2-door seat release handles - don't yank 'em too hard

[Said Salim]

excellent tip. it happened to me too.

No comment exactly like what happened to me

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[zrickety]

I searched the forum but could not find what I am looking for, so I am reviving an old thread here.

the release handle on my 2-door passenger seat broke i.e. the handle you use to fold the seat forward for passengers to get into the back seat.

One of the two plastic foot pieces of the handle snapped in half so the handle still works but because the one foot piece of the handle broke, the spring that returns the handle to its original position does not have leverage to return the handle to the flat position.

I want to fix this myself but I am not sure how to remove the bezel (If it can be removed) so that I can get the handle mechanism out, use a strong glue and fix the handle foot piece.

Anyone have some advice or perhaps a video of how to get the handle mechanism out? Do you unhook the cable, remove the bezel and remove the handle from the top?

I would highly appreciate some advice.

Here is what the service manual says-
(there is a warning to disable/disconnect the airbags before removing the seat cover)

 

[Jeep4Win]

These seat latches are one of the things they dropped the ball on. The ones on the JK were much better.

 

[SilverSurfer]

I fixed mine using a plastic rebuilding glue kit (QBond). I made sure to reinforce the pivot points to make it more robust. The handle works fine.

 

[Coastie6]

Well, add us as members of the broken latch club. Yesterday our passenger side latch assembly snapped. It's the failure where the plastic breaks so it's going to require new parts. I initially ordered all the parts; latch mechanism w/cable, bracket, and bezel. All the parts were about $30 shipped. But when I saw Zrickety's post above with excerpts from the Mopar Tech manual I decided screw that, I'll take my chances with the dealership's warranty repair. I'll update when completed.

 

[BrntWS6]

Has anyone replaced the small handle for the rear seats? Mine broke off today, I barely even put any pressure on it. It's just the handle that broke, all the cable is fine.

I tried to look up a video but I may have the wording wrong.

 

[trble]

Just had this handle break a couple days ago. Dealer says its not covered under warranty. I will not be paying to fix a seat that seems to have an existing problem with no fix in the works from Jeep. I am very sad to see this and I guess I will start looking at a job for me to do, but shouldn't even have to do this. Hopefully Jeep will someday realize the error in their ways.

 

[Wolfy]

I've been babying my seat release handle since seeing the problems. I use it often to take the kids places. I just got a Stellantis Jeep survey today to fill out and I stated clearly that the seat release has problems and is poorly executed (along with the sun visor mount - I've added the reinforcements).

 

[Paulzachary]

Here is what the service manual says-
(there is a warning to disable/disconnect the airbags before removing the seat cover)

where did you find this service repair manual

 

[AnebuR]

I'm surprised no one made an aftermarket replacement handle out of metal yet. Probably could be 3D printed fairly easily.

 

[zrickety]

where did you find this service repair manual

eBay. They had a 2018 manual on CD. I posted a link in another thread...

 

[Tncdrew]

Reposting from 2-door thread (247412, 249190)...

There are handles on top of the front seats (next to the headrests) that rear passengers use to flip 'n roll the seats forward for entry/exit.

Anyway, my daughter yanked the passenger side one way too hard, thinking she was meant to pull the seat forward by the handle. It was literally her 1st attempt at using it, and she didn't know that you just need to pull it until the latch lets go, and then after that push on the back of the seat to flip 'n roll. The handle pulls a release cable, and there is a spring mechanism that returns the handle to the closed/flush position. That spring mechansim popped out of the plastic channel holding it in place so that the handle was floppy and not wanting to lay flat (it still worked for releasing the seat).

I eventually got it back how it's supposed to be, but it was a bitch. No room and the spring is sharp.

So, watch your passengers and help them if they don't understand how to climb in. 2-door vehicles are so rare nowadays, I wouldn't expect without some gray hair to know what to do. (I also tried climbing in the back via the driver's side just to see what it's like. Ha! Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster that it's my Jeep and I'll never have to do that, again!)

UPDATE:

Argh. The spring keeps popping out of the channel. It's ever so slightly bent, which may or may not be the cause. I say may or may not because the whole spring has some side-to-side play that is contributing.

I have zero faith that a dealership tech would do anything else but pop the thing back in the channel, pull the handle a couple of times, and call it a day. That's what I did the first two times...

So, I decided to close-off the channel to prevent the spring from escaping. I put a tiny dab of Marine-Tex over the channel to, hopefully, prevent the thing from popping back out. If it breaks through, I think I'll give up and live with a floppy handle. Frustrating, but I'm being careful to only vent to you guys because my daughter felt awful when she did it (literally 2 minutes after I arrived home from the dealership).

Marine Tex!!! Oh yeah! I've completely forgotten about that product. Used it a lot in my boat days years ago. That stuff is great, sets up like rock!
Thanks for posting and reminding me about that stuff.... from another "Old guy" with a new Jeep

 

[Jtbama]

This is a terrible design, both of mine have broke with very little use.

 

[AnebuR]

I'm really surprised there's no aftermarket version made out of metal by now.

 

[daveprice7]

I'm really surprised there's no aftermarket version made out of metal by now.

They'd get literally tens of sales from the vast number of 2D owners! BTW, that was sarcasm laced with sadness

My back seats gets regular use on both of my 2D JLs and the front seat release hasn't broken (yet), but I feel how cheap/chintzy the mechanism is - it sticks, you have to jiggle it or just reset the seat and try again.... and I don't let my kids actuate it.

It's amazing how regressive vehicle design/manufacturing is in some ways. How many decades have front seat release mechanisms been in vehicles? ... and they work flawlessly to this day. Was this a wheel that needed to be reinvented?

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