[GeorgeWhat]

In our Forester the bearings between the driver's seat and rails are falling out occasionally. Five have been found underneath the seat on the carpet so far. The result is the seat is no longer stable and shakes when you shift in the seat.

Trying to figure out why this is happening and if it's a known issue - are there recalls or warranties that cover this? What are the suggested fixes for this? Thanks for the replies in advanced! (Images attached)

 

[bman400]

@GeorgeWhat Welcome to the forum from DFW.

This is the first I have seen of this issue. My first suggestion is see what the dealer has to say.

 

[orndog]

Never seen that. Did you purchase the car new?

 

[FozzieBalou]

Much like Bman above, I've not seen or heard of this issue before.

Are you the original owner? If not, it could be related to an issue a previous owner had. If you are, then it could just be related to normal to excessive wear n tear (how often is the seat moved? how "big" are the regular occupants of the seat?)... On a different car, I had an issue where the metal frame of the backrest snapped after about 8 years of life... it was normal wear and tear and usage and just fatigue and failure of the metal peice.

A mostly affordable option would be to find a used seat (locally from a wrecking/salvage yard or online) and swap out the seat base. If you do go this route, be sure to disconnect the battery before you pull the original seat out and disconnect wires or connectors "just in case" so that you don't have an airbag in the seat go POP if it shorts out.

 

[auntiesuebee]

Agree with the others, not a failure I've seen previously reported. I doubt there is any sort of recall or warranty. I agree with @FozzieBalou, sounds like a visit to the local salvage yard is needed.

 

[Theseus161]

Iirc. There’s a TSB for a new seat frame/rails. Not cheap. Around $450 per seat.

 

[GeorgeWhat]

Thanks for replies all. We did purchase the car new and noticed this issue after a service appointment at the same dealership. We did have them look at it at one point and they said there was no way to put them back in place and it would cost $650 to replace the base of the seat. I was hoping to find another solution if available.

 

[CO17Forester]

Looking at the parts they ride in a track.
They slid out, you just need to slide them back in and stop them from escaping. The end of the track should have a cap, bolt, pin or crimp to keep the parts inside the track.

I would try to repair it myself before sending it to a parts changer at a dealership.

 

[Theseus161]

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10213197-0001.pdf

 

[GeorgeWhat]

@Theseus161 Thanks!