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I can fold my right rear seat without the passenger seat going straight upright. Now
It took a bit of exploring with the Launch scanner, but somewhere in ESA (front passenger seat) variant coding there's an option to make "collision with rear seat back" active or inactive. Go for inactive, allow the 'puter to write the code, and Bob's your uncle. Wifey is going to be much happier, and there's not a thing wrong with that. The back seat can now be folded down while maintaining full use of the front seat position buttons. For whatever reason, the driver's seat was never affected.
On our wagon, when you fold the rear seats, the front ones will move forward (both the seat bottom and back). I'm guessing its to avoid having the backseat possibly hit the front seats if they are further back. I just press the memory button and it puts the seat back where it "belongs".
This is normal behavior for the sedan just to add clearance.
Yes, it is "normal". It also renders the front passenger seat virtually useless when the back seat is folded down. No reason to keep that "feature" active.
Unfortunately, in its FromTheFactory state, the memory function won't allow it to return to comfort (at least on my car, YMMV) even though there's plenty of room to do so. Rendered inactive, all is well and it's my responsibility to not go back so far as to crunch the back seat headrest. I can live with that.
Mentioned what I did to my sister who had a '13 E350 right up until a few months ago. It was one of two things she groused about when talking about the car (the other was the MBTex driver's seat tearing at the seams). She said "Where were you when I was crabbing about this???" Well, I didn't have one of these cars, I didn't have the knowledge, and I didn't have the computer to fix it.
Last edited by rapidoxidation; Feb 13, 2021 at 04:06 PM.
In bouncing around the scanner to try to figure this issue out, I also noticed that the front seat is, from the factory, guided by certain parameters that tell the seat exactly where to go when the back seat is unlatched. If I had the time and inclination, it would be possible to edit those parameters so the seat
1) wouldn't slide as far forward
2) wouldn't straighten the back as much
It can be told to go only as far forward and erect as needed to to clear the back seat headrest.
I suppose that would be the more graceful way to solve the issue. I chose the brute force method of simply flipping a bit to inactivate it. Maybe someday I'll have the inclination to learn the proper coordinates to set into the system.
Last edited by rapidoxidation; Feb 13, 2021 at 04:14 PM.
That's the tsb I found when learning how to resolve the issue. It gave me the guidance to find the path to the right page in Launch where I could deactivate the feature. Thanks for adding it to this thread!
I have the same issue with the front passenger seat on my 2013 E350, and just yesterday gave konigstiger's TSB to the dealer. They say that 2011 TSB probably only applies to 2010-12 W212's because they can't even find the referenced switches in their current software for my 2013. They are going to try, but I wonder if there is a more up-to-date TSB for later model W212's.
To move the front passenger seat back while the rear seat is folded, I also tried the W211 trick shown at the end of this video, but it didn't work on my 2013.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
on my facelift 212 I was kinda surprised the back seat bottoms didn't lift up and forward like shown in that video on #8, and like every previous wagon I've had. but, not having to flip the seat bottom up sure makes lowering the back seats easier.
but, on that car, while the front seats DO go upright when you release the back seats, you can move them right back with the memory buttons or manual controls.
I note that TSB was released in 2011, I'm guessing later cars came that way.
on my facelift 212 I was kinda surprised the back seat bottoms didn't lift up and forward like shown in that video on #8, and like every previous wagon I've had. but, not having to flip the seat bottom up sure makes lowering the back seats easier.
but, on that car, while the front seats DO go upright when you release the back seats, you can move them right back with the memory buttons or manual controls.
I note that TSB was released in 2011, I'm guessing later cars came that way.
Nope. Not my '13 anyway. The seat wouldn't budge backwards no matter what button was pushed. I could move it forward all I wanted, but it wouldn't go backward past the preset upright/forward parameters that are detailed as a set of coordinates into the car. But that was then. I can now.
I note that TSB was released in 2011, I'm guessing later cars came that way.
Originally Posted by rapidoxidation
Nope. Not my '13 anyway. The seat wouldn't budge backwards no matter what button was pushed. I could move it forward all I wanted, but it wouldn't go backward past the preset upright/forward parameters that are detailed as a set of coordinates into the car. But that was then. I can now.
That's exactly how the front seat reacts on my 2013. The dealer thinks they can find the software switch to solve the issue. We'll see and I'll report back.
2011 E350 4M wagon, here's the Xentry screenshot to disable passenger range limit. Navigate: Electric seat adjustment 'Front passenger' (ESA 'Front passenger') > Adaptations > Configuration > Manual Settings > Seat Adjustment
For those interested the head restraint presetting, is the function which automatically sets the headrest height (presets) depending on fore/aft position of the seat. I find it annoying when vacuuming and detailing the car. With the seat raised up, moving the seat fore and aft will cause the headrest to hit the headliner. So I have to continually hold down the headrest button as well.
To Navigate to driver's side: Electric seat adjustment 'Driver' (ESA 'Driver') > Adaptations > Configuration > Manual Settings > Seat Adjustment
I note that TSB was released in 2011, I'm guessing later cars came that way.
Originally Posted by rapidoxidation
Nope. Not my '13 anyway. The seat wouldn't budge backwards no matter what button was pushed. I could move it forward all I wanted, but it wouldn't go backward past the preset upright/forward parameters that are detailed as a set of coordinates into the . But that was then. I can now.
Originally posted by Kilt
That's exactly how the front seat reacts on my 2013. The dealer thinks they can find the software switch to solve the issue. We'll see and I'll report back.
The dealer solved the issue. My invoice says they:
"Hooked up battery charger and SDS and went into the ESA 'front passenger' - electric seat adjustment 'front passenger' (N32/2) - adaptations - configuration - manual settings - seat adjustment and changed the coding to 'not active' to allow adjustment of the front seat while rear seat is folded down."
At first, they said they would charge me one hour of time to do this, but when I argued that I was having other scans and a navigation update done at the same time, they included it in the labor for those things.
The front seat works independently and rationally now, escaped from another example of MB over-engineering.
If that's all I had done, I was quoted $99 for the part, a USB, plus 1 hour of shop time, which in ritzy Westchester County, NY, is $170/hr. The dealer won't give you the USB to install yourself. There are third parties that claim to sell compatible map updates for less.
I wouldn't have paid that price if I didn't very much want the folding back seat/front seat problem solved and a final scan and inspection done on the car before my CPO warranty runs out in two weeks. I got all three for the one hour labor. I also wouldn't have paid that price if I could find a downloadable-map smart phone app I liked, which many people have, but I haven't.
If that's all I had done, I was quoted $99 for the part, a USB, plus 1 hour of shop time, which in ritzy Westchester County, NY, is $170/hr. The dealer won't give you the USB to install yourself. There are third parties that claim to sell compatible map updates for less.
I wouldn't have paid that price if I didn't very much want the folding back seat/front seat problem solved and a final scan and inspection done on the car before my CPO warranty runs out in two weeks. I got all three for the one hour labor. I also wouldn't have paid that price if I could find a downloadable-map smart phone app I liked, which many people have, but I haven't.
I had the coding changed on both my previous 2011 E350 and current 2010 E550 for this stupid passenger seat behavior when folding the rear and it not adjusting in position that you can use the seat.
My cars were under warranty and I told the dealer that Mercedes advertise and sell the folding rear seat backs but forgets to mention you cannot have anybody on the front passenger seat at the same time or could perhaps have a very tiny person as the seat can be moved forward and then lowered to proper angle to sit on it.
This involved two different dealers and they both did the coding change for free.
I don't have the MB scanner tool, but overcame the nuisance motion by disconnecting the seat position sensor located at the bottom of the seat back (outboard end). It's a black sensor, shaped like a tennis racket with the round end fitting around the axle that the rear seat rotates as it folds down. In my 2012 W212 sedan, the front seat slides forward to an unusable position as soon as the seat back is released via the lever located in the trunk. If you manually reset the latch located at the top of the seat back (in the cabin), you can then move the front seat backwards, BUT as you fold the seatback down about half way to the roughly horizontal position, the front seat returns to it's unusable position. So the key is to disable that sensor located at the bottom of the seat back. When I want to use the useful cargo space afforded by folding down the right rear seat I still need to manually "close" the latch at the seat top (to "fool" the latch into thinking the seat back is secured in an upright position), but with that position sensor switch disconnected I can then adjust the passenger seat position anywhere to my wife's content. I couldn't find a part number for that sensor, but when you remove the trim around the seat back (after removing the rear seat bottom), you'll see the tennis racket shaped sensor with the electrical connector located at the bottom of the "racket". I haven't noticed any issues with other functions after disconnecting that sensor.
I deployed my “faithful” Launch scanner to try to figure out the path so I could stop front seats from moving when rears are folded. I couldn’t find the path despite spending close to an hour. I guess Start Diagnostics uses different language for the path. If someone would kindly write the path, that would be helpful.
I deployed my “faithful” Launch scanner to try to figure out the path so I could stop front seats from moving when rears are folded. I couldn’t find the path despite spending close to an hour. I guess Start Diagnostics uses different language for the path. If someone would kindly write the path, that would be helpful.
Below a screenshot from my xentry of the 2010 E550 that I have.
When I got the car it was a CPO and I asked the dealer to change this as it made impossible to sit on the front passenger seat when the back seat was folded and they did it. They also did the same for my 2011 E350 that I first had.
Very simple change in the settings that the dealers should do for everybody complaining about it.
Interestingly, there is no setting like this for the driver's seat while the collision risk with the folded rear seat is exactly the same as with the passenger seat. Guess they figured the whole folding rear seat option becomes useless if the driver cannot drive the car with the rear seat folded. At this point I must say someone at Mercedes is just an idiot thinking the way he/she did it.
Both front eats move forward when the seatbacks are released, and it should be enough to trust the driver and the passenger not to move front seats back too far with rear seats folded. This is how it is for the driver's seat from the factory so why not the same way for the passenger seat? Total lunacy!
I don't know how the Launch scanner you have shows the control pages but below is what xentry has.
I deployed my “faithful” Launch scanner to try to figure out the path so I could stop front seats from moving when rears are folded. I couldn’t find the path despite spending close to an hour. I guess Start Diagnostics uses different language for the path. If someone would kindly write the path, that would be helpful.
I bet between post 6 (Konigstieger's pdf attachment) and my post 13 you can get it.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
once the back seats are folded down, the front seats can go quite far back... they only need to go forward when the back seats are released and flopping down.
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