Remove 3rd Row Seats from Toyota Highlander (Car Camper Conversion)
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- How to remove 3rd row seats in 2004 Toyota Highlander or similar Toyota SUV or other mid-sized SUV.
We fully removed 2nd and 3rd row bench seats and rails in our 2004 Toyota Highlander to gut the interior to make room for a bed and storage as we convert it into our camper car.
To remove the Toyota Highlander 3rd row seats:
1. Fold down the 3rd row seats.
2. Remove the 3 plastic storage bins in the back trunk area.
3. From the back of the Highlander, remove the 5 nuts/bolts on each side holding the 3rd row seat to the bar and Highlander frame (2 - 14mm / 1 - 12mm / 2 - 10mm)
4. Now, you can lift up the seat frame pieces on the side, which exposes 2 more nuts/bolts on each side to remove.
5. Pull the seat belt straps out through the seat.
6. Remove the seat from the Highlander.
7. ***The strut bar has a functional purpose, so only remove it if you know what you're doing. I mentioned we may remove it, but upon learning more about it decided it is too important to vehicle driving and wear-and-tear.
*Check out our part 1 video removing the 2nd row seats too.
• Remove 2nd Row Seats i...
Please "like" this video and let us know if you have any questions!
Fits perfectly rear-facing in our truck, which has a slightly smaller back seats. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkx6_FKRYB2ClSPRyjcd8HptiCS3EiQoNX4 Feels as comfy and plush as our Graco Contender carseat.
Thanks for demonstrating ! I am curious to see your camping set up without the seats
Thank You so much!
I have the exact same highlander and I've been living in it full time for the past year and a half!
I've always wanted to remove those seats to lighten it up a bit and to give more room to live in.
The front driver's seat has been my bed all this time and I can't wait to finally stretch out!
Again, Thank You...
You definitely want to keep the rear strut bar in to minimize body roll in the rear.
Thanks for that great insight. We were torn on its usefulness, but that is the game-changer to add it back in now. Much appreciated.
I have search this for long time. I have removed the 2nd row, but not the 3rd row. Thank you so much! Smart and handy!!
Thank you for creating this video. This helps me a lot. I camp in my Highlander and there’s not enough headroom with the seats in place. This is going to make camping so much more pleasant! 😅
Thank you, this gives me the basic idea. I am going for the same end result. Place to sleep and carry gear while on the road. I'm a little older and not sure if I could do it myself, but has to be done. Aside from coming to ur place...just kidding, could you recommend who may be able to help me. I'm in the Phoenix area . Thank you both for taking the time in doing this, it is well appreciated. Safe travels.
I would not remove the bar that goes across the back it is structural stiffening. It is needed or it would no be there,
I’m so glad that you made this video! Thank you! I have an older Highlander and am converting it to camp in. You video is the only one that helped me do this. ❤
Thanks for sharing this video, I was thinking to remove my highlander seat. I hope process will be more or less same for highlander 2016. And also I like your dog.
Nevermind just found the year 😃 thanks.
Does it really makes more headspace? I wonder because these metal bars in the medal seems to be quite high compair to the rest
wow i’m doing the same thing and needed this video!! thank you!!
God i wish i didn't snap my neck watching this video
How do u get the head rest of my seatbelt is stuck around
Thank you! So, for me. What I want to do is reuse as much of the railing the seats use.
You filmed this in vertical mode then posted it in landscape mode dude
Wanted so see back when completed ~ is a flat surface possible ~ Thanks Bend OR
Hey, flat would be tough. The frame of the car is contoured, plus the strut bar sits back there and has a function for the car's driving performance.
Thanks for posting! Looking to do the same. A few questions for you:
1. How much interior space do you think this’ll add? (Or are you just gutting for max space to build around?)
2. I’m looking to just remove the third row and keep the second functional. Do you know if that’s possible?
3. Do you think the minimal cargo space gain is worth the trouble?
Thanks again, looking forward to seeing the rest of your build!
Hey, thanks! Good questions:
1. Honestly, not much. Since we're building into a camper car for long trips, we were just gutting to absolutely maximize space for even a few extra inches of depth to fit some flat items into like clothes, loose food items, etc.. We're building the bed over it now which will be able to lift up easily, so we'll have access to that space.
2. That should be possible. While we took out the 2nd row first and that freed up the room to help get the 3rd out, the 3rd fit entirely into the very back section and should be removable on its own. It may be trickier due to the limited room and you'll still need to take out the side and back plastic storage compartments etc.
3. It depends on your needs. We just confirmed (thanks to a helpful viewer) that the steel bar in the back that the 3rd row connects to is actually a rear strut/sway bar with implications on wear-and-tear and performance related to the car making turns. While it isn't absolutely necessary to drive (according to my research) it seems important, so we're adding it back in. That further detracts from the usefulness of the extra few inches of depth that removing the 3rd row creates, since now the big steel bar will be back in the middle.
David and Katie Go Out thanks for the detailed response! Just now seeing your comment as I don’t have notifications on. Thanks again. Happy travels!
@@wayoutwanderingIs there a way to remove the 3rd row seating (and leave the sway bar) while retaining the top cover? I am looking to simply create more hidden storage in the truck. I'd like it to look exactly like it does now with the seat folded down.
@@JohnTischlerthat was my question, there almost zero hidden storage at the moment
Hey David thanks for these great videos! Ive got a Highlander and am considering either converting it to a camper or getting a Honda Element for some more space. Do you know the height of the interior space of the Highlander with the seats removed?
Thank you for posting this!!
I have 2015 highlander and the second row is the captains seat which I don't like. Third row is too tight. As per my 12 and 17 years old.
So I guess my question is. Can the third row fit in to the middle row?
Upside down, that’s a new one
Thanks! I just inherited my folks 2004 highlander. Looking to take this seat out and build a fake floor/subwoofer enclosure. What did you remove yours for?
Nice! We were looking for as much room as possible for storage under a bed platform we're building. We're in the process of turning it into a mini camper.
are their videos for the rest of the conversion?
Coming soon!
Where are you storing your seats? Trying to figure out a safe way to keep them in case I want to put them back.
Hey, that is as much of a challenge than removing them - they are bulky and take up a lot of space. I have a deep closet that I don't use, so they are resting upright and stacked in there - and I was surprised at the efficient stacking I ended up with given their bulk, not taking up as much space as I thought.
@@wayoutwandering Great, thanks for the reply!! :)
Bro, u just removed the 2nd row... your title says remove 3rd row... u ok?
Super helpful video! Also what year is your highlander? I'm on the hunt at the moment to buy one for myself 🙂
thanks for the video. What do you do with all the empty bolt holes?
Thanks for watching. We're still building out other things in the car, so they aren't all accounted for yet. We just finished building the bed / reclining chairs and covered some of the bolt holes with its supports; and for some others we just put the original bolts back in for now.
You still have seats?
while i love my highlander, i don't need or want a 3rd row of seating. i'm going to part time solo travel but occasionally i'll have 2 passengers so i'm left trying to figure out a layout thats perfect for solo, but can seat 3 people and maybe a dog.
Interesting - you might be able to keep the 3rd row in so that you could use it for passengers when needed, but remove the 2nd row for more storage. The 2nd row freed up a lot of storage for us when we built the bed over it - much more than removing the 3rd row. We loosely considered leaving the 3rd row and building the bed flush with it but decided every bit of extra storage was worth it for us.
@@wayoutwandering yeah, i was considering that as well because there are just so many parts that need removing and if i ever wanted to sell my suv, thats alot of parts to reinstall. good thing though is the person who would be in the back seat is young healthy and flexible. i guess i'd have to figure out how he would be getting into and out of the suv during travel. when we have a bed in the suv with him. =/
We are in the same boat. We just got 2021 Highlander and will sometimes have 3rd person. I thought about removing the 3rd row and 1of the two in the second row. And buy a camper tent and put it on top of the car. So one person can sleep in the car and 2 in the tent.
@@user-wj5fx8ed5z right now i'm just thinking about removing the second row and doing my solo stuff in my highlander then putting the seats back in and jst bringing a big enough outdoor tent for when i travel with friends. but i am still kinda interested in getting or making a teardrop.
I would've gotten a better perspective and learned faster if the camera wasn't sideways but thanks!
Hey, fix the camera. Come on man… it’s so disorienting. Part one was hard to watch, this one is even more difficult. That being said, thanks for even showing this cause there isn’t much out there showing the chair removals.