Power Seat Problems??

['04 Tahoe Z71]

One of the motors for the bottom seat cushion (driver's side) in my '04 Tahoe isn't working. The front of the cushion will move up and down, but the rear of the cushion is stuck in the up position. When I press the button to move it up or down I hear a click from the motor. So, I know it is getting power, but it won't move. Has anybody seen this problems before? How did you fix it? Can I replace the motor or do I need to get a whole new seat track assembly? Thank you.

 

[Lowufo]

I am having exact same issue on 05 did you get this fixed??? Anyone have an idea of how to repair????

 

['04 Tahoe Z71]

Yes I was able to fix it. I took the bottom cushion off the seat to expose the track and motor beneath. I figured out that nothing was wrong with the motor, but at some point the motor had wound the jack screw too tight for the motor to be able to unwind it and move it down again. I unhooked the screw end from the seat assembly and manually rotated it a half turn to free the binding. It's worked ever since. You might be able to do this task without taking off the seat, but it does make for an easier working area. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Lowufo]

Excellent thanks for the reply how does the seat cushion come off do you need to take seat out of truck? Will I see the screw end best from front or rear of seat...

 

['04 Tahoe Z71]

Take off the plastic cover near the door side of the seat. If its a power seat, it's the cover with all the seat adjustment controls on it. You'll then get a better view of the underside of the cushion. Look towards the front of the seat cushion and there should be two bolts that hold the cushion to the seat frame. If you have heated seats there will be a wire going to the bottom cushion, be careful not to snap it. You'll see a place on the wire where it can be unhooked, if the wire isn't long enough to just set the cushion aside. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Lowufo]

Thanks I will give it a try and report back thanks for the reply .....

 

[Lowufo]

Yep that was it thanks :waytogo:

 

[justimagination]

:happy160on't you just love it when a plan comes together to help each other out............that's what the forum is all about. Good work guy's,
david g.

 

[brentwil]

any chance of describing this in more elementary language for me? I have removed the two bolts so the seat is free in the front. My issue is the front part of the seat will not raise. its stuck in the lowest position. it just clicks when i try to raise the front portion of the bottom seat. the passenger side works fine and everything looks the same when comparing the two sides. I guess im not sure about the jack screw and what you lossened a half turn. i think i have the same issue as both of you have, im just struggling finding what to loosen. I don't see any binding going on though.. sorry for being elementary, but this is borderline undriveable at my height.. thanks!

 

[Lowufo]

From first post


I figured out that nothing was wrong with the motor, but at some point the motor had wound the jack screw too tight for the motor to be able to unwind it and move it down again. I unhooked the screw end from the seat assembly and manually rotated it a half turn to free the binding. It's worked ever since. You might be able to do this task without taking off the seat, but it does make for an easier working area

 

[jimsnorton]

I just purchased a '03 LT & my seat has the rear motor issue. I'll be taking that side cover off tomorrow & see whats what in there. I know this is an old thread, but thought I chime in any way.

 

[tinezz82]

I am having the same problem, nor sure if you still have the truck as this is 2 year old thread but what screw/bolt am I looking for, can you attach a picture if possible? Thanks

 

[spmorton3]

From first post


I figured out that nothing was wrong with the motor, but at some point the motor had wound the jack screw too tight for the motor to be able to unwind it and move it down again. I unhooked the screw end from the seat assembly and manually rotated it a half turn to free the binding. It's worked ever since. You might be able to do this task without taking off the seat, but it does make for an easier working area

New member: 05 LT 4wd Tahoe

I have the same problem, my seat doesn't go up or down, but I was unable to access, let alone unhook the jack screw. Would someone be kind enough to explain how this is done? Also, I cannot remove the seat completely. I've been able to unhook the power to the seat, thus allowing some access to the mechanism below, but I can't unhook the two smaller wires near the seatbelt attachment. Thanks.

 

[jimsnorton]

If you go in thru the back door, drivers side, move the drivers seat all the way forward to make room. The jack screw is located under the drivers seat to the right, looking from the back seat. You'll need a special socket, to access the bolt that attaches the up/down bracket, or use a vice grip, just be aware that you may damage the bolt head using the vice grip. anyway, back out the screw & remove it. Once that's done you can now raise or lower the seat in the rear, nearest the backrest. once you have it unbound, you can now manually re-position the jack screw then align the seat bracket to the screw & replace the bolt. In my case my motor will drive the rear of the seat down, but not up. PITA, because every now and then my seat will go into some "auto mode" and drive the seat all the way back & down, prompting me to have to go thru this manual readjustment of my seat.

 

[BigPoppa]

My motor won't move at all, I think it's in a spot that's bad on the commutator in the motor. I got it to move once by beating on it, but once it came to rest, no more. I think I'll have to replace that motor. For now, I found a slightly smaller bolt that I can just slide in there so it's quick to change whenever I want. Takes me like 15 seconds...

Anyone know where to get the special socket to remove the seat? Dealer? Snap-on guy?

 

[AaronB]

I have a 2011 Tahoe and the rear of the seat will not move up or down. I could not get the back release lever off. from the back underside the worm drive is on the left, it will not turn. YOUR HELP APPRECIATED!

 

[Eric p]

Is it hard to manually adjust the screw or can it be done by hand?

 

[scottvan]

What kind of special socket do I need to remove that screw on the rear of jackscrew? Using vice grips is gonna take forever.

 

[chrmbly]

This is wicked old - but I figured I'd reply since I dealt with the same thing.

Jack screw looks like a black tuning fork that is attached to a hole on the seat bottom. To pop it off without using a vice - you need an e-torx bit, a smaller version of the one you need to remove your seats from the vehicle.

I tried this and unfortunately, although I freed them up and they would spin when not hooked up to the seat (in other words motors had power), they wouldn't move once I reattached the jack screws.

I ended up getting a junkyard track and installing it.

 

[Cjhaney]

Heated seats not working

I have a 2004 Chevy Tahoe Z71 4WD. I just purchased it used a week ago, both front seats heaters do not work, both power seats function fine. The controls do not light up on the doors. The power adjustable pedals do not work as well. Any assistance in where to start troubleshooting would be greatly appreciated.