Driver's Seat popping noise - Fixed (I think)

[rainmn]

I read through several threads on this issue, and none of them seemed to have any fix short of the dealer replacing the seat back. I'm not under warranty, and even doing the work myself, that's a $300+ part. That was enough reason to take a shot at seeing if I could fix the issue, which I think I did.

Just to be clear, I saw where a bunch of people mentioned a "crunching feeling" from lumber area. I did not have that issue. All I had was a popping noise that seemed to be coming from somewhere inside the seat back, and definitely got worse as the weather warmed up. It also didn't seem to have any relation to how I shifted my weight in the seat - I couldn't force pressure on any one particular area to duplicate the issue.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics in the process, but it's pretty straightforward. The first step is to get inside the seat, which is easy since the seatback unzips. There's a flap at the very bottom that is held in place with an elastic cord. Just look under the seat, unhook the elastic, and pull the flap back. Once you do that, you'll see two ends of a cord with plastic connectors. Unhook both of those - they simply slide out. Last step is the zipper, which starts from left side looking forward. The end of the zipper will probably be tucked behind something. Fish it out and unzip it most of the way around to the other corner and let the seat back flap down.

Once you get that all done, you'll see the lumbar support mechanism. It mounts to two vertical rods which bend outwards towards the top of the seat. Those rods were the culprit in my case. If you pull the foam back a little and look at how they connect to the seat frame at the top, it's just a plastic connector. In may case, both were a little loose, but the right side was worse. If I wiggled that rod around (phrasing...for Archer fans), it would make noise in the plastic clip.

How you choose to go about fixing the issue is up to you, but I used left over sound deadening. I just wrapped up each of those connecting points with stick on ensolite foam until they seemed to no longer make noise. After that, just zip the seat backup in reverse of how you opened it.

I did this about 4 days ago, and have driven at least 100 miles since without hearing the noise once. That's a pretty good sign to me, since it's been consistently making the noise every single time I've driven it for the last couple months. During winter, it was intermittent.

This may not be a permanent fix, but at least I think I found the source of the noise. Hope it helps someone.

 

[rainmn]

Wanted to post a follow up to this in case anyone comes across it in a search.

The "fix" I described didn't stand the test of time. It slowly came back over time, and is getting worse with the weather warming up. Yesterday, the truck was parked outside in 80+ degree weather for a few hours, and the seat made noise all the way home.

I haven't had a chance to open the seat up and take another look to see if my previous band-aids came loose.

What drive me nuts about this is that I can't duplicate the sound. I can shift my weight every which way in the seat and no noise. I push on every area of the seat, nothing. I drive around the block and it pops at random times.

If I was sure replacing the seat back would stop it for good, I'd spend the $300 to buy the part and replace it myself.

 

[Ariakas]

Hey [MENTION=130513]rainmn[/MENTION]

This may be unrelated due to the specifics of your issue..

I had a similar pop coming from the driver seat on my 2011. It was driving me crazy. I found a post one time that said someone was having a similar issue when the seat was moved all the way back, and suggested moving the seat just slightly forward after adjusting to the rear of the slide.

So whenever I slide the seat all the way back, I make sure to bump it forward slightly a time or two so it is not resting all the way back on the rails and it seems to have done the trick. I have not heard the pop since.

Let us know if this helps or works for you.. Of course if you are not moving it all the way rearward this probably is not relevant for you.

 

[rainmn]

Thanks for the tip, but I'm only 5'10", so my seat is never all the way back.

What does seem to make a difference is if I mess with the recline, even just a little bit. It doesn't stop the noise, but seems to lessen it if I just give the recline even a slight bump forward.

 

[mybabydaddy]

Thanks for the tip, but I'm only 5'10", so my seat is never all the way back.

What does seem to make a difference is if I mess with the recline, even just a little bit. It doesn't stop the noise, but seems to lessen it if I just give the recline even a slight bump forward.

I have this “pop” as well in my 2014 TEP. I noticed it a few months ago as well... don’t recall hearing it before then. Same as you, cannot reproduce said noise, but it’ll “pop” every now and then when rounding a corner. It’s smack in the middle of the seat-back.

Thought about tinkering... then remembered this is my 3rd 4Runner and all 3 have all had some little weird “click” or “pop” from somewhere... ’07 had it in the dash... ’11 had it in the seat if I remember correctly. This one has it too. Realized I don’t care enough. Yes, it happens from time to time, but it’s not all the time.

If you ever find a fix, let me know. In the meantime, didn’t want you to think you were nuts for hearing it.

 

[larrystew67]

Hi RainMN,

Even though I have a 2010 Highlander, I have this same exact issue. I started your fix that you posted, but didn't get further than getting the rear cloth flap elastic straps unhooked from below the seat. I have leather, and maybe because of that, I couldn't seem to find the zipper to remove the rear back. Could also be because it's a Highlander. Anyway, I left the elastic flaps unhooked and have not heard the popping/clicking noise from my seatback since. I do have an extremely slight movement when hard cornering, but haven't heard the noise at all. I have to wonder if it has something to do with stress being put on the elastic straps, causing them to slightly shift, moving the plastic clips below the seat and causing noise. My suggestion would be to remove the elastic straps again and leave them for a while to see if it helps.

 

[Doughboy]

I also have this problem

 

[armabill]

I have a 2020 TRD OR Premium that has the same popping noise in the driver's lower left seat back. I also had a hard time finding the zipper end but I finally found it. It was tucked way in there behind a piece of plastic.

I unzipped the back which me gave access to the lumbar mechanism. I shook and moved parts of the mechanism this way and that but it was tight. No popping sound and no areas that were loose.

I saw the above post about moving the seat up a little from its most rearward position. That worked! Going on 2 days now without the popping noise.

I guess each one has a different solution, just have to figure out which one that is.

 

[DAW89446]

Old thread, but for what it's worth:

I haven't had this issue with my '18 T4R. But I have a '12 Subaru Outback and twice have felt the dreaded "pop." Then all lumbar support is lost and the seatback can be felt instantly caving in. Pretty common on that generation of Outback. I don't know why, but Subaru wants a fortune to fix the issue and throw expensive parts at it, when it is a simple, cheap and ten minute job.

The cause is the tiny hook that is used to anchor the lumbar support cable that runs between the lumbar adjustment motor, through the lumbar plate and to the seatback frame. Generally the hook snaps when one is wiggling around in the seat, putting pressure on the seatback; such as when fishing a wallet or keys out of a pocket. A larger S-hook found in any hardware store or in your workshop works fine.

If anyone has a similar experience in their 4Runner and looses their lumbar support, then open the seatback as described and look at how the lumbar adjustment cable is anchored and what it is anchored with. It likely can be simply and inexpensively repaired.