Convert Power Seats to Manual
 

Hey guys -
Been doing a lot of searching but haven't found a good answer yet. I've already replaced the power seat assembly on the driver's side for about $700 at the dealer and now, my passenger one is out. We've got our first baby coming in November so I will be constantly moving that thing back & forth, so I'd just as soon have a good old manual sliding seat. Does anybody know if it's possible to keep my existing seat and just convert the track to manual? I am looking on FordParts.com and can't even find a seat track that's not power.

Thanks in advance!

You want to try my VIN? I have the Recaros and they're manual driver and passenger. Zero power adjustments on mine. I'd think the tracks should be the same for the regular seats.

Love to - share however you'd like. Thanks!

Absolutely.

The seats are the same. The tracks mounted underneath them are the difference. Well, that and the side panel. Four bolts (or is it nuts?) attach the seats to the tracks, and you can swap them out at will. Well, mostly. You'll need to swap things like the seat buckle maybe, or the springs what help it move forward...

Here's the fordparts.com link for the manual seat track for your car, Kyle:
https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/tr...tionId:4369025

Proof the seats are the same:
https://parts.ford.com/shop/en/us/fr...tionId:4369025

Pick 'Sections' and you'll see the same part for the base uses either the power or the manual frames. I can't say as to whether the side panel of the seat will work with the manual tracks. I would suppose it would, but no practical experience.

Of course, you can just go to a pick a part/salvage yard what has a 2005-14 (they all use the same part) wreck that has the manual passenger seat and get that track and panel that way... 8 total bolts and leave the seat in the car. I'd be *very* inclined as a new one is... ouch.

Oh yeah... part number is AR3Z-6361704-A. Lookin' it up it shows all model years 05-14, so I'm pretty sure I'm right...?

Hope some of that helps ya! :nice:

This is fantastic. Thank you! Will report back!

"One is glad to be of service." - Andrew Martin.

:)

When searching salvage, be sure to keep in mind that the seat tracks are different Coupe vs. Convertible.

Ok, this intrigues me. The seats in the back are certainly different, but I can't figure out why the fronts would be...? :dunno:

Further, the listing in fordparts does not specify this. I think you're thinkin' of the back seats. But I'm ready to be enlightened. :yup:

Congrats on the offspring, Kyle.

Thanks man. Already got my favorite part of the registry ready to go 😎

Attachment 212306

Haha awesome! We had the police car version!

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Bear in mind that a lot of people have complained about how low the manual passenger seat is compared to the power version. If you have a short passenger, they may find the manual seat uncomfortably low (people have commented about not being able to see over the dash). I wonder if a manual track out of another model might fit?

Yep. The gals that have been in my passenger seat can't really see over the dash lol

Yeah, I am sure my 5'4" wife won't love it but she won't be riding in it very often either. I can't see how a seat track out of another model would work, as the base of the track has four pretty precise bolt locations that they need to match up with.

I've seen "seat lift kits" on the web before that raise the entire seat up a bit.

Well, I have the job 95% done. It wasn't too bad, honestly. I wish I'd taken more pictures for a step by step but, basically, you've got to detach the seat cushion enough that you can get to the four bolts holding the track to the rest of the seat. Obviously, you've got to carefully disconnect all the electrical connectors too, as well as the plastic trim piece on the outside of the seat that has the manual seatback handle + the power seat control. From there, it's really just reassembling the whole thing to match the way the power seat was set up...with one caveat.

The '07 manual seat I got from the junkyard did not have an airbag position sensor, which is on the inside (left for the passenger) of the seat towards the front. That sensor uses a magnet to tell the car's computer where the seat is and controls the airbag accordingly. I had to drill a couple holes into the manual seat track to replicate what was on the newer power seat (see picture #4 below. I've got it back in place and everything seems to be functioning like it should - no airbag warning lights. When you're done, there should only be one electrical plug that's not connected anymore - the one that is for the power seat motor. I'm not sure yet if the heated seat will still work - need to check that.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/themust...71be103281.jpg

Side by side comparison of the manual seat and the power seat. Yes, my donor seat is a bit rusty, unfortunately but hey, for $30 for the entire seat, I won't complain.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/themust...7b73e805eb.jpg

What you're left with after removing the seat track.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/themust...77cdeb611a.jpg

This is how far you have to take apart the cushion on both the donor and the good seat so you can get to four bolts holding the track on. Don't worry, it's scarier than it looks. The cover reattaches really easily.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/themust...e43339f4f3.jpg

You can see the two fresh holes I had to drill for the airbag position sensor. Pretty easy job - you just have to make sure you match the holes on the power seat track perfectly, as the sensor basically sits on top of the seat rail and moves with the seat.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/themust...533ae6701a.jpg

Here's what the fully reassembled seat looks like - the two plugs (one yellow, one black) in the middle are the last connections you make, to their counterparts coming up out of the floor of the car.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/themust...526cd77040.jpg
A look at the airbag position sensor now in place.

This was an easier job than I expected - probably took me about 4 hours total - though if I could get a replacement power seat track for <$400, I'd probably still get that so I could preserve the up/down functionality. However, I can't find that part for less than $700 and that just isn't worth it to me knowing how crappy these seat motors are to begin with. Hope this helps somebody!

The 5% I still have left is that I screwed up the threads on the floor of the car for the front seat mounting bolt so I guess I may have to Heli-Coli that. Ugh.

Moot point now that you have the replacements but I bet you'd be surprised how many other models might use the same mounting points. For example, the seats in a Fusion aren't all that different (overall size not trim) so the tracks might have the same mount positions but would put the seat higher.