Passenger seat recline feature not working 1-way

[anm3itbe]

Hi all,

On the drive home late last night my girlfriend decided to recline back to get some shuteye. She hit the recline button on the seat controls and angled the seat back. When we arrived home she tried to bring the seat to the upright position and it wouldn't go. I tried it again this morning and I still can't get the seat to come back up. Any ideas? The other controls on the seat function perfectly and the driver side seat controls are fine as well.

Thanks!

-Tom

[danewilson77]

I don't have any specific idea's other than pull the seat (after disconnecting battery), and checking the under carriage of seat for any binding issue's?

[trancenation]

Not sure if the e46s seat recline gear is made of plastic, but I know this is a fairly common problem for the E36s because the gear fatigues over time. Do you hear the motor moving?

[anm3itbe]

I don't have any specific idea's other than pull the seat (after disconnecting battery), and checking the under carriage of seat for any binding issue's?

Yeah I had a feeling I'd probably have to to pull the seat.


Not sure if the e46s seat recline gear is made of plastic, but I know this is a fairly common problem for the E36s because the gear fatigues over time. Do you hear the motor moving?

When I push the button forward there isn't any electrical noise coming from the motor. When I push the button backward, the motor does function.

[Hermes]

I had this issue w/my old e32. I vaguely remember the tech saying the motor has enough left in it to unspool but can't pull it back in. I think I replaced the whole motor unit but don't really remember, was a long time ago

[Mike V]

I having the same issue with my driver's seat (E36 M3 sedan). :(

[Hermes]

Ok Tom, did a little searching... It looks like a little plastic gear in the motor that's worn and not working w/the other gears. No DIY I could find for our car but a lot for e36, prob pretty similar to us. Will at least show you what to do, you just need to figure out what the part num is that you need.

[anm3itbe]

Ok Tom, did a little searching... It looks like a little plastic gear in the motor that's worn and not working w/the other gears. No DIY I could find for our car but a lot for e36, prob pretty similar to us. Will at least show you what to do, you just need to figure out what the part num is that you need.

Thanks so much for digging into that! I appreciate it. I'll check out the e36 issues and see if I can't figure this thing out.

[mikeyb74]

I had the same problem and replaced the motor. Which fixed the problem.

[telijah]

If it was just a worn gear, you figure you would still hear a noise when trying to get it back up. So I'd be willing to bet as others have mentioned that it is just a bad motor.

[Hermes]

I had the same problem and replaced the motor. Which fixed the problem.

Gotta make sure to use a new one otherwise the replacement will be worn already or at least on it's way

[anm3itbe]

Just wanted to update this thread as it may be helpful to others who have experience this problem. After a while of trouble shooting with the controls of the seat, I really did not want to have to remove it. I gave the button one last push up and voila, it worked. The reason why was because I pushed the button to the point where it felt like it was going to snap off - really cranked on it. Turns out the contacts on the button are very worn. Keep this in mind everyone before you pull your seats. Thanks every again for your help.

-Tom

[telijah]

Hey, cool, thanks for the update!