Hey everyone--after searching in vain for an entire 10 days, and absolutely REFUSING to pay Ford's $100 diagnosis fee, and their $300 replacement suggestion ($400??), I decided to figure this out myself. And I did. Do the following to let loose the tension that has kept your seat stuck in the down position (though my truck is a 2008 Ford Escape, I have a strong feeling this is the case with any vehicle):
1. Remove the seat bottoms (which are folded forward and upward against the back of the front seats). To do this, find the bars that are bracketed into the floor. There may or may not be a little yellow lever on one of the two brackets. If so, flip it and slide the bar out. If it stops, pull the other side out. Doing this should allow you to completely remove the seat from the car. Repeat with other side.
Now you should have plenty of room to work. Move front seats forward, and you've got even more.
2. Remove your back seats entirely. (Sorry- it's a must.) For many, you will require either one or both of these:
One Torx T-50 socket to remove T-50 bolt (which bolts seat belt latches to the floor)
One Torx T-55 (which bolts the folding seat into the bracket that bolts seats to the floor).
One socket extension (tip: the extension gives you much more torque, and its easier to remove bolts) and
One a 5/8" socket. (See continuation after following tip.)
TIP: if you have a 40/60 split, you have to remove the 40 first! This will allow you room to move around the 60 seat and its stuck belt.
Continued:
Remove bolts that bolt bracket to car floor (this is the 40 seat). I believe there's two: 1 directly below the seat, and 1 that also bolts the 60 seat (you'll be using the 5/8" here)-- Don't hold me to it, though, as I've seen some different stuff. Pull seat out of the way to avoid potential damage. NOTE: THOSE BRACKETS ARE SHARP. WATCH THE LEATHER/SEAT MATERIAL-- AND YOUR HANDS.)
2. Remove bolts on the 60. Though the top part of your seat is down, you should be able to the bolt that keeps the bracket to the floor beneath where the seat cushion would be (and where the upper part of the seat is laying flat). A ratchet would probably be best for this since you can keep the socket in place and wind the thing completely out. I should say here that my seat couldn't have been tighter to the floor. If I got mine out, I'm sure you can, too.
Now here come the tricky, but verrrrry easy parts. They are vital.
1. Now that the brackets are off of the floor, the 60 seat should now be free-floating in your hands, but tethered by the T50 bolt that is keeping the seatbelt buckle to the floor. Remove it. Now you should be able to remove the seat altogether. I had to bring mine inside where it wasn't 15 degrees in my garage, but I believe you'll do these parts in the next five minutes. Do this next:
2. TIP the 60 SEAT UPRIGHT (just like it would if things were back to the normal operational mode). This is VITAL. If you cannot fix it with two or three tugs from here (don't waste more time than this-- the final part is coming), then do this next:
3. Find the latch on the back of the seat that locks onto the latch of the car. Using two gloved fingers (or tools), press the latch inward until it's in the LOCKED position (fooling it into thinking you've put it up and latched into into the truck bracket).
This should have also reset the button or lever that you used to unlock the seat in the first place. Now give your belt a tug. It should come loose like normal.
IMPORTANT NOTE: seatbelt tensioners rely on gravity (thing momentum during a crash) that locks the belt. If the seat is not sitting UPRIGHT (like in normal use mode), that mechanism is going to obey gravity if it is tilted backward or forward (which is why the seat got in the downward position to begin with) and lock.
That's it. Bolt the seats back in, and go buy yourself $400 worth of rewards.
I cant thank you enough =D .. I tried to take out my 3rd row seating, only to find out 1 of the 4 bolts were torqued in =( .. So I came in the house and searched online until I found this. I went outside, turned the truck around (our driveway is on a hill) and TA-DA .. the seatbelts acted like nothing was wrong lol .. Thank You so very much =D
2009 Ford Escape Limited - Like above, can't thank you enough. Local dealer wanted $$$. I had additional issue the release rod came out of plastic clip handle. Used T20 screw driver to remove plastics cover and reseated release rod. Push rod into clip (bottom of release handle) with screw driver and carefully fit back together.
I recommend a 15MM deep wall socket to remover seats. The design of the seat brackets dictates the 60 seat go back in first then the 40.
I now leave the middle seat belt fasten. Not sure what to do when I have to fold down seat. BTW my T47 socket worked well to remove bolts to free seats.
$12 for Torx bits at walmart, saved $400. SWeeT. My seat does this EVERY TIME you fold it down so I loop slack around the headrest (or better yet around the seat release latch) to REMIND MYSELF EVERY TIME!!! )
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Same solution, but much simpler:
No need to remove the seats, just lift the rear seat base and tilt it forward so you can access the T50 seat belt bolt tucked under the backrest. Remove that bolt and it will release the tension on the belt, leaving it hanging. The key is that you need a LOOSE BELT IN THE FULLY UPRIGHT POSITION for it to release. (see the note in tezcats comment above)
1. Remove the bolt holding the base of the seat belt to the floor of the vehicle.
2. Tug on the (now loosely hanging) seat belt and ensure it now pulls out.
3. If the plastic nub at the top of the seat belt has made its way past the plastic seat belt guide at the top of the seat, move the plastic nub outside the plastic guard so the seat belt can't retract so far next time.
4. Re-install and torque the bolt that holds the bottom of the seat belt.
Best solution I was actually able to "with a bit of guidance from the wife" get a t50 and a ratchet onto the belt anchor and a few hundred 1/8 turns later got it free. You do have to at least lift bottom part of seat and go at it from the front of the seat. Just took a bit of lifting seat up and down to wiggle ratchet into position. After that it was easy just to lift seat back into position and reanchor the belt. It took a couple of months to find this post hope all goes well those after us.
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Take the seat out, remove the set belt anchor point on the floor, manually push in the door latch on the seat to locked position, place seat in vertical position, tug belt to release.
Dont fold seat down ever again without pulling slack out of the belt and putting the buckle in the slot above to hold it. Stupid azz design.
This was a HUGE help. $12 in torx fittings, saved $400. Mine sticks EVERY TIME YOU LOWER IT so loop slack around a headrest or over the seat release latch to REMIND YOURSELF!! :(
SOURCE: 2008 escape seat belt stuck, rear middle
Hey everyone--after searching in vain for an entire 10 days, and absolutely REFUSING to
pay Ford's $100 diagnosis fee, and their $300 replacement suggestion
($400??), I decided to figure this out myself. And I did. Do the
following to let loose the tension that has kept your seat stuck in the
down position (though my truck is a 2008 Ford Escape, I have a strong
feeling this is the case with any vehicle):
1. Remove the seat bottoms (which are folded forward and upward against
the back of the front seats). To do this, find the bars that are
bracketed into the floor. There may or may not be a little yellow lever
on one of the two brackets. If so, flip it and slide the bar out. If
it stops, pull the other side out. Doing this should allow you to
completely remove the seat from the car. Repeat with other side.
Now you should have plenty of room to work. Move front seats forward, and you've got even more.
2. Remove your back seats entirely. (Sorry- it's a must.) For many, you will require either one or both of these:
One Torx T-50 socket to remove T-50 bolt (which bolts seat belt latches to the floor)
One Torx T-55 (which bolts the folding seat into the bracket that bolts seats to the floor).
One socket extension (tip: the extension gives you much more torque, and its easier to remove bolts) and
One a 5/8" socket. (See continuation after following tip.)
TIP: if you have a 40/60 split, you have to remove the 40 first! This
will allow you room to move around the 60 seat and its stuck belt.
Continued:
Remove bolts that bolt bracket to car floor (this is the 40 seat). I
believe there's two: 1 directly below the seat, and 1 that also bolts
the 60 seat (you'll be using the 5/8" here)-- Don't hold me to it,
though, as I've seen some different stuff. Pull seat out of the way to
avoid potential damage. NOTE: THOSE BRACKETS ARE SHARP. WATCH THE
LEATHER/SEAT MATERIAL-- AND YOUR HANDS.)
2. Remove bolts on the 60. Though the top part of your seat is down,
you should be able to the bolt that keeps the bracket to the floor
beneath where the seat cushion would be (and where the upper part of the
seat is laying flat). A ratchet would probably be best for this since
you can keep the socket in place and wind the thing completely out. I
should say here that my seat couldn't have been tighter to the floor.
If I got mine out, I'm sure you can, too.
Now here come the tricky, but verrrrry easy parts. They are vital.
1. Now that the brackets are off of the floor, the 60 seat should now
be free-floating in your hands, but tethered by the T50 bolt that is
keeping the seatbelt buckle to the floor. Remove it. Now you should be
able to remove the seat altogether. I had to bring mine inside where
it wasn't 15 degrees in my garage, but I believe you'll do these parts
in the next five minutes. Do this next:
2. TIP the 60 SEAT UPRIGHT (just like it would if things were back to
the normal operational mode). This is VITAL. If you cannot fix it with
two or three tugs from here (don't waste more time than this-- the
final part is coming), then do this next:
3. Find the latch on the back of the seat that locks onto the latch of
the car. Using two gloved fingers (or tools), press the latch inward
until it's in the LOCKED position (fooling it into thinking you've put
it up and latched into into the truck bracket).
This should have also reset the button or lever that you used to unlock
the seat in the first place. Now give your belt a tug. It should come
loose like normal.
IMPORTANT NOTE: seatbelt tensioners rely on gravity (thing momentum
during a crash) that locks the belt. If the seat is not sitting UPRIGHT
(like in normal use mode), that mechanism is going to obey gravity if
it is tilted backward or forward (which is why the seat got in the
downward position to begin with) and lock.
That's it. Bolt the seats back in, and go buy yourself $400 worth of rewards.
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