Drivers side seat won’t fold back

[jessedacri]

I wish mine were just the plastic piece. My passenger seat has failed for the second time and the dealer has had the jeep for 7 days now waiting on parts. I was supposed to install my Ultimate Dana 44 this weekend and they refused to release the jeep stating "safety concerns". They have it sitting around in the shop garage with no seat.

This is the kind of thing that drives you to sell a vehicle, as much as it is loved in every other category. How can I be assured that I can ever use the driver's side recline if the passenger side has cost me 10 shop days and months of stuck seats?

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[Squirly]

What year is your jeep?

A 2020 I ordered a few replacements from tasca parts but I will drop the Jeep off to get it replaced under warranty.

 

[Reba]

My 2-door 2021 JL has had the passenger seat fail twice now. The first time Feb 2021 before a trip and now Apr 18 before a Moab trip. I sleep in my Jeep and have to move both seats up at night in order to do so.

For the Feb fail, it took 3 weeks for the dealer to get a new seat in because they were back ordered. That repair was made 6 weeks ago and now it’s broken again—the day before I leave on a trip.

Last trip I managed with some Velcro and pushed the seat all the way to the back of the track until the seat back could go upright and then I velcroed it by the headrest to something I’d rigged up on the roll bar. That way I could at least see out of the passenger window when I drove. It worked okay so I can Velcro things again for tomorrow’s trip. Then it’s back to the dealer...

I am so concerned that my driver‘s seat will break while I’m out 4-wheeling. That would be really bad.
I have a big trip planned with my brothers to Canyonlands-The Maze in a month. I’m going to see what I can figure out to take along that I can jam in the track to keep the seat stationary —just in case.....

I’ve learned a a lot from this post. Thank you.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

My 2-door 2021 JL has had the passenger seat fail twice now. The first time Feb 2021 before a trip and now Apr 18 before a Moab trip. I sleep in my Jeep and have to move both seats up at night in order to do so.

For the Feb fail, it took 3 weeks for the dealer to get a new seat in because they were back ordered. That repair was made 6 weeks ago and now it’s broken again—the day before I leave on a trip.

Last trip I managed with some Velcro and pushed the seat all the way to the back of the track until the seat back could go upright and then I velcroed it by the headrest to something I’d rigged up on the roll bar. That way I could at least see out of the passenger window when I drove. It worked okay so I can Velcro things again for tomorrow’s trip. Then it’s back to the dealer...

I am so concerned that my driver‘s seat will break while I’m out 4-wheeling. That would be really bad.
I have a big trip planned with my brothers to Canyonlands-The Maze in a month. I’m going to see what I can figure out to take along that I can jam in the track to keep the seat stationary —just in case.....

I’ve learned a a lot from this post. Thank you.

@Reba
Do you have any idea what is breaking in regard to your front seats? Is it the "seat position return inserts." that are breaking? Check your repair invoice for part #'s. I find it hard to believe they are replacing the whole seat, each time... ??

You really need to find out what the dealer is replacing in order to do the fix. IF, it is "seat position return inserts" then buy some and keep in the JL as extras, as I do.

Seat return insert for driver's seat Part # 68485519AA
Seat return insert for the passenger seat Part #68485522AA

 

[Reba]

@Reba
Do you have any idea what is breaking in regard to your front seats? Is it the "seat position return inserts." that are breaking? Check your repair invoice for part #'s. I find it hard to believe they are replacing the whole seat, each time... ??

You really need to find out what the dealer is replacing in order to do the fix. IF, it is "seat position return inserts" then buy some and keep in the JL as extras, as I do.

Seat return insert for driver's seat Part # 68485519AA
Seat return insert for the passenger seat Part #68485522AA

My invoice states: “Installed 68276601AG :FRAME : FRONT SEAT CUSHION I confirmed the passenger seat to not lock in the upright position. Upon disassembly to diagnose I noticed under the seat bottom cushion there was evidence of a broken rod clip laying on the floor and the control rod from the seat adjuster to the rear seat half was missing. The rod and clips were not serviced separate. Replaced the passenger seat track with new part 6827 6601 AG, seat functions as designed.”

Thank you for your message back to me.

 

[four low]

The 2 door JKs didn't have this problem, what is so different about the rail set up to cause this on the JLs, could anything be adapted from the JK, since Jeep sure hasn't come to the Rescue

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

My invoice states: “Installed 68276601AG :FRAME : FRONT SEAT CUSHION I confirmed the passenger seat to not lock in the upright position. Upon disassembly to diagnose I noticed under the seat bottom cushion there was evidence of a broken rod clip laying on the floor and the control rod from the seat adjuster to the rear seat half was missing. The rod and clips were not serviced separate. Replaced the passenger seat track with new part 6827 6601 AG, seat functions as designed.”

Thank you for your message back to me.

Is this your other vehicle?

 

[Squirly]

The 2 door JKs didn't have this problem, what is so different about the rail set up to cause this on the JLs, could anything be adapted from the JK, since Jeep sure hasn't come to the Rescue

They made it so that a cam operated latch release allows the seat to fold back at the last position your seat was set at. But otherwise remains locked forward. So you don't need to crush your passenger to put the seat back with a stationary can and you don't need a separate lever to release the seat. To do so they put a little plastic part in the rail in a very exposed position. The part needs to be more robust or shielded. Or the seat pull operation needs to be reworked.

 

[Reba]

@Reba
Do you have any idea what is breaking in regard to your front seats? Is it the "seat position return inserts." that are breaking? Check your repair invoice for part #'s. I find it hard to believe they are replacing the whole seat, each time... ??

You really need to find out what the dealer is replacing in order to do the fix. IF, it is "seat position return inserts" then buy some and keep in the JL as extras, as I do.

Seat return insert for driver's seat Part # 68485519AA
Seat return insert for the passenger seat Part #68485522AA

I just read some of your other posts on this topic and saw the pictures you posted showing where the replacement parts go. I will stop by the dealer’s Mopar parts department today and order the rod and clip parts for both the passenger and driver‘s side. Thank you again very much for your response.

 

[jessedacri]

Mine also is not the simple little piece on the rail. They ordered the seat frame rails and an all new set of cabling to fix my seat for the second time. I’ll see if I can dig up the receipt for the first time on mine as well but I’m pretty sure they ordered a full set of rails last time as well.

The seats in these are a nightmare.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

@Reba
@jessedacri

Many, many have found it was just the plastic seat return position inserts were all that needed replacing.. Yes a couple of poster's on the forum said it was more... that the frame broke and was replaced..

I just have the strongest suspicion that for all it is the cheapie, plastic, seat position return inserts and just a couple of dealership Techs that were clueless and just threw a seat frame at the seat where a $5.00 insert was all that was needed..

I keep spares ...... 2 passenger and 2 driver's seat position return inserts in my 2 dr. at all times..

 

[jessedacri]

@Reba
@jessedacri

Many, many have found it was just the plastic seat return position inserts were all that needed replacing.. Yes a couple of poster's on the forum said it was more... that the frame broke and was replaced..

I just have the strongest suspicion that for all it is the cheapie, plastic, seat position return inserts and just a couple of dealership Techs that were clueless and just threw a seat frame at the seat where a $5.00 insert was all that was needed..

I keep spares ...... 2 passenger and 2 driver's seat position return inserts in my 2 dr. at all times..

It's certainly not on mine - when the rail insert fails, it can be "emulated" by sticking an object of similar height (like a short ratchet extension) into the rail to trick the seat into reclining back into the normal position. This was certainly not possible both times my seat failed, and my seat return position insert was okay both times. The seat was 100 percent stuck forward and could only be repaired by full removal and disassembly of the seat.

As much as I would like to believe the problem lies only with the insert, this is unfortunately not the sole solution for these overcomplicated, failure prone seat designs.

 

[HelmsJeep]

As much as I would like to believe the problem lies only with the insert, this is unfortunately not the sole solution for these overcomplicated, failure prone seat designs.

Not sure if this could be related. Mine was a little weird. It locked up twice before I realized it wasn’t a fluke and before I really understood how the silly thing worked. I reached under the rail and could feel something jagged protruding through the lock hole. I used the flat of my knife and forced it up while also raising the seat release bar, which worked both times. I didn’t learn until later that the jagged edge was the hook part of the insert that had broken off and was randomly deciding to fall into a hole during the seat forward movement. Fortunately i found this thread and now carry two spares around with me.

 

[Reba]

I last posted on April 19 before a short hiking trip to Moab—my passenger seat still broken and attached back to the roll bar using Velcro. When I undo the Velcro, I can slide the seat all the way forward. As I mentioned previously, I sleep in my 2 door JL and need to climb in behind the passenger seat.

Well, your not going to believe this....I went to the dealer on Monday 4/26/21 to have the new frame installed (the two parallel rails under the seat are called a frame). The technician told me they don’t just replace those cheap plastic parts that fit in the frame/rail, but replace the whole frame/rail which comes with new plastic parts.

Three days later on Thursday 4/29/21 while I was unpacking, the seat broke AGAIN! Only this time the seat back was forward and the seat was stuck in place and wouldn’t move. Boy was I mad...drove right back to the dealer. They drove my Jeep into the garage area to look at it and those plastic parts are broken again and the tech had big trouble just getting the seat so it would at least slide loose forward and backward in the track...I can at least use it this way even if broken. (Can’t have a passenger, though)

The technician told me this has happened to other Jeep’s....but it’s happened to me three times in three months. I’m a 68 year old woman, 5’8” at 145 lbs. I’m not a he-man yanking that seat forwards and backwards. In fact, since it happened the first time, I am very, very careful how I move the seat. I don’t move the driver seat at all for fear it will break.

Today I called the dealers’s service manager. He said they had discussed this problem just this morning with the “team” and are going to contact the manufacturer’s warranty people. He gave me this number to call the Jeep complaint desk and register an official complaint at the manufacturer: 1-800-992-1997. If we all complain, maybe they will redesign the frame/rail and those cheap plastic parts.

Thank you for letting me rant.

 

[HelmsJeep]

He gave me this number to call the Jeep complaint desk and register an official complaint at the manufacturer: 1-800-992-1997. If we all complain, maybe they will redesign the frame/rail and those cheap plastic parts.

I called this morning and complained about this issue and the clutch recall at the same time. They seemed to be taking notes - including that I was pissed off at the absurdity of both problems. Hopefully we can all make an impact.

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