2005 Caravan, Stow n Go seat problem

[pooker]

Having trouble folding down the second row seat on passenger side. The seat has grown and is about an inch longer in length which is too long to fold into the floor. I have noticed the cable and spring on the back of the seat gets very loose when you start to fold the seat forward. I'm not sure what this cable does but I'll bet its part of the problem. I haven't been able to find any troubleshooting info on the web and was hoping to find an expert here. Thanks for any help you can provide.

pooker

[De Hill]

What part of the seat is hitting?

[tcwagner1]

I just took apart a 2005 leather seat. I would take the two plastic side covers off and see if anything is broken or loose. There are two big bolts attaching the back to the seat, they could have come loose or a bolt fallen out. To remove, on the cupholder side, take the two screws out of the cupholder, lift up and out to remove. Then lift the seat cover in the back to find the other screw attaching it there. There is another screw behind the lever. Then lift carefully while pulling toward the front to release it from the lip that holds it on the front. There is a screw up there also, I think. You will have to jockey it around the lift lever, don't force to hard or you may break it. Check the bolts. The return spring may be broken and jiggling around or allowing it to be longer than normal when folded. The back piece that covers the spring pops out. I would spray silicone on the joint before you try to pop it up, be careful. Rock it back and forth and up. The other side, inboard, is simpler, it has a couple of screws, but the front has a cup for a barb in the metal that secures the front. You must put the front on first when reassembling. After removing the screws, slide it forward to remove. Check the mounting bolts too to see if they have loosened. At this point you can take the seat cover off, with a little more work if you want to service it.
Hope this helps
tcwagner

[gsmagnum]

You might try moving the seat on the track. It could be too far forward or too far back on it to fit in the floor.

[rabbler]

You might try moving the seat on the track. It could be too far forward or too far back on it to fit in the floor.

Thats what I was thinking

[tcwagner1]

I am new to Stow and Go, but I was not aware you could move the second row quad seats back or forward. Mine seem to be stationary. The only way I could see that it "grew" is if the bolts holding the back to the bottom have come loose or the return spring mechanism is broken.
tcwagner1

[Hokiefyd]

I agree about moving the seat back on the track. On our '07, the seat automatically slides on the track when you fold it, but that mechanism may not be working correctly on yours, to position the seat correctly while folding it.

[tcwagner1]

Is this a bench seat? I have been assuming it was quad buckets. If it is a bench, it could indeed have a lever that allows legroom adjustment. If so, check under the seat when you pull the lever and see if it goes all the way back into the last notch, if not check for obstruction. If there is such adjusment.
tcwagner1

[gsmagnum]

The second row quad seats do move fore and aft....at least on the '06 and '07. My guess is that the '05's move too.

[pooker]

I have quad seating. The seat was hitting the front of the well. I have the passenger seat all the way forward. With both the second row seats folded so they were vertical the passenger seat is a good inch and a half taller. The cable has come off the bottom of the seat but I was able to manually move the mechanism that it controls and the seat retracted down to the size that will fit into the well. I just need to figure out how the cable end goes back on and how the mechanism works. For now the seat is fully retracted and I can wait until it warms up a bit outside. Maybe the local Dodge dealer will let me look at his tech library. Once again, thanks to for your help.

pooker