Replacing bench with 2nd row bucket seats

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum wayned87.:wavey:
I have merged your post with this existing thread. You already have part of the 2nd row bucket seats. The 40 part of the bench is actually a bucket seat.
Keep in mind that the buckets have no inboard armrest. That is what the added console provides.

Peter

 

[nbeezy79]

I have a 2015 Explorer XLT and had the bench seat for 2nd row. I recently had a baby and wanted to swap out to captain seats to still access the rear without having to fold the seat forward. I located a set of seats from a local junkyard that had a 2013 model with captain seats. I purchased them for $125 a piece. They bolted in easily. My only grip was having to swap out the female ends on the seat belts to work with the 2015 male end of the seat belts. On the XLT model there is a wire that attaches to the bottom of the seat. I thought it was for a airbag sensor, but my model doesn't have an airbags on the seat. The clip attached to a dummy end that did nothing. Other then that it wasn't to difficult. Check out car-parts.com

Only thing I have to do next is swap the rest of the cloth seats to leather.

 

[Iamkarlocke]

Just in case anyone is interested - I was successful!

I have a 2013 Ex Ltd and after a long search I came across a set of second row bucket seats for sale through a reputable seller on eBay. The seats came out of a practically new 2015 Ex Ltd that had been wrecked but there was no damage to the seats.

Figuring that it would make no sense for Ford to alter the bolt pattern for bucket seats vs bench seats, and considering the the seats for sale were the same perforated leather as mine in the same color (black), I went ahead and submitted my bid and subsequently won the auction. About 7-10 days later the two bucket seats arrived on a pallet. They were a little dusty, but apart from that they were PERFECT. The leather was even more supple than the seats in my Ex so I was very pleased with that.

It took me all of 45 minutes to pull out my bench seat and replace them with the buckets, which also had the bar underneath so I can slide them back and forth creating leg room - that was a HUGE win because I had no idea they even had this feature when I bought them.

As of right now they are still in the Ex and working perfectly with one exception:

I have two small kids so I have a car seat in each of the bucket seats. The point of switching to the buckets was so I could do this but still access the third row so I could carry more people if necessary - mission accomplished. I have the car seats connected via the latch system so as to avoid using the inflatable seat belts and any complications they might provide in the event of an accident. What I didn't count on was that the 2015 Ex that my seats came from had heated second row buckets so the wiring harness is completely different than the one that's in mine, because in 2013 second row heated seats were NOT an option.

What this means is that the wiring harness is not connected under either seat. Now has absolutely NO effect on how I'm currently using the seats and of course if the kids' car seats come out then either second row passenger can still use the seat belt in the conventional manner, it just won't inflate.

My next project is to purchase the appropriate harness and rewire it to fit, or buy the whole harness and the new switch and take advantage of the heating option, but in southern CA that's not really a frequently used option

 

[JUGRNT]

This is just what I have been searching for! What did you search? I'm having a tough time finding some!! post some pics man!

 

[Iamkarlocke]

I searched for almost a year, pretty relentlessly. I expected eBay would be the best option so that's where I focused. I just used "Ford Explorer 2nd Row" as my keyword search so of course it would give me multiple production years plus that center armrest and set belt buckles etc but I didn't want to narrow the search for fear of missing anything.

The posting came up from a breaker's yard in Ohio. They had a bunch of pics so I went for it. There were actually only maybe two or three other bidders which really surprised me, but it is a very specific search with only one application.

I can 100% verify that the bolt patterns are the same for at least MY 2011-2015 but again the wiring harness can be an issue.

For whatever reason, Ford will not sell you a complete seat but they will sell you every part to that seat and let you assemble it yourself. In reality you'd be better off special ordering a new Explorer with buckets rather than paying what they want for all of those parts. Seems like a missed opportunity for them.

I don't have pics yet but I will take/post some when I have a chance.

 

[Capt. K-9]

Second Row Bucket Seats

We have a 2013 Limited, we ordered in from the factory back in 2012, 60000 miles later, the little 4 cylinder is still making it happen. We love our little Mini-van alternative.

But we need to convert the second row seating to buckets.

We have our 4th child due in July and the "bigs" are getting to big to climb over the car seats to get in back, (not to mention that they have already outgrown the three across option)

Nope it is either order a another explorer of find seats that we can swap out. making them from Parts would cost thousands, so we are looking for ideas on where we may find a set.

All help will be appreciated

 

[Mike65]

Welcome to EF. Check out this link http://www.car-part.com/ just fill in the info & it will tell you what local JY has the seats you need & price, or you can then contact the JY for a price.

 

[peterk9]

We have a 2013 Limited, we ordered in from the factory back in 2012, 60000 miles later, the little 4 cylinder is still making it happen. We love our little Mini-van alternative.

But we need to convert the second row seating to buckets.

We have our 4th child due in July and the "bigs" are getting to big to climb over the car seats to get in back, (not to mention that they have already outgrown the three across option)

Nope it is either order a another explorer of find seats that we can swap out. making them from Parts would cost thousands, so we are looking for ideas on where we may find a set.

All help will be appreciated

Welcome to the Forum.:wavey:
Using the Forum's handy 'Search' function I found this thread and merged yours with it. You already have one of the buckets. The 40% portion of the bench is a bucket.

Peter

 

[613GT500]

2nd row bucket seats instead of a full bench, with a pass through to the 3rd row was the best $550 option I choose on my EX.
For those with kids, the convenience can't be beat and I have heard of my regrets from other three row SUV owners who saw my configuration and wish they can have the same setup.

 

[homeskillet79]

Need 2nd Row Captain's Chairs

Hello all!
My wife and I have a 2013 Explorer Limited that we love BUT our family is growing and we need easy access to the third row. Currently have 60/40 bench in tan leather but would love to swap for bucket seats. Local dealer tells me we can't order seats?! They sell parts for seats but not the entire unit. I have put out a request on Junkyard Dog with no luck.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[peterk9]

Hello all!
My wife and I have a 2013 Explorer Limited that we love BUT our family is growing and we need easy access to the third row. Currently have 60/40 bench in tan leather but would love to swap for bucket seats. Local dealer tells me we can't order seats?! They sell parts for seats but not the entire unit. I have put out a request on Junkyard Dog with no luck.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

Welcome to the Forum.:wavey:
I've merged your thread with this existing one. The correct term is 'Bucket Seats'. Captain's Chairs usually have arm rest while 'buckets' don't. FYI, the 40 part of your bench is a bucket seat. You'll only have to replace the 60 section. I believe your dealer is correct in that Ford does not sell the seats as an after market option. Some members have been lucky and found them from auto parts/wrecker sites as a member mentioned in this thread.
Please add 'Limited' to your profile so we know which trim level you have by checking the margin for future posts. Thanks.
Good luck.

Peter

 

[homeskillet79]

Wow! This thread is great. All the info I need. I will keep trying to find the bucket seat I need.
Thanks

 

[Roadrager]

Complete seat

Welcome to the Forum.:wavey:
I've merged your thread with this existing one. The correct term is 'Bucket Seats'. Captain's Chairs usually have arm rest while 'buckets' don't. FYI, the 40 part of your bench is a bucket seat. You'll only have to replace the 60 section. I believe your dealer is correct in that Ford does not sell the seats as an after market option. Some members have been lucky and found them from auto parts/wrecker sites as a member mentioned in this thread.
Please add 'Limited' to your profile so we know which trim level you have by checking the margin for future posts. Thanks.
Good luck.

Peter

The dealer is wrong about not being able to order a complete seat.
As a retired Ford Canada employee, Parts and Service division, I can tell you that just about any part can be ordered. It may have to be a "special order" which requires more paper work (effort) on the dealers part.

 

[Erick Rodriquez]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and have question...

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer XLT vehicle that has a middle row bench seat. I am wondering if anyone knows or has ever heard of the bench being replaced with bucket seat/captain's chairs, or if that's even possible...Anyone know?

 

[peterk9]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and have question...

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer XLT vehicle that has a middle row bench seat. I am wondering if anyone knows or has ever heard of the bench being replaced with bucket seat/captain's chairs, or if that's even possible...Anyone know?

Welcome to the Forum Erick.
The biggest challenge I think would be finding a set of bucket seats. I believe it has been done.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/retrofit-to-2nd-row-bucket-seats.399033/

Peter

 

[KOJAK-13-EX]

Cliff Notes:
Second (2nd) Row Bucket Direct Swap Options for Explorer
2005-2007 Ford Freestyle
2008-2009 Ford Taurus X
2009-Present Ford Flex
2010-Present Lincoln MKT
2011-Present Ford Explorer (obviously)
Temporary option for carseat use only is using 40 split from passenger side on driver side.

My wife and I were in the same boat, we have 3 kids in carseats with not enough room on the bench so we had to resort to not using the infant carrier base for our newborn so that our oldest could climb into the 3rd row. I did some research on how the Explorer uses the Ford D4 platform, a modified version of the Ford D3 platform that is used on the Ford Freestyle and Taurus X and figured that the seat bolt patterns were more than likely not modified between the two. So I finally made it to the junk yard yesterday and sure enough I found a limited Freestyle with black leather sliding buckets and they were a direct swap in our 13 XLT. The stitch pattern and headrests are not the same but for a temporary seat to strap in a carseat it will do just fine and we can swap back in the bench when they are all older and regain the 7 passenger option. Also if you will only be using the seat with a carseat using the built in anchors you can also use another passenger side 40 split on the driver side as they have the same bolt pattern. You just won't be able to use the seat without a carseat as the seatbelt buckle is on the wrong side. Just be sure not to sell or trade your vehicle in until you have put the correct seats back in.

Here is the wikipedia on the Ford D3 platform that lists all the other vehicles based on it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_D3_platform

 

[Robert Murdock]

We bought a 2016 Ford Explorer. First off we love it. We did however buy it during the first few weeks of their release and did not get the chance to view all the options. I was wondering about the second row of seats. If I were to remove the second row of seats could I install the OEM bucket seats in place of the bench? Has anyone done anything like this yet?

 

[peterk9]

We bought a 2016 Ford Explorer. First off we love it. We did however buy it during the first few weeks of their release and did not get the chance to view all the options. I was wondering about the second row of seats. If I were to remove the second row of seats could I install the OEM bucket seats in place of the bench? Has anyone done anything like this yet?

Welcome to the Forum.
As indicated, your thread has been merged with this existing one found using the Forum's 'Search' feature. There are a few posts swapping both types of seats but there doesn't appear to be any DIY post. I believe it can be done. One factor to consider is the inflatable seat belts and whether you or the replacement seat has it. Good luck.

Peter

 

[Explorer3253]

Does anyone know if the 2011 to 2015 would fit the 2016? I'm hoping to find an explorer at a junk yard that has a black driverside captain with BLIS and heated seat (doubt i'll ever find it, but worth a shot). If the 2011 to 2015 would fit, then I can at least expand my search to include those years.

 

[bgross00]

Hey everyone, new to the site. I'm a member over on the Powerstroke forums and find them extremely helpful for my SuperDuty. Hopefully I can get some help here too. I'm sure this has been asked before but here it goes. I'm searching for a black second row captains chair. I currently have the 60/40, obviously. From what I've found researching, you can't buy a complete seat from Ford (go figure, that'd be too easy). I have to purchase it piece by piece, every little part. I can't seem to find a used one on eBay or at any salvage yards around my area. I'm wondering if anyone knows where to find one or has seen one near them? Another thought I had was to piece a 60/40 passenger side seat onto a frame from a drivers side captains chair, if that makes sense. Any info on this would be greatly appreciated.