Problem with Driver's Seat

B

Biddy

New member
Hey guys,

I bought a 2006 4runner SR5 (stock except for sunroof, chrome handles)

about 3 or 4 days after my purchase I started feeling/hearing a problem in my driver's seat.

leaning forward and backward in the seat would make a little clicking noise......

now....im a big guy....im 6'1 280lbs...

i went to the dealer and after they inspected it ...was told its a "faulty seat rail".....and the part would cost upwards of $1900.00. of course its warrantied and of course they had to order the part.

i was told initially 2 days for order but its been 9 days now and still when i call them its "back ordered with no eta." meanwhile the seat is getting worse and worse and honestly its partially worse because when you get like an ant bite or somethin and you just keep messing with it?

yeah its like that....so i just talked to the parts guy again and yeah i was a little short with him, and he asked if i wanted to talk to someone in the service department and maybe they could help me out with something...(i assume some sort of ...credit or something to make me feel better about waiting?)

i freakin love my truck, but this seat is pissing me off and i 'hate' getting the run around, i realize its not the local guys fault but that doesn't alleviate the stress of having to think about this everytime i get into my brand spanking new 4runner with 500 miles that has a broken seat.


and honestly is 280 so big that i should be braking car seats? jeez, isn't this america ? :p

let me add again that they say its a 'faulty seat railing'...the problem started 3-4 days after i got the truck and has continually gotten worse....and yet i keep thinking that 280 pounds is just too damn huge to be driving a 4runner......

/endrant
 
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Unfortunately for you, it appears from your statement that the 2006 is also involved. The 2003-2005 (non-powered) seats are experiencing this problem.

To date, I have not experieced this.
 
slyangel9 said:
Unfortunately for you, it appears from your statement that the 2006 is also involved. The 2003-2005 (non-powered) seats are experiencing this problem.

To date, I have not experieced this.
Click to expand...


wow....its really annoying, and the fact that there is NO eta really angers me. I mean for the love of god its a brand new truck...


arggg :bash:
 
Talk to the Service Manager and tell them that you feel driving the truck with this faulty seat is dangerous. Maybe that'll get things rolling faster or maybe they'll swap the seat rail with another model on the lot (Doubtful, but hey worth a shot). Also if you haven't filled out the customer survey, hold that above their heads. Giving them bad marks looks bad on them.

Good luck.
 
I agree with some of the others. It's a saftey issue. And as a saftey issue you can tell them that the seat is getting worse, and it's dangerous and there will be liability involved if this does not allow you to operate the vehicle safely.

Backordered with no ETA is bull. They are still making your vehicle and are installing seats in it. Tell them to call Japan, take a rail from the factory where the vehicles are being built, and put it in a FEDEX box and there you go.

I have learned the hard way in life that you get jerked around when you let the other people run the show!

Good luck and let us know what happens.
 
update-

finally the service manager at toyota was honest with me after about 15 calls checking on the new seat rail's arrival. he told me that there isn't really a fix, and that toyota doesn't want to keep ordering expensive parts that aren't fixing the problem.

of course i told him that was unacceptable, and i rattled on in that manner for a few minutes while he listened politely and i think he totally understood my point of view. right now its resolved as i went down there and he pulled a seat out of another truck with the same interior and they replaced it.....its only been a day and its still not acting up lol....but i told the guy that in no way will i accept this kind of repeat problem, and that the reason i went to toyota is i wanted quality.

shoot i could have gotten a kia for 10k cheaper hehe. basically he told me that the new seat could go 6 weeks, 6 months or forever without acting up, and hopefully toyota will have released a fix for it by then if it does act up again. i told him that so far everything i read online in regards to this problem has been spot on (thanks t4r.org) and that apparently the electric seats do not have the problem at all. he made me feel that if it becomes an extreme repetitive problem that toyota would supply me with an electric seat.

i refuse to "get used to it" and will never accept that toyota has no fix for the problem...its ridiculous. i really cant believe that toyota's flagship suv (i assume they sell more 4runners than any other suv's) would be fundamentally flawed for so many years. in the end i am extremely disapointed with toyota over this. it is truly mind boggling.

also i logged a complaint with the 1800 customer service number and i plan on really letting them know how i feel when i get contaced by the customer relations department.
 
File a Complaint with NHTSA

I would suggest filing a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. You can file it online at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

Your complaint information will be entered into NHTSA's vehicle owner's complaint database and used with other complaints to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

I can't guarantee it will help, but it sure won't hurt!

Good luck, and let us other big guys (6'2" 260 lbs.) know how it turns out.
 
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I had this same problem pretty early on. It make a little noise but didnt really move...but it got worse and started moving at every stop/start. I finally took it to the dealer and they said it needs a new seat frame assembly. The next week they had the part and installed it. I havent had the problem since and its been 4-5 months.

So I KNOW it can be fixed. My dealer gave me absolutely no BS about it. It sucks to hear dealers say "deal with it" when others fix it no problem. Now if the part is actually backordered there not much you can do, but keep on them, it is not something you should have to ever "deal with."
 
06 SE V8 with seat creak, sunroof rattle, TPS, etc.

I just returned from a camping trip on the north coast of CA, and after driving on tight, winding roads in the coastal mountains (namely 253 and 20) I began hearing the creaking in my drivers seat...and it's the electric version. I'm bringing it in to the dealer this week to get it fixed. I'll also be informing them of the following issues:

-sunroof rattle
-drivers side door rattle
-Tire pressure indicator problem (been on for 5 straight days and over 500 miles of driving)

Truth be told, I love this truck so far, but these things are starting to pile up. I have an '06 SE V8 4WD with 2400 miles on it. I had a '99 Tacoma V6 4WD for 7 years (and 150,000 miles) and never experienced anything like this. Troublesome for a $35K vehicle.
 
Re: 06 SE V8 with seat creak, sunroof rattle, TPS, etc.

mdp874 said:
-Tire pressure indicator problem (been on for 5 straight days and over 500 miles of driving)
Click to expand...

This isn't warranty, it's maintenance. Put more air in your tires, including the spare.
 
This isn't warranty, it's maintenance. Put more air in your tires, including the spare.
Click to expand...


That would be true had I not checked the air pressure multiple times and increased pressure slightly over the recommended psi (on all 5 tires), yet the TPS light is still on. I'm quite confident that it's not a maintenance issue unless all three of the pressure gauges I used are wrong.

The cold temperature explanation seemed plausible at first, but I've been in 65+ degree weather for 3 days now...and still no change.
 
I went through one arbitration hearing with National Center for Dispute and the result was in Toyota's favor. They did not offer me the option to fix; only options were to trade in the vehicle or turn it back in. I had the option of going through a second hearing which after several months decided to go forward with. During a recent visit to the dealership for service one of the reps stated that in his opinion this was going to turn to a recall item. I was surprised to hear as the rep at the hearing said there was no safety issue involved. Although he would produce no safety reports to back his statements. In an e-mail today regarding the second hearing I mentioned the recall. I just today received a reply from the Toyota dealer, "A Toyota service bulletin has become available to replace the seat in your 4-Runner."
 
I had the same things replaced as the TSB indicates, about 5 month later the problems returned. The seats are just lousy designed and need a complete design replacement to ever work correctly long term. This issue and the subsequent time spend on it will be the one thing that will lead me away from Toyota on my next purchase.
 
Been there done that....

Went through arbitration several months ago. Took the arbiTRAITOR for a ride w/ the toyota rep. It was clear that the seat clicked at every brake/acceleration. Wasn't completely clear that the seat moved a slight amount, but the clicking was obvious. I deeply expressed my concern towards safety. I insisted she get in the driver's seat and take it for a spin... but of course... that's against their regulations. Big surprise.

Heard back in a week that the arbitrator did not feel it was a safety issue, and there is nothing more anyone could do.

kmorello:

any chance you can get your hand on that new TSB or at least the #??????
 
swooopeno said:
Been there done that....

Went through arbitration several months ago. Took the arbiTRAITOR for a ride w/ the toyota rep. It was clear that the seat clicked at every brake/acceleration. Wasn't completely clear that the seat moved a slight amount, but the clicking was obvious. I deeply expressed my concern towards safety. I insisted she get in the driver's seat and take it for a spin... but of course... that's against their regulations. Big surprise.

Heard back in a week that the arbitrator did not feel it was a safety issue, and there is nothing more anyone could do.

kmorello:

any chance you can get your hand on that new TSB or at least the #??????
Click to expand...


http://www.alldata.com/tsb/Toyota/1161327600000_1161846000000_NV011-06/index.html
 
Hey mdp874, what did the dealer tell you when you complained about the noise on the power seats on your 06? I have an 06 Limited, power seats, and hear the creak if I don't have the stereo cranked. The TSB only covers non-powered seats, so I am curious what you were told. Thanks.
 
I have an 06 Ltd with power seats, and also have an occasional "thud" or "thunk" coming from the seat. It almost sounds like a golf ball hits something under the seat. The noise first appeared while I was off-road on some trails and I was getting tossed around. I haven't been to the dealer for the problem yet, but will discuss it with them next week. I'll let you know what I find out.
 
Thanks Atomic Runner. I guess I am always a bit apprehensive to have the dealer tear apart my vehicle and possibly create new problems in solving a small problem. At the same time, it frustrates me to hear the noise and realize there is nothing for me to do but turn up the stereo. Please do post what your dealer tells you and let us know if there are any TSB's that I dould refer my dealer to.
 
Previously saw the TSB you posted, problem is it addresses manual seats. A couple of us who have posted on this thread have limiteds with the power seats. That's why I wondered if there was a TSB that addresses the power seat.
 
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