2004 t&c power seat stuck forward

QuestionEdit

QUESTION: Hello, I have a 2004 Town and Country Limited with a passenger seat that is now stuck forward. There is power to the seat as it does move 1/4 to 1/2 inch forward and backward but it will not return to the full backward position. The back of the seat will move forward and backward. The seat will also turn to the left a bit, them back to the right when pushing the forward and back lever.

I have checked under the seat, the tracks etc. and do not see any obstruction of any kind.

What else should I check, or can I do to try and make the seat operable?

Thank you, Michele

ANSWER: Hi Michele, There are two approaches that I can identify. One would be to get a fault code readout of the body control module memory to see whether it has recognized an electrical issue that can be corrected without removing the seat. That may cost about $40 at an independent shop if it can read the memory, or at a dealer which will likely cost more. If you get a fault code or name let me know and I can compare what the manual says with what you were told. The other would be to remove the seat to see whether there is a hidden mechanical bind up to its movement. That approach would involve my copying pages from the manual and sending them to you attached to an emaii. There is one complicating factor which is that there appears to be two types of passenger seacts, a regular type and one that recognizes the weight of the passenger and makes some adjustments to the retraint system in the event of an accident and is called 'the occupant classification system' and so it would simplify matters to which type of seat you have. Do you have any paper work that might mention that issue? I am thinking that it will be a fairly lengthy process to communicate the info you need to you to do it yourself. But I am willing to give it a try. To do that I need to know your email address which if you send me that do not use the @ symbol, rather use "at", otherwise the computer automatically erases the email address. Roland

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QUESTION: Roland, Thank you, Called a couple places they do not have that equipment. Called the Chrysler Dealer, they will charge $95 diagnostic fee, and apply to repair, and the only suggestion they gave is that it may be a track problem - $450 repair bill.

Any suggestions?

Thank you as you have been very helpful. Michele

ANSWER: Hi Michele, I would be inclined to look again along both tracks to see if you can find an item that is blocking the motion. The seat moving along the track suggests that it may not be electrical but rather mechanical. Was there any 'history' of something different when this happened? I can send the pages about removing the seat if you think that would give you better visiblity of the track. Did you find anything about whether is is a normal or ocs type of seat? Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roland, Yes, thank you! If you would so kindly send the pages on removing the seat I would be appreciative. I have 168,200 miles on my van and have had no major problems, just normal wear and tear with breaks, tires, hoses, etc. The seats have always worked very well and up until yesterday when we couldn't move it back there was no indication of any difficulty.

I will again check the area around the track. If you might also let me know, since it is an electrical operated seat and my van also is operated by computer parts, do I need to disconnect the battery as not to cause any computer glitz?

I am all for trying to fix myself if I can. A couple weeks ago I replaced my drivers side mirror after finding a used one. Not an easy feat looking for the correct mirror as my has all the functions, but was very easy to replace the unit.

Sincerely, Michele

AnswerEdit

Hi Michele, I can send you one to several pages as attachements to show how to remove the seat if that would improve your access to see the tracks. Let me know your email address. Roland PS: Thanks for the kind words and rating and nomination. I suspect that you may have found me to be maxed out. That should be corrected now, so do replay and if you would like to check the box to make it Private, then you can enter your email address using the @ symbol but if you don't make it private the use 'at'. I will be a bit tied up this afternoon so if I can't get back to you in the next few minutes, know that I will do so this early evening. Roland