3rd row electric seat back won't elevate.

2006 Explorer, Eddie Bauer. 3rd row left electric seat back won't elevate when up switch is pressed. Motor chatters but no movement. Right seatback is fine. Any DIY suggestions. Thanks.

welcome ginz

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the stock 2006-2010 section. It sounds like the gears might be stripped.

This appears to be a common problem with the left side seat. I just spoke to my L/M dealer and they quoted me $250 for the replacement part. I have not seen anyone complain about the right side 3rd row seat motor breaking.

Has anyone replaced it before? Do you have any tips?

I had the same problem

I had the same problem, luckily my Mountaineer was still under warranty.

The dealership said that the gear was stripped and had to replace the whole motor/gear assembly.

Probably not good new for you since the part is probably expensive.

You might try eBay or a junkyard.

Good Luck!

Sounds like I had the same problem in my 2006 Mountaineer. The motor was working fine but the 3rd row seat wouldn't elevate. I didn't want to have to replace the the motor since it was fine. However, when I went to the dealership they said if the gears are stripped, you have to buy the whole latch assembly which includes the bracket that the motor and gears sit in, the motor, and the gears. This runs about $220. He also said this happens a lot. I was pretty disappointed they make you buy a new motor and the rest of the assembly because of cheap gears. We've had other more major problems with this relatively new vehicle too...probably my last Mercury purchase.

i have the same problem. Can the seat be raised and lowered manually? If so, how?

I have a similar prob with my '07 Mercury Mountaineer Premier. Last November, the left powered 3rd row seat back wouldn't fold down. Dealer said it needed a new motor, so he ordered one. The warranty covered the cost, plus a loaner car. A hassle, but I assumed that would be the end of it. Little did I know ......

Fast forward to last week. Same problem with the right side seat. Seat back locked in the up position. The motor will wiggle the seat back and forth, but it will only move a couple of inches before it stops. Seems to me like the motor is okay but the mechanical mechanism (maybe gears?) of the seat is locked in position. I can push on the seat back and move it a little, but am reluctant to try too hard for fear something important will break and it would then be my fault.

Original warranty is now expired, of course, but at least we have the ESP Premium FoMoCo extended warranty so, if needed, that will pay for the repair less a $100 deductible.

Regardless, it's disappointing that we have have had two problems with these power folding seats. Although the truck is over three years old, we probably have not used the 3rd row seats more than half-a-dozen times since we bought the truck, so the vast majority of the time they have stayed in the folded-down position. Any way you look at it, that's terrible reliability.

Must say, however, that other than this problem, this SUV has served us extremely well. It's my wife's car and she absolutely loves it. I like it too, but I'd like it a lot more if this recurring seat problem could be solved for good.

me too!

My wifes "new" to us 2006 Explorer has the same problem. The left third row power seat is down and it won't raise.

The PO said it just happened, you can hear the motor running and gears clicking.
He said the dealer wanted $230 for the replacement part.

Is there a way to use this seat without the motor, I mean raise it manually? I can't get it to move.

Also, I'm not mechanically inclined, does anyone know about what the repair would cost?

Thanks!

Richard
Florence, MS

Have had to repair both of mine in the past year. Same thing. Stripped gears. bummer! Had aftermarket warranty with $100.00 deduct, (twice)
wonder if luggage or 'stuff" gets pushed up against the control buttons and attempts to activate the seats when the back end is loaded? This would strip the gears.

I wonder what it would take to convert these to manual-fold? Remove the motor/gear assembly, and install something to lock it into the upright position when it use. This could be the stock components (probably expensive) or something else???

Yesterday I finally took my wife's '07 Mountaineer (see my earlier post) into the local Ford dealer to get the seat fixed. They did it quick this time. Guess it's happening so often that they actually have the parts in stock now. Cost me "just" $100, due to the extended warranty. I'm hopping that the new motor/gear assembly (and also the one I replaced two years ago in the other seat) is "new and improved" and will last forever, but that's probably like believing in the Easter Bunny.

Like others, I've also thought about replacing the automated mechanism with a manuel version. If I run across one in a junk yard, I might pick it up "just in case."

drboompa said:

wonder if luggage or 'stuff" gets pushed up against the control buttons and attempts to activate the seats when the back end is loaded? This would strip the gears.

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That's an excellent suggestion. Loading habits could explain why some people have this happen more than once while others have never had it happen. This would also explain why they always fail in the down position and not while going up, up, or going down.

thebrakeman said:

I wonder what it would take to convert these to manual-fold? Remove the motor/gear assembly, and install something to lock it into the upright position when it use. This could be the stock components (probably expensive) or something else???

Click to expand...

I don't know how the factory setup locks the seat in the UP position, but I would be concerned with a manual DIY setup being a little unsafe.

2006 Explorer

What can I expect to pay the dealer to repair one of the third row electric seats? Mine is still stuck in down, probably the striped gear thing.

Thanks

Richard

About 200-300 dollars. (per seat)

Thanks!

Converted to Manual

Hello all,

I just tackled the third row power seat issue this weekend. I was having the same issue most have posted. I can press the button to Raise/Lower my driver side third row seat, and the motor runs but the seat doesn't budge.

The part required to fix this problem is 6L2Z-7861383-AA which is the Latch assembly for the rear seat and it is around $245 plus tax. I was told it was this high because the part includes a new motor. You might verify with your local dealership for your specific year/model, but I think most will be the same part.

Because of the cost of the part, I haven't yet replaced the latch assembly, but instead I just cut the spiral rod that drives the seat forwards and back so that I can Raise and Lower the seat manually.

To replace the part you have to disassemble and remove the entire third row. It sounds like a lot, but it wasn't very hard. You'll need some deep sockets, with an extender for a few bolts between the two seats, and I recommend a ratcheting wrench for the one bolt up inside the seat back.

I'm going to check the salvage yard to see if I can get the part for less, so if I get one and install the part, I'll make sure I take some pictures and detail the process a little more.

So you say you can raise and lower it manually, but can you lock it in the upright position?

No, It doesn't lock in the upright position if you cut the spiral pin. The latch assembly still restricts how far the seatback can go back, just as if it were fully raised. I haven't driven with the seat raised yet, but I will check it out and see if a quick stop on the brakes is able to close the seat when in the upright position.

bm4183 said:

So you say you can raise and lower it manually, but can you lock it in the upright position?

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