Hi everyone! I have a 1996 2-door Chevy Tracker. The driver's seat recline won't lock however. It just slides all the way back if I lean against it. I wedged something behind it for now, but curious if anyone else has encountered it and if there's a fix. The recline handle works, so when it does slide all the way back, I can pull it and bring it up, but if I put weight on it it just slides back down and won't catch on any of the notches.

TIA!

 

Sometimes the recline mechanism can get stuck or not work because it needs lubrication. Using a good lubricant can help the moving parts work smoothly again.

 

I'm confused. Are you talking about tilting the back, or sliding the whole seat forward and backward.

 

I've got a 1996 C1500 Cheyenne, and on mine, there are TWO levers. One is the recline - located on the bottom of the seat - the other is the tip/slide release for rear seat entry, and is located on the seat back.

I think you are talking about the tilt/slide release, not the recline. When that tilt/slide is messed up, the seat just slides front and back, and won't lock onto the track. That happened on my front passenger seat, and I found that there was a broken spring/cable between the two sides of the track, and I was able to fabricate a piece of coat hanger wire into a replacement for the broken spring wire cable (it was a rigid cable with a spring at each end), and fix the tip/slide on the passenger side. Check under your drivers seat and passengers seat, and see if you notice a broken or missing horizontal piece under the driver's seat.

I've got the opposite issue on my driver's seat. The seat is stuck about 1/3 of the way from the front of the track, and won't release. I feel it's a related issue. The seat adjustment lever and the tip/slide won't release it, even though the back of the seat tips forward.

 

It's the tilting back mechanism. If I put any weight on it then it tilts/reclines all the way back - passes over all the notches.

 

Ok - got it. I was picturing the seat sliding backwards, not tilting. Sounds like its just worn out, like the parts on my 1996 truck... best bet is likely going to be eBay, once you figure out what the parts are on a diagram of the seat.

 

I would disassemble the seat and inspect. Could just be a stuck latch that needs to be cleaned up and lubed.