A common problem is the driver's seat creaking or not sitting straight. This can be caused by a bar within it cracking and breaking. If the bar is broken you should be able to see it by looking up underneath the back of the seat. The replacement part can be bought from Ford - part number 1485826 for around £30.
Replacing it involves removing the seat from the car and removing some plastic trim and a few bolts from the seat to get access to the bolts to remove the bar itself. Allow yourself a couple of hours but as with any job, now I've done it once, I reckon I could do it about 45 minutes now I know what I'm doing. 😊
You will need:
Read this whole paragraph before proceeding.
The first thing to do is disconnect the electrical connector under the front of the drivers seat by undoing the 7mm bolt and prizing it apart. This connects air bags in the seat so take precautions. Some people say to disconnect the battery first then wait 30 minutes. If you do this you will need the code for your radio. I left the battery connected but just had the ignition off and hadn't even switched the ignition on that day.
Then slide the seat right back and remove the 2 front bolts holding the seat to the floor. Slide the seat forward and remove the rear bolts. Lower the seat right down by sitting on it and using the adjustment lever. Lower the headrest as well. The seat can then be removed from the car. It's heavier than I was expecting and be careful not to scratch the door sill. Once removed, the seat will need to be on its side and will need turning over several times so put the seat on a surface which isn't going to damage it. I used an old mat.
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Using the seat height adjustment lever, raise the seat up to about 3/4 height to give better access to all of the torx bolts. Remove the back position adjuster knob by pulling up evenly from under the plastic trim behind it. Pull hard enough and it will pop off without damaging it. Then you will need to cut a cable tie underneath the plastic trim arrowed. The trim can then be removed entirely by unclipping it and slipping it over the height adjuster lever.
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Then remove the 2 bolts which hold the seat back to the seat base.
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Then carefully turn the seat over and remove the plastic trim by unclipping it underneath. Then remove the 2 bolts shown.
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Lay the seat flat on the floor so the underside of the base is facing up. Make a note of how it is fitted and then cut the 2 cable ties holding the material cable tidy, then remove it.
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Removing the 4 bolts earlier gives you access to the bolts in each end of the broken bar. Make a note of which way the bar is fitted and which way the new one will need to go in. Remove the 4 torx bolts holding the bar in place and remove the bar itself. It was at this point I found that somebody must've been here before me and had quite badly damaged one of the torx bolts. I hammered the star bit into it to get a good grip and managed to remove it. They had been here to weld the bar back together but had done it badly.
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New and old bars.
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Quite badly broken. This had been welded at some point in the past but had come apart again.
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Refitting
Put the new bar in place making sure it's the correct way around and that all cables etc are routed properly around it. Refit the 4 torx bolts into it.
Replace the material cable tidy using 2 new cable ties and make sure that all cables are sitting properly inside it.
Replace the 4 torx bolts which attach the seat back to the seat base.
Replace the left side plastic trim onto the seat. It just clips back on. When replacing the right hand side it needs to be slid back over the height adjuster lever. On the lever there is a plastic guide between it and the seat which fell off for me so be aware of it. Once fitted, use a new cable tie to attach the right hand side front to keep it secure.
Press the back position adjuster knob back on making sure it is going on straight. It takes quite a bit of force but will click back on without damage. Once it is on properly it will not easily come off again.
The seat can then be refitted into the car using the 4 bolts into the floor.
Finally, reattach the electric connector but don't over tighten it.
Job done!
Replacing it involves removing the seat from the car and removing some plastic trim and a few bolts from the seat to get access to the bolts to remove the bar itself. Allow yourself a couple of hours but as with any job, now I've done it once, I reckon I could do it about 45 minutes now I know what I'm doing. 😊
You will need:
- A new bar (Tube Assy - Part No. 1485826)
- 7mm Socket to disconnect the electric connector under the seat
- T50 Torx Star Bit to remove the seat from the car
- T40 Torx Star Bit to remove the bolts from the seat itself
- Ratchet or similar for the above torx bits
- Snips or something to cut cable ties off with
- 3 medium sized plastic cable ties - preferably black
Read this whole paragraph before proceeding.
The first thing to do is disconnect the electrical connector under the front of the drivers seat by undoing the 7mm bolt and prizing it apart. This connects air bags in the seat so take precautions. Some people say to disconnect the battery first then wait 30 minutes. If you do this you will need the code for your radio. I left the battery connected but just had the ignition off and hadn't even switched the ignition on that day.
Then slide the seat right back and remove the 2 front bolts holding the seat to the floor. Slide the seat forward and remove the rear bolts. Lower the seat right down by sitting on it and using the adjustment lever. Lower the headrest as well. The seat can then be removed from the car. It's heavier than I was expecting and be careful not to scratch the door sill. Once removed, the seat will need to be on its side and will need turning over several times so put the seat on a surface which isn't going to damage it. I used an old mat.
Using the seat height adjustment lever, raise the seat up to about 3/4 height to give better access to all of the torx bolts. Remove the back position adjuster knob by pulling up evenly from under the plastic trim behind it. Pull hard enough and it will pop off without damaging it. Then you will need to cut a cable tie underneath the plastic trim arrowed. The trim can then be removed entirely by unclipping it and slipping it over the height adjuster lever.
Then remove the 2 bolts which hold the seat back to the seat base.
Then carefully turn the seat over and remove the plastic trim by unclipping it underneath. Then remove the 2 bolts shown.
Lay the seat flat on the floor so the underside of the base is facing up. Make a note of how it is fitted and then cut the 2 cable ties holding the material cable tidy, then remove it.
Removing the 4 bolts earlier gives you access to the bolts in each end of the broken bar. Make a note of which way the bar is fitted and which way the new one will need to go in. Remove the 4 torx bolts holding the bar in place and remove the bar itself. It was at this point I found that somebody must've been here before me and had quite badly damaged one of the torx bolts. I hammered the star bit into it to get a good grip and managed to remove it. They had been here to weld the bar back together but had done it badly.
New and old bars.
Quite badly broken. This had been welded at some point in the past but had come apart again.
Refitting
Put the new bar in place making sure it's the correct way around and that all cables etc are routed properly around it. Refit the 4 torx bolts into it.
Replace the material cable tidy using 2 new cable ties and make sure that all cables are sitting properly inside it.
Replace the 4 torx bolts which attach the seat back to the seat base.
Replace the left side plastic trim onto the seat. It just clips back on. When replacing the right hand side it needs to be slid back over the height adjuster lever. On the lever there is a plastic guide between it and the seat which fell off for me so be aware of it. Once fitted, use a new cable tie to attach the right hand side front to keep it secure.
Press the back position adjuster knob back on making sure it is going on straight. It takes quite a bit of force but will click back on without damage. Once it is on properly it will not easily come off again.
The seat can then be refitted into the car using the 4 bolts into the floor.
Finally, reattach the electric connector but don't over tighten it.
Job done!
