An optional six-way power seat adjuster is available. Some bucket seats are equipped with inertia seat back locks. This system allows the seat back to fold forward without requiring the occupant to release a locking lever or access to the rear seat area. During a sudden stop or deceleration, or if the front of the vehicle is nose down, the inertia system of the seat back lock will engage, holding the seat back in its rest position. A release lever is provided to allow manual release of the seat back lock when the vehicle is in the nose down position. The release lever is located at the lower rear outboard corner of the seat back.
Some W-Body vehicles (notably Pontiac coupes) have passenger front seats equipped with an E-Z Entry device. This is actuated, in an unoccupied seat, by completely folding the seat back forward disengaging the adjuster, and sliding the front seat forward to gain access to the rear seat area. To return the seat to its normal position, return the seat back to its rest position, and slide the entire seat rearward, engaging the adjuster.
W-Body rear seats are available in several styles including a rear seat with an integral child restraint device.

Manually push the lock button into the UNLOCK position. Now HOLD the OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE in the OPEN position while at the same time, moving the DOOR LATCH into the open position. Hope this helps

Use some penetrating lubricant on all pivot points and levers around the recline mechanism, and let the lubricant sit overnight. In the morning, try to work the recline mechanism free. (The vehicle is quite old at this point, and likely parts in the interior need lubrication. These parts should be lubricated annually.)