1997 Aerostar front reclining seats are not locking into position.

[JudyR]

First it was the driver's side that went. It reclined and wouldn't move to a more upright position. Now, it's the passenger seat that is in a reclined position and won 't lock into an upright position. It's not only unsafe, but annoying to be in a permament reclined position. I couldn't find any recalls for the Aerostar reclining bolt, only the Windstar. Is it easy to fix? I haven't been driving because it's too hard on my back, but now that the passenger seat is broken, I'm going to look pretty funny riding around in the second row of seats with my husband driving. Any tips or help would be apreciated to give my husband some confidence attacking this problem. It seems to be a common problem. It's probably because we spent the whole day yesterday giving the van a thorough cleaning.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The seat is held in with 4 bolts. The hardest bolt to remove is the one holding the seat belt locking latch on the floor. It's possible that the spring broke or came off.

 

[JudyR]

1997 Aerostar Front Reclining Seats Not Locking Into Position

Do the seats have to be removed in order to fix this problem? Have you heard of a recall?

 

[BrooklynBay]

I haven't heard of a recall or a TSB on this matter, but you could look it up. Check the links in # 13 in my list of useful threads: Dead Link Removed. You have to remove the seat in order to get to this mechanism.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I looked at the seats in my 1995, and it looks like the reclining mechanism you are referring to is covered with a plastic panel held in with 2 phillips screws. You don't have to remove the seats to get to it. The sliding track is under the driver's seat, and that would require removing the seat to repair.

 

[JudyR]

1997 Aerostar front reclining seats are not locking into position

What tool do you use to remove the bolt that is holding seat belt locking latch on the floor. What do those 2 bolts do that hold the ratchet. They're 1/2 inch bolts. The seat doesn't come all the way back to it's original position. It stays at about a 45 degree angle and won't release and come straight.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I updated this thread in post # 5. You don't have to remove the T50 Torx bolt from the seat belt latch. Remove the phillips screws holding the plastic cover near the reclining arm to get to the mechanism.

 

[JudyR]

We took the passenger seat out. The 3 bolts that hold the seat down sheared off, the heads snapped off the bolts when we removed the seat. The way it was designed, the moisture from snow and rain sit in a low spot where the bolts are, rusting them out. The only bolt that didn't shear off was the one that held down the seat belt and it was made of stainless steel. The seat had actually come apart, the bottom part, from someone in the back pulling themselves up to get out the side door. We braised the seat back together and tomorrow will probably attempt to put it back together after we drill out the bolts.
Would probably have been easier to get a seat from the wrecker. May do that for the driver's side.
Thanks so much for your quick replies.

 

[rmossman]

fixing the tilt of a seat

I am having the same problem as Judy with the seat not coming to its full upright position. I can see where the mechanism is under the side cover, but I cannot figure out how to adjust it so it catches the first tooth of the device that holds the seat. Any suggestions

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Could you remove the plastic cover with the 2 screws, and take a picture of the mechanism?

 

[JudyR]

We called Ford Canada because we figured there should be a recall on the reclining mechanism. There isn't. We figure it's a safety issue that should be addressed, because your seat belt is not effective and could actually harm you if your seat is in a reclining position. Maybe they need more complaints.
In an accident, with the bolts being so rusty, if someone was sitting behind you and hit the back of the seat, the bolts would probably snap off. The bolts go right thorugh the body oif the vehicle and are exposed to the mud and rain from beneath the vehicle.
We still haven't put the seat back yet, or drilled out the bolts, but have rebuilt the seat frame. It has nothing to do with the mechanism. There is just so much torque on the seat when you lean back that it tears the frame of the bottom part of the seat and stretches it.
The bolt holding the seat belt, when we removed it, you could look right through the hole and see daylight.
My husband thinks it would be cheaper and easier to go to the auto wreckers and find a seat that isn't broken.
He had to remove all the fabric and foam to braise the frame. It has a real stupid system for the lumbar support. It's actually a bicycle cable that pulls apart from inside the seat. My husband wishes he had taken pictures for you.

 

[JudyR]

One more note. My husband said that if you stick your finger under the fabric in front of the mechanism, you will probably feel a tear in the metal. It's about 2 - 3 inches in and will probably be at the top of the frame. It will be jagged, so be careful. That's assuming you have the same problem that we did.
We'll keep you posted when he does the driver's side.

 

[rmossman]

Here is the seat adjustment mechanism. Not much to see.

Welcome to this forum! Could you remove the plastic cover with the 2 screws, and take a picture of the mechanism?