EXPLORER REAR SEAT won't fold down!
The problem is that the cable that allows the left bottom of the 60 seat stretches. Take the seat out and find the lever with the cable. Use needle nosed pliers and remove the cable from the notch on the roller wheel. Slide the wheel off. Cut a new notch between the 2 existing notches. ( use a dremel tool) Re-install the wheel and put the cable into the new notch you made. I didn't trust the plastic so I epoxied and instant steeled the cable to the wheel. So far mine works great. Takes about 45 minutes if you're handy.
I have a 1996 Explorer and thanx to this thread, I spent the afternoon pulling the rear seats out to find that little BLACK WHEEL I think Jeff mentioned was the culprit!
I tried to find it without removing the seat, but my efforts were futile not really knowing exactly what I was looking for. Ours had a plastic cosmetic cover over it so we could not see the pulley while the seat was still in the vehicle. Now that the seats are out, I can easily see the little black wheel.
Once the seat was out, it was an easy fix.
I removed a star bolt that held on the plastic cosmetic cover and easily had access to the little black pulley. (see image and video links below)
With needle nosed pliers, I stretched the cable to see how much slack it now had, then I Dremeled™ a new anchor point into the pulley and just moved the cable's factory anchor-stay end into the new hole. Quick, easy, and works like a charm now! (I put a little hot melt glue on it too, just as an added precaution).
To make life easier for others looking to fix this same problem, I've posted some photos on-line and a YouTube video. (links are below)
Good luck to others sharing this problem.
Brian
here are a few of foto links:
http://www.beatlemaniaalumni.com/IMAGES/EXPLORER/REARseat01.jpg
http://www.beatlemaniaalumni.com/IMAGES/EXPLORER/REARseat02.jpg
FIX photos:
http://www.beatlemaniaalumni.com/IMAGES/EXPLORER/BRACKET.jpg
http://www.beatlemaniaalumni.com/IMAGES/EXPLORER/FIX.jpg
YouTube link showing my repair:
http://youtu.be/Ey84DueibLE