removing back seats on 2012

[prune]

Hi,

how easy/hard is it to remove the bottom part of the rear seats on a T4R 2012 (or 2013)

I plan to buy a 2013 version to replace my ford escape.
When I go countryside I always sleep in my car. As the bottom back seat have to be lifted to have a flat cargo space, they still use a 10 inch space.
Removing them would allow some more room for my head.

So is it possible to completely remove them and replace them easily ?
Many thanks for your comment !

 

[terra4r]

114 views, no help. geesh

They're bolted to the floor pan just below the hinge. Plastic cover pops off, and there is a single bolt per hinge, so 4 bolts and the lower portion of the back seats are out.

 

[dsfra]

I am doing the same thing, and asked 2 different dealers about this prior to purchasing. All they would say was that Toyota doesn't want people messing around with seats and seatbelts and such things due to the potential liability involved. I was able to determine that the bolts are just used for the seat bottoms, i.e. they don't go through the floor and hold other stuff or fuel tank mounting straps or whatever. It would be a real pi$$er to take out the bolts and then hear something mounted under the floor crash to ground. Having said that, the rear seat bottoms come out real easy - 14mm bolts torqued to 27 ft lbs. These are some captive nuts that you definitely don't want to strip.

My current dilemma is that I am planning to build plywood storage boxes / places for pillows while car camping that will sit on the carpet in the rear seat footwells. These boxes will be fairly heavily loaded (medium size floor jack, tools, parts, etc), and I am concerned that there there might be some wiring (or something else for that matter) running under the carpet in those areas. There will be lots of miles on rough, washboarded roads, so anything under the carpet will get pretty beat up. I asked on this forum whether anyone has had the "opportunity" to poke around and see if there is anything delicate living under the carpet - no responses. Sent this question to the Toyota.com question guys - no answer. Sent it again - no answer. They say to expect an answer within a few days, and this was a couple of weeks ago, so I assume I'll never get an answer from them. Will plan to ask the dealer and see if they can help. I really don't want to spend the time tearing out the carpets just to answer this very basic question.

 

[blizz86]

i am going to assume you are talking about the 3rd row seating, and not the 2nd row..

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/93286-removing-3rd-row-seats.html

search for the user NASHMAN, and he has the complete FSM available for download, its in there

 

[blizz86]

and i dont think there are any wires under the carpetting, i believe i saw a picture with the removed seats and its just bare metal that is NOT level is anyway.

 

[Ukie]

i believe i saw a picture with the removed seats and its just bare metal that is NOT level is anyway.

Harper posted some pictures in a Interior Sound Deadening with E-dead album. You can see what's under.

 

[dsfra]

Thanks for the link to Harper's pics. That stripped interior looks pretty scary - looks like a plucked chicken.

Just to clarify, I was talking about the regular rear seats - not 3rd row.

 

[Randyman...]

Old thread bump:

Does anyone know how to remove the interior trim piece for the 2nd row seat recliner on a 2013? I've tried prying with a flathead and towel, but I can't see how it is supposed to snap off. Sorry for the pic (not mine and doesn't really show the trim piece)

Thanks!

 

[Giesela]

I am doing the same thing, and asked 2 different dealers about this prior to purchasing. All they would say was that Toyota doesn't want people messing around with seats and seatbelts and such things due to the potential liability involved. I was able to determine that the bolts are just used for the seat bottoms, i.e. they don't go through the floor and hold other stuff or fuel tank mounting straps or whatever. It would be a real pi$$er to take out the bolts and then hear something mounted under the floor crash to ground. Having said that, the rear seat bottoms come out real easy - 14mm bolts torqued to 27 ft lbs. These are some captive nuts that you definitely don't want to strip.

My current dilemma is that I am planning to build plywood storage boxes / places for pillows while car camping that will sit on the carpet in the rear seat footwells. These boxes will be fairly heavily loaded (medium size floor jack, tools, parts, etc), and I am concerned that there there might be some wiring (or something else for that matter) running under the carpet in those areas. There will be lots of miles on rough, washboarded roads, so anything under the carpet will get pretty beat up. I asked on this forum whether anyone has had the "opportunity" to poke around and see if there is anything delicate living under the carpet - no responses. Sent this question to the Toyota.com question guys - no answer. Sent it again - no answer. They say to expect an answer within a few days, and this was a couple of weeks ago, so I assume I'll never get an answer from them. Will plan to ask the dealer and see if they can help. I really don't want to spend the time tearing out the carpets just to answer this very basic question.

I did a search on remove seats to find this post as this is exactly what I would want to do. Gain that space/length taken up by the seat bottoms folded up.
Be nice to know how it all turned out and whether anyone else has ever done this.