So I fold the rear seats of my 2008 both "down" (seat back flat) and "up" (flipped up against the front seats) regularly and have never had any trouble.

Today I got the 40-side down-and-then-up no problem, but the 60-side only went down. Yanking on it seemed as though it were still firmly latched, but a few screws and some cussing to get the plastic cover off the middle section showed that it seems to be fully unlatched on that side!

The bigger problem is I also can't get it back up now. It seems "latched" (jammed?) in the folded position, acting kind of the way it does if the latches aren't lined up right.

I'm not finding clear diagrams yet, so I'm not sure if there's another latch on the other side, or if that latch possibly has two pawls and only the outer one is disengaged?

Has anybody run into this?
And if so, how the heck did you get it unstuck?!?  2008 SC L322
2001 P38, Epsom Green, fully restored SOLD

Just so I am clear, the one that is stuck has the seat back folded on top of the seat base, and this will not return to the upright position?

If so, try folding the whole seat vertical against the the front seats (fully folded) and giving it a good slam back down to the middle position. This seems to work for me when the seat back won't fold to the normal position. May take a few goes to get the base to latch on correctly. .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

I have this problem but the other way round as my 60 seat folds flat but then will not fold forwards to the back of the front seats. Is it a cable that is broken or am I missing something? I press the seat release down but it doesn't move. The 40 seat is fine??

Joe90 wrote:

Just so I am clear, the one that is stuck has the seat back folded on top of the seat base, and this will not return to the upright position?

Joe90 wrote:

If so, try folding the whole seat vertical against the the front seats (fully folded)...

Can't do that either.  2008 SC L322
2001 P38, Epsom Green, fully restored SOLD

Try putting some weight on it (compliant wife/child) and operating the lever? A sort of sit, bounce, lever, up ! .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Yeah, tried weight while pushing and pulling in both directions and messing with the release button at the top, (well, "front" since the back is folded down) in case it's also hooked into anything besides the top release.

If I try to unfold it back to normal seating position I've got a couple of inches of play between the back being all the way down and where it stops, and going the other way just about a millimeter of movement towards flipping it forward.

All the docs I can find refer to removal of the seat only after it's flipped all the way up and you can actually reach everything, nobody covers what to poke at if it can't get that far.

So right now it's just a big ol' grey seat-sandwich full of f-me sauce. Grr... 2008 SC L322
2001 P38, Epsom Green, fully restored SOLD

All the action seems to be on the inside "latch" / back folding mechanism.

Click image to enlarge

I did remove that cover, (substantially harder when the seat is down) and as near as I can tell the latch hook is completely free of the bar in the floor.

However, I can only see the outside of the mechanism, so if there's a second hook on the inside it could still be engaged, (likely is, based on the seat's behaviour). I did try sticking a long screw-driver under there, following along the bar, and there was an obstruction, (assuming the bar is shaped the same at both ends), but I couldn't get any purchase to push or pry against it.

From the second illustration though it appears I should be able to detach the entire mechanism from the seat just by removing those four inner bolts. I'll give that a try tomorrow if nobody chimes in to say it's a bad idea.  2008 SC L322
2001 P38, Epsom Green, fully restored SOLD

There is another latch in the middle of the 60 seat on the floor. Doesn't seem to be connected to the side latch (?) and in any case these do not appear to lock in place as you can freely (well you can't!) lift the base to upright and back without unlatching anything, operating a lever etc.

With the cover off, what is going on with the mechanism when you try to move the seat? .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Lifting the bottom (to flip it forward) does nothing visible in the mechanism. But it only moves about 1mm so no surprise there!

Lifting the front of the top (as if to put it back up to normal sitting position) begins to re-engage the latch as expected, but the range of motion is still fairly limited and the cause of obstruction is not obvious. The seat is all the way down in back and I can see the connecting slide that runs between the seat back and the actual hook part moving a bit and the hook starting to go around the bar again as it should normally. There's no obvious obstruction there but the seat back movement stops quite abruptly, as it would for being badly aligned.

Now here's a burning question. I've been looking at tons of pics of the mechanism on eBay and Google images, and every single one (UK/US) appears the same. Now is this just because the picture takers have no imagination and always show the mechanism side? Or are there actually TWO connecting slides and TWO hooks going around the bar, one set on each side? If so then the inner one may be jammed.

I suppose I'll find out as soon as I get the darned thing off!  2008 SC L322
2001 P38, Epsom Green, fully restored SOLD

Okay, here's the full report, with a few pics in case any other poor soul has this problem in the future.

After removing the plastic cover at the end and the four large torx, (as Joe kindly illustrated above - thanks Joe! ), the mechanism came away easily, revealing a glass "pebble" (decorative thingie used in fish tanks and vases and such) broken off inside.

The plastic cover should protect the mechanism from such but apparently this little was just the right size and shape to slither on in anyway.

Cleaned out all the junk and then had a bit of a time getting re-assembled properly. Maybe it was just me, but I ended up removing the headrest and propping the whole thing up in the "back up" position but tilted forward. Bin and brolly to the rescue.

Also included a pic of the back of the mechanism since nobody seems to show that. Notice that there is a second hook, and it's worth playing with the mechanism a bit once you have it off to fully understand how it works. Too clever by half...

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Brilliant, well done d00d, glad you got there in the end.

Presume all is working as expected now ?

Love the ACME support equipment - bin and brolly - JLR probably have "special workshop tools" for that sort of thing  .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

Eh. mostly working. Unfortunately as I was yanking around initially I managed to slightly deform one of the moving parts so they don't move quite freely, have to futz with it to get it anchored properly now.

I'll take a few pics of that and post them when I get back to it, in a few weeks!  2008 SC L322
2001 P38, Epsom Green, fully restored SOLD

Just to resurrect this thread, my 40 side rear seat has stuck in the “normal” position and the release catch on top of the seat is “floppy”, so the seat is stuck up.

I’ve tried searching the various manual but came up blank with a way of accessing the mechanism.

Has anyone done this at all? Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Just got the alanm_3 problem so thought I would find something on here.......”at the moment we have no clues”