Rear Seat Back Pops Out!

[Kevin Smith]

Folded the rear seat from the boot (to show a petrol head) and there was a box on the rear seat, when the seat reached this it just effortlessly popped out at the hinge.
Is this normal? My wife reports it went back in just as easily - fold (rotate) it up, push it down. Has anyone removed rear seat backs for carrying a load?

 

[Rolfe]

Yes, they come out. I had to remove mine to fit the seat covers. I followed a video of how to do it in an MG ZS and it's the same procedure. Your wife must be quite strong, as I found I had to pull with some determination to get the seat backs to come out of the hinge (and get them back in). Also you have to have the angle right. I spent some time pulling fruitlessly in the wrong direction until I saw the video.

The right-hand section will come right out and you can remove it from the car. The left-hand section on the other hand is tethered by the central seat belt, and you have to sort of tuck it into the footwell out of the way. If you remove both seat backs there is a piece of metal that sticks up that you can't remove and you just need to be aware of it. There is also a sort of washer you need to make sure is in place when you replace the seat backs, otherwise you will get a rattle.

 

[Kevin Smith]

Yes, they come out. I had to remove mine to fit the seat covers. I followed a video of how to do it in an MG ZS and it's the same procedure. Your wife must be quite strong, as I found I had to pull with some determination to get the seat backs to come out of the hinge (and get them back in). Also you have to have the angle right. I spent some time pulling fruitlessly in the wrong direction until I saw the video.

The right-hand section will come right out and you can remove it from the car. The left-hand section on the other hand is tethered by the central seat belt, and you have to sort of tuck it into the footwell out of the way. If you remove both seat backs there is a piece of metal that sticks up that you can't remove and you just need to be aware of it. There is also a sort of washer you need to make sure is in place when you replace the seat backs, otherwise you will get a rattle.

Thanks - sounds a bit Heath Robinson or dare I say 2CV. Why am I surprised! But could be quite useful. Also but for a means to thread that seatbelt out could make for a very handy cargo option. I recall my Aunt and Uncle crossed the Sahara in one of their 2CVs having taken out the rear seats to accommodate more jerry cans of water and fuel!

 

[Rolfe]

I had a good look at the time and the seat belt is well secured and I could see no way to unhook it. Probably a safety issue. If you were never going to need the centre belt you could cut it out, but it would need to be replaced by a dealer if you ever wanted to sell the car, I think. You certainly wouldn't be able to carry a third passenger in the rear.

But actually, it's not all that bad with the wider part of the seat back in the footwell. As the video says, take the headrest off and it will fit better. It would depend what you wanted to carry I suppose.

 

[Rolfe]

Here's the video I followed. It's exactly the same in the MG4.