Third Row Seating

D

ddesness

New member
Hellow fellas,
New to this forum. Awesome forum BTW
My wife and I are looking to get a 4th gen runner. Im not new to the toyota world. I have a built 85 runner and a 97 rebuilt runner. But I was wondering if the 4th gen had third row seating?? I thought they did but some people tell me they dont and if they do have third row seating, good luck getting your hands on it. Is there any way you can modify the back end to have a thrid row?
Thanks
 
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OH yeah the 4th Gen's have a 3rd row seat as an option.. you just have to find one. I think it was an option for the SR5 and the Limited models. They are out there.. just keep searching!
 
rmstucky said:
OH yeah the 4th Gen's have a 3rd row seat as an option.. you just have to find one. I think it was an option for the SR5 and the Limited models. They are out there.. just keep searching!
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Thanks for the help! Have you personally sat in the third row? Obviously its not going to be as comfortable as the front, but would it be comfortable enough for kids driving to a restuarant or something along those lines?
 
3rd row

I have 3rd row in my 2006. They are definitely cramped, so I would only recommend them for occassionally hauling kids short distances--that said, they do give you some seating flexibility. I only put my 3rd row in during the spring when I sometimes have to take an extra kid or two to lacrosse practice and back. If you're thinking about them for your kids, my recommendation is find one with a 3rd row (at a Carmax or dealer or something) and bring the whole family and see if it suits you before you make your decision. I love my 4runner, but when we're going long distance or have to carry more than 4 comfortably, we take the minivan (Toyota Sienna).
 
dpodo said:
I have 3rd row in my 2006. They are definitely cramped, so I would only recommend them for occassionally hauling kids short distances--that said, they do give you some seating flexibility. I only put my 3rd row in during the spring when I sometimes have to take an extra kid or two to lacrosse practice and back. If you're thinking about them for your kids, my recommendation is find one with a 3rd row (at a Carmax or dealer or something) and bring the whole family and see if it suits you before you make your decision. I love my 4runner, but when we're going long distance or have to carry more than 4 comfortably, we take the minivan (Toyota Sienna).
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It will be an occasional use of the third row, but I will be hauling kids around and such.
Thanks for the help fellas!
 
I have the 3rd row seats in my 07 SR5 and we use them all summer when going to the lake 50 miles round trip. We have 2 kids that sit back there and don't mind it at all works good.
 
Our 2004 SR5 has third row seats - they are ok for smaller kids but you should bear in mind the way they are mounted means you lose a little in terms of loading width in the back even when they are removed. Still happy I opted for them mind you, although the primary reason was because that option in Canada allowed me to get tilt/telescopic steering wheel at the time, which was the only way I could fit in the 4th Gen.
 
DaveS said:
Our 2004 SR5 has third row seats - they are ok for smaller kids but you should bear in mind the way they are mounted means you lose a little in terms of loading width in the back even when they are removed. Still happy I opted for them mind you, although the primary reason was because that option in Canada allowed me to get tilt/telescopic steering wheel at the time, which was the only way I could fit in the 4th Gen.
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Can the third row seats be removed?
 
DaveS said:
Our 2004 SR5 has third row seats - they are ok for smaller kids but you should bear in mind the way they are mounted means you lose a little in terms of loading width in the back even when they are removed. Still happy I opted for them mind you, although the primary reason was because that option in Canada allowed me to get tilt/telescopic steering wheel at the time, which was the only way I could fit in the 4th Gen.
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It will mainly be for kids. My other question was can you put a forward facing car seat in the third row
Do they have the car seat latches in the third row?
Reason I ask is my wife nanny's part time and we will have totall of 4 car seats in the car at one time?
 
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Thats a good ? I'll have to look at mine there would be no prob putting it back there I just don't no if it has the latch points. Could allways go old school and use the seat belt.
 
I don't think there are child seat latches on the third row, just safety belts - the seats themselves fold up flat (back folds down on the seat) and then stow up to the sides or remove - I am pretty sure I would have noticed child seat latches when folding them all these times. My guess is the structural reinforcement required to add latches to these seats would have added too much weight to the seats and made them awkward to remove easily.
 
There are no child seat latches in the 3rd row. I tried putting a forward facing car seat back there and it didn't work, there is not enough room.

The good thing about having the 3rd row is that the 2nd row reclines.

A couple months ago I had to sit in the 3rd row on a trip that was a total of 60 miles. I'm only 5'6" and I thought I was going to die because I was so cramped.
 
dug up this thread since i can't post my own yet.

i'm currently looking for a 4th gen and i've noticed a lot of them have the 3rd seat option included. i have practically no use for a 3rd row of seats, so i'm wondering if there's any downside to having that option (in regards to storage space, utility, etc.) is the 3rd row option something i should avoid? or does removing the seats make the back identical to the usual configuration (minus the points where the seats latch to the floor)?
 
It's similar, but not identical to the models without the 3rd row. I remember a thread where someone was researching putting OEM 3rd row seats in his non-3rd row model and there were significant floor mounting differences.

The few details I remember offhand:

The 60/40 split on the 2nd row seating is opposite on the 3rd row vehicles.
Also, the 2nd row seating reclines on 3rd row vehicles.

There is no slide out shelf in the cargo area.

The 3rd row seats are mostly out of the way if not in use and flip up close to the rear side windows. They can be completely removed from the vehicle easily enough as well.

IMO, if you are looking for a good 4runner and come across one with 3rd row seats, there's no reason to avoid it. They are generally rare and there are often folks scouring the classifieds for these models, however.

I've debated selling mine but then realize I can't get a 5th gen with a V8 :cry:
 
I have a 2005 4R SR with the 3rd row seats..let me know if you have any questions. They actually flip up and basically lie flat to the floor of the rear trunk when they are not in the stored away position. It is not comfortable and more suited for kids on a quick trip..I would not want them to sit there on an extended trip. My 4R happened to have this feature, which I have only used a handful of times. Problem is also, when they are flipped up and in the storage position, the rear view to check when you are changing lanes to the right is obscured 100%..
 
Just a few more differences between 3rd and non 3rd row...

Non 3rd row models have mirrors in the top rear corners of the cargo area and are apparently useful for seeing things out the back and off to the sides, like when you're reversing out of a parking spot. 3rd row models do not have these because the seatbelts are bolted in there.

Non 3rd row models have fold flat 2nd row seats, but 3rd row models have a tumble style 2nd row and the cargo floor is not flat under those seats when they are tumbled forward.
 
techno said:
Just a few more differences between 3rd and non 3rd row...

Non 3rd row models have mirrors in the top rear corners of the cargo area and are apparently useful for seeing things out the back and off to the sides, like when you're reversing out of a parking spot. 3rd row models do not have these because the seatbelts are bolted in there.

Non 3rd row models have fold flat 2nd row seats, but 3rd row models have a tumble style 2nd row and the cargo floor is not flat under those seats when they are tumbled forward.
Click to expand...
oh - that's a game changer then. i want to be able to sleep in the back in a pinch, and there's a lot of other situations where having a flat surface in the back is important. thanks for the info.
 
Jidaran said:
oh - that's a game changer then. i want to be able to sleep in the back in a pinch, and there's a lot of other situations where having a flat surface in the back is important. thanks for the info.
Click to expand...
Glad we sorted that out then!
This what the tumble seats look like folded up, and as you can see, there is less available room length wise in comparison.
 

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