My girlfriend's '02 GLE has a stuck driver's seat. With the autopositioning it moves back into the rearward position when you shut off the car and that is where it is stuck. At first, when trying to move it forward you could see the right hand side move a little but the left side was stuck solid and would hold it back. Now, when you hit the forward button, absolutely nothing happens so I suspect, while being stalled the motor eventually fried.

Did pull down the TSB on this (thanks forum and contributors).

However, was looking for any tips from anyone who has gone through this. Has anyone been able to fix this without the complete part assembly replacement listed in the TSB? Waiting for a quote for this part from Courtesy Nissan. If there's a possibility that I can just unjam the mechanism I wouldn't mind not spending on the new part. But if I'm going to need the part no matter what I'd rather just order the part, take the seat out once, and be done.

Second part of my question is how to get the seat out. TSB says to remove the seat, undo the front bolts, then move the seat forward and take out the rear mounting bolts. Talk about a Catch-22. If I could move the seat forward I wouldn't need to take the seat and those rear bolts out. Tried their tip on tapping the motor to get it to work temporarily. No such luck.

Are there any hints or tricks on how to get those bolts undone if I can't move the seat forward?

 

afraid I can't help, but I'm interested in any replies since I'm in the same boat. Mine stuck in the far back position...luckily I'm tall and it's not very far back from where I normally drive. Mine never had a partial working period - one day it worked, and the next it didnt. I've tested the leads and confirmed the motor is getting voltage....and I hear a slight click like a relay, but not motion or sound from motor.

I've been hunting for a replacement motor without much luck. I tried to pull the seat to get a better look at things (and to prep for motor replacement if I find one) - I got all bolts out except the back outside bolt (near the seatbelt).

 

Dubious,

Hope you're still following this thread because I seem to have solved the problem when the seat is in a rearward position.

You have to remove the "Seat track mounting tab bolts" on the front underside of the seat. Refer to Figure 4 in the TSB. These are brass colored bolts with a 10 mm head. They are a bit tricky to get to but I got at them with a small socket wrench.

Once you remove these bolts you can then manually push the seat forward to access the rear bolts.

Nissan should have put this in the TSB.

Good luck,

Jim R.

 

Thanks Jim - very helpful...

 

i have the same issue as you guys, but fortunately i have being able to take the seat out, but no luck in figuring out what the problem in these seat, I set in the automatic mode and same the right side motor works while the left (door side ) is jamed. Now i wonder is this a factory defect ?

 

Mine stopped working about a 6 months ago. Worked then one day my wife went to move it forward an nothing.. It just clicks. Thanks for the post on how to get the rear bolts out. That's why I never bothered going any further I got stuck on taking out that rear one near the door. I didn't know there was a TSB on this I will take a look.

 

This just happened to me the last week on my 2003 maxima. Same problem. The right side of the driver seat tries to push forward but the left side is stuck. I went to the dealer i got the car from this year (since i had bought an extended warranty). I was told that my warranty wont cover the "seat track assembly" part (go figure, so much for the extended warranty) and that a new one will cost $1000 including labor.
JREDDINGTON-you mentioned that you were able to move the seat forward. Did that fix the problem or is that just a temp fix? Is replacing the "seat track" the only solution to fix the problem? Thanks.

 

OwnMax , I just checked out the TSB. you should check it out.

http://www.nissanhelp.com/Ownership/.../NTB02-001.htm

 

Interesting that the symptoms you describe are just like I experienced with the right side trying to move forward but stuck on the left side. But then it stopped even doing that. I suspect I probably burned out the stalled motor while investigating.

Yes, my moving the seat forward is just a temporary fix. And when doing so, unless you position it very far forward it's tricky to put the rear bolts in. I just got the right one in loose and the left one not at all.

I've ordered the replacement part from Courtesy Nissan for $219 including shipping but it still hasn't arrived. Unfortunately, just after ordering I found that Jerry Rome Nissan in Springfield, MA (http://nissanpartsonline.net/) carries it for $206, had it in stock, and is close enough for me to run up there at lunchtime to pick it up. I think their shipping was also free but it would have been a local pickup for me (although I'd then have to pay MA sales tax so technically it would have been cleaper for me to ship to CT).

Note that this is not a "seat track" problem. When I remove the tab bolts as I described above, the seat slides easy back and forth. In the TSB you are not replacing the seat tracks but the motor and the two 90 degree gearboxes on either side. I bet the original problems described here are an internal failure of the left hand box and then, when jammed up, the motor eventually fries. Therefore, the kit includes both the motor and the gearboxes.

Don't know why an extended warrantee, especially if it's from Nissan, wouldn't pick this up, unless they could prove that you had jammed something like coins in the track. This problem is not with the track but with the motor or gears in the assembly. Seems common enough that everyone seems to stock multiple sets of these. Whether it's a Nissan warrantee or a third party warranty, pull up, print, and show them the TSB. It applies to both '02s and '03s. Hard to claim it's not a defect if it happens enough to warrant a TSB.

As for cost, list on the part is $243 and the TSB indicates it's good for 2 hours of labor. I don't see that as a $1,000 fix.

Go back to them on the warrantee issue and let us know how it works out. I'll let you know how my repair goes once the parts finally show up. Courtesy has been good on delivery time in the past but I suspect the holidays are slowing it up.

 

PROJECT FINISHED!

Parts arrived from Courtesy Nissan. They let us off from work early so I could work in the driveway in the light and the weather was resonably warm, upper 30's.

I had solved the problem of getting those back bolts out (see above) and from there on the TSB is pretty clear on walking you through the project. One word of caution though. There is a lot of very sharp edged stamped metal in those seats and you're reaching around and through it. I cut my hand three times. Third time metal edges were so sharp I didn't even feel it. Just noticed blood on my tools.

Once reassembled and reinstalled seat works like new.

Haven't yet poked around with the old parts to see exactly what failed. Once things calm down after the holdidays we'll see what's up.

 

Nissan Security Plus extended warranty does cover the part.
I will safely assume your extended warranty is not through Nissan.

 

Thanks for your replies- JReddington and NismoStar. My warranty is through Nissan (got it from the Nissan dealer where i bought the car at). I think they are playing me for a fool, trying to make some profit because that is exactly what they quoted me- a $1000 repair costs for a new seat track.

JReddington - Glad to know that your seat works fine now. Hopefully, i will copy your steps and fix mines too.

NismoStar - How sure are you that my Nissan warranty will cover this repair that i was quoted not covered under my policy. Who should i confront about that? The dealer service manager or call Nissan directly?

Your suggestions are appreciated. Thanks, and have a happy new year!

 

Actually, from working on this problem, it seems very difficult for something to get caught in the "tracks" of these seats so the odds of the problem being some fault of the owner is very low. The TSB seems to address a common internal fault with either the drive motors or right hand gears.

I would print out the TSB and bring it in. Contest the warranty decision with the service manager, then up to the dealer manager. If no satisfaction ask to speak with the Nissan zone manager or pursue direct with Nissan. Does your warantee documentation have contact info?

While I'm glad to have saved quite a few bucks by installing myself and hope my comments help others with this fix, you paid big bucks for a warrantee to cover just this kind of problem.