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I purchased my 2011 e550 with the front headrests already deployed. I didn’t think much of it. But I cannot get them to budge at all to reset. The manual says to just press them back together which is what most videos show. Some videos show a tool being used to release a lock. Mine will not budge at all. Do ours require the tool to release the lock?
Could it possibly be something else? I’m not weak by any means and the front portion will not budge at all. The videos I’ve seen show a single person being able to press the front portion down and back without a whole lot of diffuculty. My next thought was to get a large clamp and see if it would squeeze together.
Assume you purchased privately you can either request seller pay for reset/repair by independent or dealer, or bear the cost. If seller refuses, your state's AG may offer assistance in recapturing cost.
I had to reset both of mine after buying the car 5 years ago. Kind of hard to remember all the details, but I recall inserting a screwdriver into a notch on the backside of the mechanism while trying to push down. Getting enough leverage is tough given the angle. I recall kneeling on the front seat facing the back of the car with the seat reclined enough so I could get my shoulder/chest area in line with the headrest to have some weight to bear down on them. Don't think I could get the same leverage from the back seat.
I had to reset both of mine after buying the car 5 years ago. Kind of hard to remember all the details, but I recall inserting a screwdriver into a notch on the backside of the mechanism while trying to push down. Getting enough leverage is tough given the angle. I recall kneeling on the front seat facing the back of the car with the seat reclined enough so I could get my shoulder/chest area in line with the headrest to have some weight to bear down on them. Don't think I could get the same leverage from the back seat.
Awesome, thanks! I couldn’t find anywhere if ours was the model that required the tool/screwdriver.
Originally Posted by TeeEl
But do you have "a lot of strength"?
What a subjective thing to write in a manual. Why not just say requires 120 psi of pressure or something stupid like that.
So I’m happy to say I got them reset. Our model definitely requires a tool. I made one out of some hard wire I had. With the tool inserted in the back slot it was pretty easy to push the headrest down and latch in place. Thanks for everyone’s help.
I recently bought a 2012 wagon (beautiful!) and noticed the passenger headrest was deployed. I didn't notice it when I test drove the car, and car has had no documented accidents that I know of.
Anyhoo, did some research and found the image shown below. It seems like the seats in the "Luxury" optioned cars can be operated with a "tool" which should reside "in the vehicle document wallet" per the instructions - my car is "Luxury" so I looked for the tool.
Surprise surprise, there was no tool anywhere to be seen, so I tried with a few L-shaped Hex keys - the 1/8" is the one that fit. The long arm of the L went into the little hole until I found some resistance, gave it a little push down and the headrest assembly unlocked easily. Removed the Hex key. The headrest was operable now (meaning I could retract it by hand), rather than popped out solid. I brought it back onto its base grabbing with both hands a few times, even "hugging" the seat until at some point the thing just stayed in place. I didn't really hear a click which was a bit weird.
It does need a significant amount of force, but I wouldn't characterize it as "a lot of strength" - Most of the applied force comes from your hand and fingers. I was able to do it, so I guess I have stronger hands than I thought *smug face*
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