3rd Gen 3rd row seat

rayjay

rayjay

New member
So I have seen a few locally for sale. I didn't jump on the first one I saw, but now that the wife and I are thinking about kids. I'm thinking it might come in handy eventually.

First one I saw was listed for like $300-$400 if I remember. Which was more than a year ago. I have recently run into another one but it is way over priced.

What do you guys think? What are these worth? How easy is the install....etc. Any input is appreciated. I tried searching for some threads but nothing specific came up about the 3rd row. Does anyone even have this option in their 3rd gen?

Here is a local CL ad for the most recent one I found.
Toyota 4runner 3rd row seats
 
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I had never heard of anybody putting 3rd row seating in a 3rd generation 4Runner before, but there it is in that ad. I can't imagine it being comfortable for anybody but a child though, but at the same time not very safe for anybody.
 
I always wondered if it was aftermarket or a factory option....

seen a few around here, both in the tan leather that would match my T4R
 
There was in fact an optional 3rd row for the 3rd Gen. The 1996 owners manual mentions it and I have seen one in person. While interesting, it just sucks. The 2nd row cannot flip forward in a convenient fashion to allow access to the 3rd row. Once you crawl back there, you will be sitting in an upright fetal position if you are older than eight.
 
Can't remember his exact user name but Bumpus808 (or something like that) mounted the seat out of a Subaru Brat in the back of his runner. Looked like it mounted up well. I know the Surf offered the 3rd row.
 
Yeah - lots of problems trying to retro this. No seat belts and I am pretty sure the crasj protection from the rear is not nearly as good as a vehicle designed with a 3rd seat. Plus - as was pointed out - a real pain to get into the seats since the second row doesn't fold out of the way. If this was critical I would look at a 4th gen Runner since I think they had a 3rd seat option early on
 
To fix the access issue, why not mount the 3rd row backwards similar to a jump seat in old school station wagons or the Tesla S?

Either way, I wouldn't want to sit back there.
 
I suppose countless parents in the 60s-00s who own(ed) wagons with rear facing seats are crazy. I loved riding the the rear seats of our old Buick wagon.
 
T4R2014 said:
There was in fact an optional 3rd row for the 3rd Gen. The 1996 owners manual mentions it and I have seen one in person. While interesting, it just sucks. The 2nd row cannot flip forward in a convenient fashion to allow access to the 3rd row. Once you crawl back there, you will be sitting in an upright fetal position if you are older than eight.
Click to expand...

There was also an article in either Motor Trend or Car and Driver when the 3rd Gen was introduced that also mentioned it.
 
rayjay said:
So I have seen a few locally for sale. I didn't jump on the first one I saw, but now that the wife and I are thinking about kids. I'm thinking it might come in handy eventually....
Click to expand...

How many kids are you thinking of having and how fast!! Unless you have a bunch of dogs or something else that takes up the rest of the back seat space why would you need a 3rd row, at least for quite a few years? There is plenty of space in the already installed second row for the one kid you will have first, even a second should there be twins, hell I had three 7 year olds in the backseat of mine yesterday taking them home from a birthday party, they all fit fine. Its not my money and obviously if you want a 3rd row seat in your 4runner you should install it, but it sure seems like the money could be spent somewhere else and you would gain more value out of it, at least for the next 3-5 years.
 
Back in 2012 I installed a 6th seat in the cargo area of my 2001 4Runner. It was installed so that we could accommodate all 4 kids in the T4R. It is definitely a seat that only children under 5' tall can sit in. I decided to use a single bucket seat. I bought a front passenger side bucket out of a 2nd gen 4Runner that I found at a Toyota scrapyard. I would've used one from a 3rd gen to match better, but there were none available at the time. I was able to use the rear OEM brackets, but had to have new front brackets made and welded on the front. I also installed a 3-point seatbelt (using a left rear passenger belt from a 3rd gen) in the D-pillar.

I mounted the seats using anchor plates from Juliano's Hot Road Parts. The seatbelt was also anchored with one of the above anchor plates and a Pillar Bracket in the D-pillar.

I originally bolted the seatbelt buckle to the floor with an anchor plate, but later moved it to the seat's left rear bracket.

Pictures:








Anchor plates were riveted to the floor so they remain in place when the seat or seatbelt is removed.


I didn't do the best job of fitting the panel hole to the seatbelt. Trial & error.
 
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This has stirred up quite the thread. I'm enjoying it. The original thought was to get the seat just to have. But that guy was asking way to much for something to grab as a "just in case" factor. Love all the info and links, thanks guys.

I'm not getting this seat, never even made an offer.

We weren't planning on that many kids anyway...haha
 
Well...I find myself reading this thread because I might need to find a way to do this. My options are 1. make a jump seat in the back, or 2. sell the 4runner and buy an FJ80. Kid number 4 is on the way and we aren't going to suddenly stop driving the trails and camping. If I can make it work, I'd like to keep the 4runner rather than start over on an FJ80. At least for the foreseeable future...maybe eventually I'll get an FJ, but not right now.
 
My 2000" has this as a factory option. The seat mounts and un-mounts quite easily and the seat back folds down. I have always kept the seat out. It is only for small people as mentioned. I'm 6ft and while I can sit in it, it would be very uncomfortable for any length of time. It has seat belts for 2. Also the mounts in the floor do get in the way at times as they are not quite flush with the floor. The factory carpet in the back is notched out for the seat mounts. There must not be many that have this factory option.
 
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