2010 CX-9 2nd row seats don't slide easily

MCHawkeye

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2010 CX 9
The second row seats, when folding down for third row access, don't slide forward unless you push them, with some effort. They are apparently sticking in the rails and probably need lubrication. What do I use to loosen them up? I don't want to use anything that could cause the surrounding plastic to deteriorate. Is this a common problem with 1st gen CX-9s?
 
I would use WD-40 Silicone lubricant spray. That is what I use on my vinyl sliders at home and it doesn't affect the vinyl at all. You might also want to clean the tracks if you can.
 
Surprisingly, I have the 2nd row passenger-side seat completely locked up tight in the forward position...? I was attempting to access the cargo area to install the cargo-cover kit, not even sitting in the seat, but rather moving it forward while standing outside from the open door. When I attempted to move the seat back, again lifting on the release bar below the the seat, it would not budge. Still, no success after numerous attempts while sitting in the seat, rocking enough to shake the entire vehicle! Its nearly impossible to see anything in the linkage underneath, and this same style control release bar that has been around for decades, I've never seen to have a problem on 17 and 18 year old cars. The driver-side seat works effortlessly.

I called and talked to the service manager as I was curious if this is something they might have seen before, and he admitted he's never heard this problem. He is obviously willing to check it out whenever I can get it there, but the dealership is about a 45 min drive. I'll need to get it in before travel at Christmas, but it is a pain for something like this.
 
Surprisingly, I have the 2nd row passenger-side seat completely locked up tight in the forward position...? I was attempting to access the cargo area to install the cargo-cover kit, not even sitting in the seat, but rather moving it forward while standing outside from the open door. When I attempted to move the seat back, again lifting on the release bar below the the seat, it would not budge. Still, no success after numerous attempts while sitting in the seat, rocking enough to shake the entire vehicle! Its nearly impossible to see anything in the linkage underneath, and this same style control release bar that has been around for decades, I've never seen to have a problem on 17 and 18 year old cars. The driver-side seat works effortlessly.

I called and talked to the service manager as I was curious if this is something they might have seen before, and he admitted he's never heard this problem. He is obviously willing to check it out whenever I can get it there, but the dealership is about a 45 min drive. I'll need to get it in before travel at Christmas, but it is a pain for something like this.

I'd move the front passenger seat forward to get a better look. I would probably also engage / disengage the 2nd row seat lever for the 3rd row entry and the fold / recline lever to ensure that it is not causing the slide to be locked out. So try making like you're getting into the third row, then fold down the seat as if you were loading long object, and lastly recline / unrecline. Hopefully that helps you unjam. Let me know.

Zoomfive
 
I'd move the front passenger seat forward to get a better look. I would probably also engage / disengage the 2nd row seat lever for the 3rd row entry and the fold / recline lever to ensure that it is not causing the slide to be locked out. So try making like you're getting into the third row, then fold down the seat as if you were loading long object, and lastly recline / unrecline. Hopefully that helps you unjam. Let me know.

Zoomfive

Thanks, but having already run these drills numerous times, I did give it another try and still nothing. It appears that every other moving part of the seat works fine with the exception of the forward and back travel on the floor rails. I'm hoping to get it to the dealer next week. At this point I am curious if they will have figured out in 10 minutes, or if this is an outlier that will require something much more involved.
 
Sorry to hear about this. This is the first time on this forum I've seen anyone with this issue (completely locked up). Middle seats are certainly not easy for kids to slide, and even for adults you have a give a good push. I've never thought to lube the track but I don't think it would be that hard. I'd probly use some sort of general purpose grease I had laying around and get it in the tracks, but as far as eating away at the plastic, I wouldn't have thought of that. Good luck, sir!
 
Update - Keep the change... Please!

At the dealership this morning, the stuck 2nd row seat became a novelty of sorts. First I review everything with the Service Manager, keeping in mind there's only 1,800 miles and NEVER any passengers in the 2nd row. Naturally, he needed to give it a go, attempting to move the driver side and says "What's the problem? It moves like butter." He then tried the passenger side, realizing it was a no go. He calls the senior technician, who upon being briefed says, "Its probably some loose change" that fell into the track, "it happens sometimes." I told him that while it sounds simple, there haven't been any passengers, and I haven't had it long enough for the "loose change" to make sense. "I think it is something in the linkage" I confidently told him. He began to give it a try and after a time gives up, seeming genuinely puzzled. More discussion follows, it could be this, it may need that; it was locked up tight.

So now the Young Buck gets his crack at it, and he is dogged. While a lot of discussion continued, and a few other crew members poke their heads in and out to get a look and dispense 2 cents, he literally kept his head down, crawling into various positions, attempting to move the seat. His first major determination was that the linkage works and one side was OK, only the inside track appeared to be stuck. He kept digging around, and with his face still buried down in floor, hollers out "I see something!"

At this point the decision is made to bring it into the bay and remove the seat, "If I have the time"; "Sure" I said. With about an hour and a half into the total visit, I got called into the service area, the seat is out, and the young buck holds up a friggin' quarter... "Its a brand new one" he tells me. (What else would it be?) Sure enough, a quarter had slipped between the seats, and like a slot in a vending machine, dropped right down into the close-tolerance track. Once there, it locked the seat up dead in its track.

This is where it gets interesting. With so many attempts by my wife and I, as well as the service team members to move the seat, there was some damage to the seat base. Everything worked, but there was a clicking sound as the seat moved back and forth in the track. There was something visibly bent a little out of spec, but overall functionality appeared to be fine. It was explained to me that installing a new base could be done, but with a great deal of work which would include re-upholstering the base of the leather seat. "Its a pain in the ass" the young buck said. I did NOT want to get into all that with my brand new Sig. He suggested we wait to see how it is once they get everything put back together.

Upon final inspection out of the service bay, there was a noticeable "ratchet" sound, but over all function and feel was fine. All is good, except for the fact that they were not able to put this thru as a warranty issue. There were no parts that could be referenced, there was real shop-time put into fixing this, and the elephant in the room was the fact that a shiny new quarter lodged in the track of a seat - IS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM. I could tell that neither the Service Manager or the Young Buck were wanting to tell me I had to write a check. I certainly did not want to either, but as he went searching thru various computer codes for the service entry, and making a call to the GM for guidance, the two of them seemed sadly frustrated. The Young Buck explaining that he had to document that he found a quarter, and so on, and so on. I stood there keeping my composure, encouraging them to do what you can, and explaining that I understood the technicalities of the repair.

When all was said and done, and after some discussion, they looked up at me and said, "Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out." I thanked them, and wished them a Merry Christmas. Now you know the rest of the story (hat tip to those old enough to remember Paul Harvey.)

Edit: I really must credit the dealership with having a customer-centric culture in which how they treat you after the sale isn't just talk. Our sales experience was honest and "pressure-free", and now the service dept. delivered as well.
 
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Nice! glad they found the issue. Did you insist that the quarter got there during a test drive before you owned it? and try to make them cover it lol.
 
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