How to remove a 2nd row seat & cargo management

superziggy

Member
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2009 Mazda 5 MT
My family of 5 fits perfectly into our 1st gen 5 - [Manual transmission because we like to drive]. However, when we travel cross-country, there isn't enough space for kids, bags, the dog, cooler and a stroller. So, I took out the driver-side middle-row seat. My baby rides in its huge car seat in the 2nd-row passenger-side seat so it can go in and out by the curb when we parallel park. My older two like the middle seat gone because they can jump in and out of the back row faster. When we have family in town, I put the seat back in. I am considering making some wood blocks to bolt to the rails so those rest on the garage floor instead of the rails. I store tarps, towels and clean rags on the chair when its in a corner of the garage.

How to remove a second row seat:
1. Pop-off the four plastic covers at the corners of the seat. A flat screwdriver works, but I can get them out by squeezing them at the right spot. The rear inboard cover is huge, but it still pops off.
2. Make sure the chair is adjusted towards the middle. It's a pain to move the chair rails after it's out of the "Mazda 5 sport wagon".
3. Remove four 14-mm bolts.
4. Lift out heavy chair.
5. Enjoy space for your cooler, or dog, or baggage. Putting down a piece of carpet might help keep the oddly-shaped carpet from getting too much abuse.

For our long road trips, I put the bolts back into the floor through a set of kayak tie-downs loops, like these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/ (commissions earned)

I use those straps to lash down cargo to keep it from shifting around when we are road-tripping. PEACE!
 
In regards to removing the seat's bolts, is there any exposure to the elements afterwards? I have seen some seats removed and you can see the road beneath the holes (causing rain kickback to come up and soak the carpet and eventually causing mold). Please advise and thank you for your post 😊👍🏻
 
no splashing

In regards to removing the seat's bolts, is there any exposure to the elements afterwards? I have seen some seats removed and you can see the road beneath the holes (causing rain kickback to come up and soak the carpet and eventually causing mold). Please advise and thank you for your post 😊👍🏻

I've never seen any moisture around the holes. Usually, I put the bolts back in to hold down the tie down straps. For this summer's road trip, we're switching which seat we take out so we can take advantage of the center table that flips out from the bottom of the driver's side seat.

In a related note, we have started towing a Yakima Rack'n'Roll trailer with our Cinco. We have had no problems whatsoever pulling that small trailer and the previously mentioned load in the middle of summer. Cheers.
 
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