SL/R230: Passagenger SEAT stuck forward
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 493
Likes: 101
From: Benton, Louisiana, USA
SL 500 2004, Ford F-150-2014
Passagenger SEAT stuck forward
R230 friends and family,
While trying to check the fuses behind the passenger seat, moved it all the way forward. When trying to move it back, it didn't respond...!
If trying to remove the seat seems difficult since the two front bolts are inaccessible. I wonder if it is a way how to move it manually!
Thank you kindly for sharing your thoughts!
While trying to check the fuses behind the passenger seat, moved it all the way forward. When trying to move it back, it didn't respond...!
If trying to remove the seat seems difficult since the two front bolts are inaccessible. I wonder if it is a way how to move it manually!
Thank you kindly for sharing your thoughts!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2021
Posts: 493
Likes: 101
From: Benton, Louisiana, USA
SL 500 2004, Ford F-150-2014
Mike, thanks for the suggestion..! I found an old post that addresses the same issue and here is what they did: I will try that first, then to the hard work!
"My SL-550 had the exact problem with the passenger seat. I carefully pried the seat switch on the R shoulder of the seat up to expose the wiring. You'll need a thin knife blade and patience. Once it is off, turn it over to see three small torx screws. You'll need a quite small torx wrench to remove them and you will not be able to remove the cable connector without unscrewing the mechanism or at least I couldn't. Remove the three screws and you should then be able to unhook the connector. When that is off, you can remove the back cover and see the PC board. Insert a small jewelers screwdriver in the side slot to loosen the PC board from its mountings. Examine the solder connections on the PC board. They will probably look good but the fix is to re-solder them with a precision iron that will let you add a very small drop of solder to each point so any bad one is repaired. Put it all back together and test it. And it worked!"
"Just wanted to say thank you for this, it worked for me. I held the forward door button for a long time as it took several movements to get fully forward. Ditto for the seat fold forward button. Then tried the buttons on the seat and they seemed to make a noise which they hadn't before BUT didn't move the seat. So I returned the seat to where it was originally using the door buttons and then suddenly the seat back / forward worked."
"My SL-550 had the exact problem with the passenger seat. I carefully pried the seat switch on the R shoulder of the seat up to expose the wiring. You'll need a thin knife blade and patience. Once it is off, turn it over to see three small torx screws. You'll need a quite small torx wrench to remove them and you will not be able to remove the cable connector without unscrewing the mechanism or at least I couldn't. Remove the three screws and you should then be able to unhook the connector. When that is off, you can remove the back cover and see the PC board. Insert a small jewelers screwdriver in the side slot to loosen the PC board from its mountings. Examine the solder connections on the PC board. They will probably look good but the fix is to re-solder them with a precision iron that will let you add a very small drop of solder to each point so any bad one is repaired. Put it all back together and test it. And it worked!"
"Just wanted to say thank you for this, it worked for me. I held the forward door button for a long time as it took several movements to get fully forward. Ditto for the seat fold forward button. Then tried the buttons on the seat and they seemed to make a noise which they hadn't before BUT didn't move the seat. So I returned the seat to where it was originally using the door buttons and then suddenly the seat back / forward worked."
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,232
Likes: 168
From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK
SL 350 R230 (3.7L with AMG Speedshift autobox)
Im glad you got your seat sorted, thanks for sharing all the info and repair to the switch. Can I ask if you tried to press the memory position to see of the seat would move? I know on my little Launch Creader Elite diagnostic, there is a bi-directional control that would power the motors and move the seat without using the switch.
