(Fix) Ford Fusion rear seat stuck down

2013-2016 Ford Fusion rear seat is stuck down. This happens when the rear seat is lowered and the center seat belt on the drivers side retracts and locks in position.
Tool needed: T50 Torx
(click the link below to see the tool details)
www.amazon.com/Lisle-26640-T-...

[@Stus3255]

Dealership wanted $450 to fix this.... Bunch of crooks. Thanks for the video

[@passorfail5148]

I was prepared to cut my seat belt over the dealers 450 quote 😂😂 life savveeerrrr

[@tnickolich16]

Welp...I cut mine right in half with my buck knife out of pure frustration!!! Now mine is not gonna pass inspection!! 😖😫😩

[@donnabenda2682]

My seat has been stuck down for like 2 months! I was prepared to cut the seatbelt also‼️ I had several car guy friends look at it and they couldn’t figure it out 😬 I’m going out to try this right now👍🏼

[@StarTurtleZero]

Excellent easy quick fix. I was worried I would be fighting with removing the seat with it folded down but it slid easily out of the way. Thank you for posting this.

[@denisesens4642]

Curtis, you are a life saver! I was detailing my car to turn in end of lease when this happened. I thought the worst until I came across your video -THANK YOU. Added bonus I have two German Shepherds (German Shedders) as traveling companions - it was so much easier to vacuum and clean with the seats removed. Thanks again - karma what goes around comes back to you; you are in for good things.

[@elsiededrick6041]

Thank you so much!! The dealership was trying to charge me $139.36 for a rear center retractor +2.5 hours labor at $120/hr. That’s $440 plus whatever else they would have thrown in! The bolt was very tight and it took a lot of patience, but with the tool he suggests, some WD40, and a wrench it’s very possible. The job was quick and only $6!! I’m a 120lb female in my 20s, anyone can do it!

[@gabrielhassler8404]

Dealer quoted my mother-in-law $800 to fix this. The torx bit cost $3. You're a saint.

[@ampbldr2]

With 146k views these 2013 fusions seat belts have a defect and Ford is not doing anything about it. Thanks i fixed it myself and had a T50 in my tool box. Dealer wanted to charge me for a new seat belt and left the seat stuck in the down position. I showed my son how to DYI and put a smile on my face. Thanks again!

[@landonsandor591]

this information is really a wallet saver! The dealer wanted like $100+ just to LOOK at it. $20 in tools, and some personal time later, it's all fixed. $20 in tools because I got the T50 bit and an allan wrench kit (in case one option didnt work, I had the other) that had the T50 in it in case I couldnt make the bit work for some reason! My local dealer was all, "well, what did you do to cause this problem?" LOL No, YOUR company caused the problem by designing it this way. Ah well, best $20 and time spent. I was even afraid I wouldnt be able to remove the back seat due to not having enough room, because I NEVER work on cars, in the slightest. Thank you for this video. :)

[@opena816]

Thank you, Curtis! I really appreciate this. Ford Dealership wanted to charge me $300 just to remove the seat (2014 Ford Fusion) and another few hundred dollars if the seat belt "had to be replaced" They're crazy! When I explained to them what happened, they said, "Yeah, it happens. It'll cost you around $300 to fix. Let me know when you want to bring it in." I will never deal with that dealership again.

[@alosoviju]

I can't thank you enough! You saved my life! My wife was desperate when she read in some posts that needs to cut the seat belt... I went to Canadian Tire to buy the T50 socket as I have only T40 only tools... I fixed the car, you save money weekend! Thank you so much!!!

[@beffielou]

I can’t praise you enough!! The fact that you took the time to film this makes you a hero in my book. Thanks a million!!!

[@laurayates5449]

Omg! Ford Dealer gave us a quote of 371.00 to repair. After your video we bought the tool for 6.00 and fixed within 10 minutes! Thank you!!

[@PhillinTanks]

I was seconds away from just cutting the seatbelt in frustration! Thank you for the video

[@mitchquick5979]

Almost did the same.

[@williamneal3252]

In the same bolt lol

[@jenny3306]

Thank you! This worked perfectly and saved me $400-600 from taking it to the dealership.

[@jameskenney4733]

You are a hero - quotes over $130 for a garage even to look at what the problem was. With your video and a $1.98 part from Home Depot I did it in 5 mins. You rock!!

[@mrserinrowe]

Seriously can’t thank you enough for this video. The dealership wanted to cut the seat belt and install a new one for $280 (not including their maintenance fee). They claimed they could not take the seat apart to fix it because my seat was down. I found this video and had it fixed in 5 minutes (after going to buy the part 😝). It really wasn’t even a pain to do. THANK YOU!!!

[@michellecarroll2842]

Helpful. Thanks. Especially liked the 'slack' tip to prevent future headaches.

[@askast]

you are a life saver! The dealership wanted $450 to cut this and put in a new seatbelt. I thought I was the only unlucky one to have this problem. But now it seems like a very common issue. it's something Ford should fix in a recall!

[@c22croft]

I'm happy I could help. $450 bucks.. that's crazy.

[@nick1843]

Same thing here with a 2017 Fusion.

[@mandiewalding3147]

Atul Tambi I got told the same mines been stuck like this for a year now because I thought there was nothing I could do but multiple people have had this problem Ford should fix it

[@reginamc1953]

Thanks to this video we were able to fix our seat belt problem. The seat back was down, so it took a little more effort. We purchased the bit at an auto parts store. It was $4.00. Thanks also for the tip on how to avoid the problem in the future.

[@bjnacidhead]

You saved me lot of stress. This worked a treat on my ford Mondeo.thanks for uploading this vid. Barry. UK

[@screigh]

Thank you so much Curtis Croft! You just saved me hundreds of $. Yes it was a pain in the arse to accomplish while the seat back was locked in the down position but I had taken it to the Ford dealer and they seemed at a loss as to how to fix the problem. I am still pissed of at Ford (2013 Lincoln MKZ in my case) but your video was just the fix I needed. You may have saved the Lincoln service tech from threat of bodily harm too!

[@julee.b]

How did you get the bottom seat cushion out with the seat stuck down?

[@robertmeling1549]

I can't thank you enough! This worked for my 2018 Tacoma, but it had a standard metric socket.

[@synarps]

Thank you so much - dealership wanted $115 just to look at this and told me they might have to replace latch. Watched your video and fixed for $7. You are seriously awesome!

[@c22croft]

Glad I could help!

[@theresabuckley7312]

Thank you Mr Croft. I just bought the T50 and it worked exactly like you showed. Appreciated the Video buddy! Chris & Theresa.

[@benniewarren426]

Thanks for this. I also could not find anyone either at Ford or an independent shop that could give me a fix besides a new belt. Directions were perfect and easy to follow.

[@c22croft]

Glad I could help.

[@JunkInVWTrunk]

Dude, thanks for the amazing video. Mine was stuck with the seat down...so a bit harder but doable. Def saved me the few hundred from the dealership!

[@weeally97]

Thank you! I have a SEAT Ibiza - All I needed for mine was a small wrench and did the exact same thing. Saved me a lot of time and money! Thanks again.

[@kevinbui5091]

Thank you for making this video. Just flowed your instructions, now my car is back to normal.

[@bmaculous]

Thank you for this video. Very helpful. I echo the comments that when the seat back is locked down, it is a pain getting to the screw. Although awkward, but not difficult to do. It can be done in 10 minutes.

[@akihitosongs]

Thank you so much for uploading this video! My car is Mitsubishi Mirage 2013, so the way of removing the seat and the screw are different with Ford, but the basic is still the same. I'm an UberX driver, I was about to stop working and have it repaired with a lot of cost, but I was able to fix this by myself without any money. You've literally saved my life. Thanks a lot, cheers buddy!!

[@kyleyoung7341]

Just happened to my 2013 Fusion for the first time, very frustrating. Thanks for the video, will definitely try it out. Doesn't fix the root issue sadly. We should start some online petition to get ford to recall the seatbelt mechanism. Something is obviously flawed. Hopefully it's not a bigger issue and could cause the seatbelt to malfunction while in use etc.

[@juliebroderick5975]

This happens to all seatbelts 😂

[@craigweyer4457]

Thank you so very much! I had nearly given up until I saw your video!

[@beshara1]

Thanks for saving me a trip to the dealership! Had to wedge my head between the seat back and seat bottom so I could get in there with my ratchet in my left hand lol.

[@chrisdavies1108]

Thank you so much! Had to manhandle the seat bottom out, but for $6 at lowes you saved the day for someone in need.

[@nateharris4409]

Oh heck yeah!!!, 💪✊...it's rear that you find A VIDEO THAT'LL HELP YOU like this... the exact same make, model, and problem... I almost(kinda did) broke the seat trying to snatch it up, until i search the problem and saw this video. *Rear finds*💪 *Thumbs up for me*👍

[@drdon555]

Thank you so much, this worked on my 2013 MKZ (I know they are basically the same car). I couldn’t find the tool at either Lowe’s or Home Depot but Harbor Freight had a variety pack of 8 different sizes for $10 Again, thanks so much!

[@nathantoland713]

Perfect solution! Worked as shown! Hundreds saved! My dealership wanted to cut and replace too... smh.

[@JoeandSam]

Took about 10 mins, thanks so much man! Dealership wanted to charge an arm and a leg for this. Granted The seat does get stuck once it goes down again, I’m glad the seat is in the upright position lol. Thanks again 🤟🏼

[@joebonwich8807]

A+! We just fixed my daughter's car in about 10 minutes. Thanks so much, Curtis!

[@c22croft]

Joe Bonwich Glad I could help.

[@richmac918]

My wife had the same problem on her 2013 Fusion and this video helped innumerably so thanks for posting it. We took it to the dealer while it was under warranty but they couldn't recreate the issue so they wrote it off as a non issue. It has happened a few more times when someone unbuckled it and dropped the seat so this last time I took it back in the stuck position and they said that the warranty had expired. I explained to them that I had complained about this issue twice while it was under warranty so they should fix it anyway but they rejected the claim. Next step is small claims court. I have all the service records so they are going to fix it or pay for it.

[@mrskimmorrow]

Thanks so much for this fix....I am in this situation right now and I'm so annoyed by it. I stopped by the dealership today just to see what they would say, of course they wanted to charge me $135 just to look at it and they are 3 days backed up so I would have to make an appt. SMH!

[@mikejames2224]

Thank you!!!!! Such an annoying problem. Appreciate the time you took to make this video.

[@stevemorey1]

THANK YOU, Curtis!! Ford Dealer in Upstate NY wanted $535 to fix it.

[@c22croft]

stevemorey1, glad I could help.

[@apatterson8128]

Thank you Curtis! I was so frustrated. Your video saved me a trip to the dealer!!!

[@jasonwelsh5815]

Curtis, many thanks for posting this video! Your guidance helped me resolve this with my car within a few minutes. Your steps were clear and it worked out just as you showed. Thanks again!

[@williamlewis6201]

This saved me and my sister a huge amount of time and money and it works on 2012 ford escapes as well! Thank you so much!

[@gambit7025]

Thank you so much sir. It was a little challenging trying to unscrew it because my seat was in the down position. But I managed to unscrew it and let the seat back up. So happy to have my back seat again!

[@robsiter1830]

How did you get it done cuz my screw doesn’t seem to be turning

[@lisasawyer8557]

You are amazing for posting this!! I was about to call the dealership, now I can go fix the seat myself!

[@lilyana.7463]

YOU SAVED ME $600!!! THANK U SOOOO MUCH!!!

[@unkilbeeg]

This was *not* an easy fix. But it was do-able. It would have been easy if wedging yourself under the stuck seat back to reach the bolt had been less arduous. A small child would have been handy. The important thing is that it was done in fairly short order with no damage. A heartfelt thanks!

[@MountainHogware]

Thanks for sharing this clearly Curtis. Glad I had a Torx set on hand to fix this immediately.

[@claytonspinney]

Saved me a trip to the dealer, thank you so much!

[@billyd9874]

Thank you for taking the time to post this!!!!! I was able to reach the screw with the seat stuck down, A little tricky to get the seat out of the way in that position.

[@MrStumble]

Thanks for this! My 2016 ford fusion had the same issue and this solution worked perfectly.

[@mullinsjm1]

Man! This happened to me tonight with my 2013 fusion. I'm glad your video was on here.

[@allsport1289]

Thank you!! I almost never comment on KZbin, but had to let you know how much I appreciate this video!

[@sanjosemike3137]

We are about to move to another state and will be using the car to help transfer things. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your posting! I am not used to working with cars. A stuck rear seat in the middle of moving would have been an enormous frustration. Now I find it is completely and easily avoided. sanjosemike

[@jacktompkins626]

Thanks Curtis! This is exactly what I needed to know.

[@dinobowwow]

Thank you for making this very simple I was able to fix it after I picked up the T 50 socket it was a piece of cake

[@bakhshishsingh6570]

Thank you so much for posting this video. It was helpful and my seatbelt works perfectly now.

[@bibinthomas1985]

Thank you thank you 🙏 Saved my day. Found the T50

[@jonathanroozeboom8070]

Another success story here July 2020! Thanks for doing this video!

[@MrStyamamoto]

Great solution. One thing that made it easier to release the bolt with the seat down was using ratcheting boxend set vs a typical socket ratchet. It was easier to get my hands and the wrench into the limited space as I didn't have an extra inch for the actual drive.

[@maggiesanchez5769]

I have the same problem but how to make it the bolt loose is to hard to unscrew it

[@MrStyamamoto]

@@maggiesanchez5769 www.amazon.com/dp/B07V1JWBFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_csAIFbMNZA9P9

[@MrStyamamoto]

@@maggiesanchez5769 I used this so I could get the wrench on and because it has a ratchet I was able to loosen with minimal room for movement

[@simonruhindi1071]

3/1/2021 typed in how to loosen middle seatbelt for 2013 ford fusion your video came up Thanks so much I was bugging out like what the hell is going on

[@antgomez2009]

Thanks a bunch for the video, it was very easy to fix the way you instructed it.

[@svnnkntrc4809]

I’m in the same boat as the individuals on here. Thanks for allowing us to save $450 by sharing this video. It’s very much appreciated.

[@fitzgev]

Needed this. Thank you so much for posting it. Definitely will lock that middle seat belt now as getting enough leverage to turn the bolt while the seat was locked wasn’t a task I want to attempt again. Why are there 84 people who voted down this video?

[@c22croft]

Why it was voted down? Mechanics I'm guessing.

[@patbonz2015]

Thanks, that was easy! I fixed it during my lunch break. And yes I did buckle the seat.

[@mdnafiskhan9336]

Thank you for this video, the car detailing place somehow got my seats stuck in the folded down position. After watching this video I was able to fix it myself easily although in the folded down position the bolt is a little difficult to access.

[@Msnaturalbrownskin81]

You are a life saver!!!! Thank you! Dealership is highway robbery!

[@high1x_]

This worked perfectly! Luckily I had a socket wrench set a while back all I needed was the t50 head. Only $2.27 at Home Depot. I also did this in a Home Depot parking lot 😅 took about 5 min. Since my seat was stuck down, I had to crouch down & hold the seat up with one arm & loosen the bolt with the other.

[@blackimpala6748]

I was about to turn mine down for the first time on my 2016. Good to know I can fix it if it happens.

[@melvindiaz7128]

Perfect!!! This worked on my 2013 Lincoln MKZ. Pretty much the same as in the Fusion

[@aimeebauer4173]

Thank you for posting! It worked on our 2014 Ford Fusion.

[@VladislavFinn]

Thank you for this video! Just fixed this problem on my car! Cheers

[@wahaha9988]

Thank you so much. Fixed my 2013 FFH.

[@luckynbr444]

Thank you so much for posting this! Just had this happen to us and we were at a loss as to how to fix it! Would have had to take time out of work to head to the dealer.

[@c22croft]

I'm glad I could help

[@tredakid39]

Thank you! this video helped me with the problem and only took 10 minutes 😁

[@scoobasteve1123]

Thanks. Mine was stuck down - and was a little bit harder ,but I still had it done in 5 minutes. Thankfully I already had a T50.

[@MrPhil3816]

ah... found it... thanks for the video - GREAT!

[@CapnBry]

Thanks for this! I spent 20 minutes trying to loosen the seatbelt and only managed to get it tighter and tighter. Kinda difficult to get the ratchet on it after that but I had it fixed in 5 minutes with your help. On my 2014 Fusion Energi there was a black horizontal bolt and a silver vertical bolt. The silver bolt was the one, it is a little hard to tell in the video.

[@shovexitxaside]

Thanks, I will try this tonight!

[@ADW3134]

This saved me!!! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@ms.robinson-science-4219]

Thanks! I did though find that I could go in through the trunk rather than pulling the seat out and having to wedge myself under there :)

[@fclohecy3]

Thanks for the video, fixed in 5 mins!

[@stephaniegodin1232]

Thank you so much, saved the day!

[@marchellohawkins7556]

Great video jus got my rear seat unstuck 😀

[@cepman26athus]

Thank you!! This saved me today

[@josephfrank1472]

Thanks for this! Was wondering what the hell happend why it was not going up. I will keep the seat belt belted over also like you shown at the end.

[@mikemartin5386]

Thanks, this video really helped me !

[@AlejandroRamiz]

you are a life saver!!!

[@TemeculaBobby]

Before taking the seat bottom out, you may want to have an assistant have something large enough to block up and prevent the seat back from going down even further, that may lock it down even lower thus making it a tad more difficult to reach in under the seat back with the T50 tool to unbolt the lower seatbelt. This happened to my 2013 fusion hybrid. The seat back dropped down a couple extra inches after the seat bottom was removed. I'm going to see if I can stitch or Velcro a stop device to the belt to give me some wiggle slack room if it happens again.

[@c22croft]

Thanks for the tip.

[@grgcharity]

Life saver. Thanks.

[@mikedarter9684]

If you have the right socket head, it’s actually not that bad of a fix. Great video!

[@Pikazeus1]

Thanks for the valuable info. You saved me

[@thiagothefirexxx]

Thank you, saved my day!

[@barbman83ify]

I just encountered this over the weekend (before I watched the video) after removing the car seat of my grandson due to a spill. The seat locked in and absolutely would not budge. I had to seek out a police office for assistance (100 degree heat, two kids, ugh) - he had never encountered this before or the bystander who jumped in to help (and works on cars frequently). We ended up having to cut the seat belt in order to get the seat up and the car seat reinstalled - I felt like I had no choice, unfortunately and not sure if I could have physically removed the lower seat as tight as everything was in there. Now, I'm wondering if there's any way that Ford would cover the cost to reinstall a seat belt! Gosh, what a pain!! I hope your video saves someone the time and expense that I'm sure will cost me!!

[@JonathanBakerPE]

Thanks! Worked great.

[@johngrocke5342]

Thanks! Got my seat unstuck! I already had the Torx bit in my toolbox.

[@c22croft]

Happy I could help.

[@TimandTyffany]

Worked like a charm!