2004 Ford Fiesta back seat release stuck

no requires a new latch really common the plastic gear brakes

Once you know how it is amazingly simple, and is probably within the capability of most DIY mechanics. I was told it might involve £80 labour costs. The part cost me approx £42 inc UK VAT in September 2009. They are sometimes advertised on Ebay. Watch out when buying that the parts are 'handed', so you need to know if you need a nearside or offside replacement.

This is how I did mine.

You will need:

a. a couple of flat ended screwdrivers with fairly blunt ends (ie to not cut fabric).

b. a torx screw bit to fit the screws in the rear of the seat.

c. a torx screw bit to fit the two bolts which hold the internal latch in place.

1. Using the screwdrivers, gently remove the plastic fascia which covers the top of the rocking release mechanism. It is just clipped on!

2. This will expose the rocking release mechanism and its surround.

3. If your seat is not 'locked on' then ignore 3. If your seat is 'locked on' then apply gentle pressure to the SIDE of the rocking release BETWEEN the mechanism and its surround. Lifting the rocking release mechanism will then expose the inside of the device. You should then be able to hook & pull up a plastic rod with a piece of string or similar and the seat will 'unlock' and tilt forward.

4. Now remove the torx bolts which attach the seat to the car floor and move it to the back of the car, face down for ease of working.

5. The fabric in the area of the latch now has to be gently removed.

6. Gently pull the fabric near the latch mechanism out of the groove which surrounds the seat back. THIS IS NOT EASY as it is held in place by a spring around the perimeter of the fabric. As you pull it starts to slip back again, so use a flat bladed screwdriver to help stop it slipping back into the groove whilst you renew your grip. Its a bit like removing the inner tube from a bicycle. A friend 'sharing the load' with a couple of screwdrivers makes life easier, but you need someone who values your car more than you do. Mr/Mrs/Mz,Miss Bigmusclesnobrain is not what you need! This is the most delicate part of the task!

7. Your aim is to only remove enough of the fabric from the groove to give limited access to the two torx screws which hold the mechanism in the seat. Don't do any more than you have to, and certainly don't go round the top of the seat. Six inches is plenty! :>))

8. With care, the heads of the two torx bolts will now be visible and the fabric will remain intact. After undoing the two torx bolts you can carefully remove the mechanism from the top of the seat.

9. Now feed in the new mechanism from the top of the seat and fix in place using the two torx bolts. Try not to trap the fabric between the top of the seat and the new fitting.

10. You did watch how the fabric 'spring' fitted in the groove in the back of the seat didn't you? Well now is the time to refit it and smooth it down. This is easier if you have only pulled out a small length!

11. Now refit the seat to the floor and tighten the torx bolts.

12. Carefully lock the seat in place.

13. Now check that the seat locks back firmly and correctly! A seat which tilts forward in an accident is not the aim for this project!

14 Now fit the plastic fascia to the top of the seat.

PLEASE DON'T ATTEMPT THIS IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS ABOUT YOUR ABILITY. SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT!

Following on from what's already been said on this, here's a couple more points. The second involves quite a bit of extra work, but could save you a lot of money.

The double seat on the hatchback model is more tricky, because it includes a cable connection that interlocks with the inertial reel for the central seat belt. To detach this, prise off the plastic clip from the L-shaped end, then remove this from its socket. Then gently squeeze the top of the cable and push it down out of its holder. Reattachment is very fiddly. I managed by partially inserting the latch machanism and pulling the cable out as far as possible, till I could just get the cable back into its holder. Then I manouvred the L-shaped end back into its socket and reconnected the clip with long-nosed pliers.

I had both latches break within a week of each other, possibly through forcing the seats back into position when the back was over-full. But that led me to a very valuable discovery: although the main lock mechanisms are right and left-handed, the top latch rockers - the bits that usually break - are symmetrical. They have lugs on both sides of the rocker: so it is possible to switch the left and right-hand rockers and end up with working latches rather than fork out nearly £100 for 2 new ones!

To swap them over, you need to carefully remove the extra cable clips from the double-seat's rocker and reinstall these on the other. You also need to very carefully remove the pins from the top of the release rod. These are a press fit: but need to be well supported when pushing the pin out, so that you don't break the top of the rod. (I used a pair of long-nosed pliers held in a vice, then gently tapped them out with the end of a nail.) (N.B. This process could be significantly trickier if one of the latches is still intact.)

Reassemble the rockers to the latches and replace the push-rod pins by squeezing onto position with long-nosed pliers. Then refit as previously described. Not a job for the faint-hearted: but a whole lot cheaper!

Hi,

I have looked into this and it has been a great help so far so thank you. The part I am struggling with is reconnecting the wire to the mechanism on the passenger side for the middle seatbelt. Unfortunately, the wire was unattached to begin with so I don't know where I am attaching it too?

Can you be a little more clear to help me out? Local garage has quoted me £200!!

Thanks again!