Dealer quoted me 275 dollars to fix this. I just did this in the last hour. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! It's been broken for 10 years. I feel like I just got 20% more storage space.
I followed your steps exactly and got the job DONE! Love internet and UA-cam! Thanks to kind folks like you out there, I can find a DIY solution to nearly every problem I can possible have! Your post is much appreciated!!!
Just wanted to thank you for posting this video. The 2nd row passenger seat on the drivers side wouldn't fold down & so I followed your instructions though the steps have to be done on both sides on that seat, & found the same problem you had although the fix wasn't as simple as your's since that seat in the MDX has 2 cables that run to the latch & the right side was broken. Tried to rig it, & after finding no way to get the spring to catch back in the plastic housing gave up on that, since the rig I tried didn't work anyway. Just left the ends of the cables exposed by not putting the latch back on & was able to fold the seat by pulling on them with a couple of pliers. I can deal with that until I order a new part. :D
Thanks for the tutorial and tips. 152K on our 2002 and this handle/cable finally broke. Good to know there’s a second notch available to reinstall the cable without having to replace the whole assembly.
Joe, this video is awesome. I have the same problem on my MDX. I am mechanical and I do not w ant to pay the dealer. You have helped tremendously. Thank you.
Great precise video instructions, I followed step by step and fix my problem without any failure. Only advise is to be very careful while taking seat back cover off, I damaged mine a little bit because they were hard to snap out. Thank You for great clear video instruction.
this is a chronic problem with all acura/honda models with this seat style. plastic = profit margins = reduced durability. Great vid. i used a metal plate i fabricated to reinforce the plastic.
Thanks Joe. Used this tutorial to fix the same thing in my 2003 Pilot. The right side was no problem, however, the left is another matter. Because the left is 2 seats, there are 2 cables, so there is no second slot to use. You will have to buy a new part or repair the old. I am opting to repair because as of this message, the part is $192. Thanks again for the help.
Your instructions where applied to fix a rear seat problem on a Honda Pilot with success. Thanks a lot! Next challenge is to fix also the passenger rear seat that will probably need to replace the lever.
I’m so happy to find your video. This is the exact same thing that is going on with my seat. I will be taking it apart this weekend to fix it. Thank you so much for video.
Thank you very much. Very useful video. I didn't even have to remove the recliner lever on the side of the seat to access the mechanism. very happy it works now and was an easy fix that looked complicated
Your video is great. I have the same situation on my 2002 MDX but the problem is on the side behind the driver. I wish the fix can be done without doing all the panel work. :D but I will tackle it when the weather cools down.
Wow. A very thorough video. I have a 2003 Honda Pilot that had probably the same failure on the drivers side rear seat. I suspect the design is pretty close to the same and that this video will be perfect for me. Great job!
Thanks for commenting. I hope your replacement goes well. Even though you have to order the part I'm sure you're still saving a bundle doing it yourself. Good luck.
My Acura is a 2001 with 187K miles. The driver’s 2nd row recline didn’t work and the passenger’s slide didn’t work, but the recline is working. I asked the dealer how much to fix the driver’s side and it was over $300. I came across this video and I was so excited to do this myself. I took apart the driver’s side and one side was completely broken out and the other side had a fracture for the second cable. I thought all I need to do is swap sides because the passenger side is working. Took it apart and it had a fracture where the cable was and the other side was fine since there’s no 2nd cable. I ended up taking the lever assembly out of the housing and the sides off the lever assembly. Since the housing can be taken apart like I did, you would think you could just order the plastic keeper for the cables. No, you have to order the whole housing. With it apart like I did, it made it easy for me to fix by repairing it with a CD disk. I made to fit, glued over the existing plastic to cover the broken out and fractured sides. I drilled out the holes and shaved down the thickness enough so the cable would slip and click in place. I’m sure there’s better material to use. Time will tell. Getting the spring back in place was challenging because I had the whole thing taken apart then the video. I noticed the plastic that held the spring in place had broken. I wasn’t sure how to pull the spring out to latch once the housing is put back together. Since I took everything apart, I scotch taped the spring in place to hold enough until I almost the lever snapped back in where the holes lined up to place the pin back in and then I could finish snapping it in. The rubber band would still be hooked to the end where I could use tweezers and pull on the rubber band through the hole of the housing and latch the spring. I probably went too far and made it harder than it should have, but the video helped me a lot and I was able to fix it. Now I need to work on the passenger side to get the seat to slide forward. The slide cable is set up differently.
Do you think this fix could have been possible by just opening up the mechanism that was broken and doing the adjustments straight from the shoulder area without disassembling the whole seat? Or do you think theres not enough give in the cable to allow for that?
Interesting thought. I guess it's worth a try. Over the years I've tried many repairs without totally disassembling things and it can quite often be possible but much more painful to do it that way. So I lean towards more disassembly when things are tight. Thanks for the comment.
@@FloridaJoe3 Haha so after fighting with it for the past few hours on and off, I'd have to agree. It did *technically* work, but the tight space was incredibly aggravating, not to mention that I did end up sacrificing the spring being reattached, which was going to be the death of me haha. Ultimately I got it back together and functional but yeah...half way through I wish I had just disassembled. Really appreciate the video though! Great help!
Great video. Very well explained. Would you happen to know how to replace the rear cargo cup holder assembly in the cargo area. The hinges on the cover are very fragile and I'm having a tough time changing the part. I have a 2003 MDX, same model as the one on your video. Thanks.
I love You Tube and I love FloridaJoe3 for making this video. Started taking my chair apart for this very reason when I though, hey, I should check if someone has made a video on how to fix this chair. Guess who stepped up to the plate 4 1/2 years before I even knew I needed him...FloridaJoe3. Forty five minutes later, my chair is as good as new. Or at least new to me, which was used with 200K miles. But fixed. That's the important part, fixed. And I will say, if I hadn't watched the video and continued on method of disassembling the chair I was going on, I would have totally eff'd up my chair and it would still be broken.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm feeling the love. It's not often I get comments as nice as this. Very refreshing. Thanks for watching and happy motoring!
It would be cool if you could post a video reply showing what you've got. It's hard to advise without seeing how you put it together. Your experience also might help someone else. Thanks for watching.
GREAT video thank you so much! went to pick a part took one of those seats apart still wasnt able to figure out how to do it without damaging the seat. i can finally fix my seat and have full use of my cargo area again!
Very good video but you think it's possible to skip everything and just go to the last part and do that? Maybe just pull the pin out and move the cable over.
If you can skip everything and still get to the cable to move it over, more power to ya. I usually find that if I skip taking things apart for easy access, I spend more time struggle to get at the repair than it would have taken to just take it all apart. Good luck with yours.
If you were to order the part (the double seat side broke), where would you order it from? I've been trying to find somewhere for such a specific part like that but haven't found anything yet. Thank you, great video btw.
+Tommy Karabeika I get all my original parts from www.AcuraOEMParts.com. They seem to have just about everything. Good luck with your repair and thanks for watching.
Hmmm...That is an excellent question. I think if I remember correctly, I may have use a screwdriver to trip the catch but on the driver's side that may be a bit difficult. Perhaps if you raise the 3rd row seat and then see if you can get at the latch with a screwdriver. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.
I would imagine it will be more than $100 and less than $300. If you do call and get a quote, please post it in the comments here for our viewers. Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the comment. I would say this repair is more intermediate and less of a beginner project. So, if you feel confident go ahead and give it a shot. It's already broken so you probably won't make it worse. Good luck with whatever you decide.
When I remove a part with screw holes, I just keep the screws in the holes that they came out of. If the part is not removed with the screws then I just line them up on a surface in the same pattern as they came out. I might even draw the part on paper and lay the screws where they go. Good luck with your repair.
Wishing I could edit my previous comment to add that the steps aren't exact for the other passenger seat but a person can easily figure out what needs to be done by watching this video.
I think I would repair the cable rather than get a junkyard seat. The one in the junkyard could be on the verge of breaking. Either way, good luck with it.
Thank you good sir. Old videos will always be the best part of UA-cam
Thank you for the kind comment. Happy motoring!
Thanks for the fantastic walk-through. Had the same exact issue and now it's fixed for ZERO dollars!!! Appreciate it!!
So glad to hear that it was helpful for you and you got it fixed for "free". Thank you for the kind comment. Happy motoring!
Dealer quoted me 275 dollars to fix this. I just did this in the last hour. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! It's been broken for 10 years. I feel like I just got 20% more storage space.
Love to hear dealer quotes. Let's us know how much we saved. Thank you for sharing. Happy motoring!
I followed your steps exactly and got the job DONE! Love internet and UA-cam! Thanks to kind folks like you out there, I can find a DIY solution to nearly every problem I can possible have! Your post is much appreciated!!!
Thank you for the kind comment. I'm so glad it helped you. Happy Motoring!
Just wanted to thank you for posting this video. The 2nd row passenger seat on the drivers side wouldn't fold down & so I followed your instructions though the steps have to be done on both sides on that seat, & found the same problem you had although the fix wasn't as simple as your's since that seat in the MDX has 2 cables that run to the latch & the right side was broken. Tried to rig it, & after finding no way to get the spring to catch back in the plastic housing gave up on that, since the rig I tried didn't work anyway. Just left the ends of the cables exposed by not putting the latch back on & was able to fold the seat by pulling on them with a couple of pliers. I can deal with that until I order a new part. :D
Thanks for the tutorial and tips. 152K on our 2002 and this handle/cable finally broke. Good to know there’s a second notch available to reinstall the cable without having to replace the whole assembly.
Glad the video was helpful. Happy motoring!
Thank you so much. I fixed my seat lever in my 2003 MDX (220,000 miles) today, exactly as you demonstrated.
Thank you for commenting. Always glad to hear a success story. Happy motoring!
Joe, this video is awesome. I have the same problem on my MDX. I am mechanical and I do not w ant to pay the dealer. You have helped tremendously. Thank you.
+Eric Lapham Glad to help and thanks for the encouragement. Happy motoring!
Great precise video instructions, I followed step by step and fix my problem without any failure. Only advise is to be very careful while taking seat back cover off, I damaged mine a little bit because they were hard to snap out. Thank You for great clear video instruction.
this is a chronic problem with all acura/honda models with this seat style. plastic = profit margins = reduced durability. Great vid. i used a metal plate i fabricated to reinforce the plastic.
Thank you for the comment. I like the idea of building it back to be stronger than original with metal. Happy motoring!
Thanks Joe. Used this tutorial to fix the same thing in my 2003 Pilot. The right side was no problem, however, the left is another matter. Because the left is 2 seats, there are 2 cables, so there is no second slot to use. You will have to buy a new part or repair the old. I am opting to repair because as of this message, the part is $192. Thanks again for the help.
Whoa! $192. That's highway robbery. It would be cool if someone uploaded the plastic part spec for 3D printing. Just sayin.
Your instructions where applied to fix a rear seat problem on a Honda Pilot with success. Thanks a lot!
Next challenge is to fix also the passenger rear seat that will probably need to replace the lever.
just fixed my seat this morning, same exact problem as yours. thanks alot!!!!
Thanks in a big way it took me 5 hours but it's done
And you have the satisfaction of a job well done. Congratulations!
Excellent video! Thank you so much, it's a great thing those latch release are a mirror image & interchangeable! 👍
Thank you for watching and commenting. So glad you found the video helpful.
Thank you John! You saved me a ton of time and FRUSTRATION!!
Glad I could help. Happy motoring!
I’m so happy to find your video. This is the exact same thing that is going on with my seat. I will be taking it apart this weekend to fix it. Thank you so much for video.
Hope it goes well for you. Best of luck.
Thank you very much. Very useful video. I didn't even have to remove the recliner lever on the side of the seat to access the mechanism. very happy it works now and was an easy fix that looked complicated
+aryanwanderer So glad I could help. Happy Motoring!
Thank you is the same for Honda Pilot 2003 - 2008 my scenario was the wire was loose and later I put it back in position and fix the issue. Thank you.
Your video is great. I have the same situation on my 2002 MDX but the problem is on the side behind the driver. I wish the fix can be done without doing all the panel work. :D but I will tackle it when the weather cools down.
Good luck with it and thanks for watching. Hope the video helps you.
Wow. A very thorough video. I have a 2003 Honda Pilot that had probably the same failure on the drivers side rear seat. I suspect the design is pretty close to the same and that this video will be perfect for me. Great job!
Glad to hear it. Good luck with your repair.
mine was the left side so I need to order one but thanks for the additional info! 7 years later on a MDX 2001
Thanks for commenting. I hope your replacement goes well. Even though you have to order the part I'm sure you're still saving a bundle doing it yourself. Good luck.
My Acura is a 2001 with 187K miles. The driver’s 2nd row recline didn’t work and the passenger’s slide didn’t work, but the recline is working. I asked the dealer how much to fix the driver’s side and it was over $300. I came across this video and I was so excited to do this myself. I took apart the driver’s side and one side was completely broken out and the other side had a fracture for the second cable. I thought all I need to do is swap sides because the passenger side is working. Took it apart and it had a fracture where the cable was and the other side was fine since there’s no 2nd cable. I ended up taking the lever assembly out of the housing and the sides off the lever assembly. Since the housing can be taken apart like I did, you would think you could just order the plastic keeper for the cables. No, you have to order the whole housing. With it apart like I did, it made it easy for me to fix by repairing it with a CD disk. I made to fit, glued over the existing plastic to cover the broken out and fractured sides. I drilled out the holes and shaved down the thickness enough so the cable would slip and click in place. I’m sure there’s better material to use. Time will tell. Getting the spring back in place was challenging because I had the whole thing taken apart then the video. I noticed the plastic that held the spring in place had broken. I wasn’t sure how to pull the spring out to latch once the housing is put back together. Since I took everything apart, I scotch taped the spring in place to hold enough until I almost the lever snapped back in where the holes lined up to place the pin back in and then I could finish snapping it in. The rubber band would still be hooked to the end where I could use tweezers and pull on the rubber band through the hole of the housing and latch the spring. I probably went too far and made it harder than it should have, but the video helped me a lot and I was able to fix it. Now I need to work on the passenger side to get the seat to slide forward. The slide cable is set up differently.
You sound like the McGyver of automotive repair. Brilliant work and thanks for sharing your experience with us. Happy Motoring!
Thank you! Could not have fixed mine without your help. Very well done video made it easy to get it done!
Thank you for the kind comment. Glad to hear that you were able to fix yours. I'm sure you saved some money doing it yourself.
FloridaJoe3 how would I fix my 3 rd row handle for a 2005 Acura Dmx ? Please help
Do you think this fix could have been possible by just opening up the mechanism that was broken and doing the adjustments straight from the shoulder area without disassembling the whole seat? Or do you think theres not enough give in the cable to allow for that?
Interesting thought. I guess it's worth a try. Over the years I've tried many repairs without totally disassembling things and it can quite often be possible but much more painful to do it that way. So I lean towards more disassembly when things are tight. Thanks for the comment.
@@FloridaJoe3 Haha so after fighting with it for the past few hours on and off, I'd have to agree. It did *technically* work, but the tight space was incredibly aggravating, not to mention that I did end up sacrificing the spring being reattached, which was going to be the death of me haha.
Ultimately I got it back together and functional but yeah...half way through I wish I had just disassembled.
Really appreciate the video though! Great help!
Can you do the other side please? Drivers side midrow seat?
Great video. Very well explained.
Would you happen to know how to replace the rear cargo cup holder assembly in the cargo area. The hinges on the cover are very fragile and I'm having a tough time changing the part. I have a 2003 MDX, same model as the one on your video.
Thanks.
Thanks so much for your instruction. I just fixed my seat with same issue.
So glad I could help. Happy Motoring!
Excellent video! Thanks for taking the time to create and post this video. Very helpful!
So glad you found it useful. I can only imagine what the dealer would have charged for this repair.
Thank you, we Jerry rigged a different solution as this is the junk truck but this helped us with a solution to find the cable!
I love You Tube and I love FloridaJoe3 for making this video. Started taking my chair apart for this very reason when I though, hey, I should check if someone has made a video on how to fix this chair. Guess who stepped up to the plate 4 1/2 years before I even knew I needed him...FloridaJoe3. Forty five minutes later, my chair is as good as new. Or at least new to me, which was used with 200K miles. But fixed. That's the important part, fixed. And I will say, if I hadn't watched the video and continued on method of disassembling the chair I was going on, I would have totally eff'd up my chair and it would still be broken.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm feeling the love. It's not often I get comments as nice as this. Very refreshing. Thanks for watching and happy motoring!
Thank You!!!!!! Same problem overhere... Same Fix!!!!!!!! Thank You Again....
You're very welcome. Thanks for commenting. Safe travels.
Thank you very much for having published this video because I had the same problem and I was able to fix it thanks to you. God bless you!
Thank you for the kind comment. God has certainly blessed me.
It would be cool if you could post a video reply showing what you've got. It's hard to advise without seeing how you put it together. Your experience also might help someone else. Thanks for watching.
GREAT video thank you so much! went to pick a part took one of those seats apart still wasnt able to figure out how to do it without damaging the seat. i can finally fix my seat and have full use of my cargo area again!
So glad to hear of your success. Thank you for the encouraging comment. Happy Motoring!
You're very welcome. I hope it was helpful.
Very sound tutorial a definite confidence builder!
This was amazing! My seat is completely fixed for free, thank you!!!
Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching.
Such a great video but did moving the wire clip to the other side of the whole at the top of the seat work?
Yes, it actually worked and lasted until I sold the car. Thank you for commenting. Happy motoring!
Thank you! Your video saved me $300.
Kamesha Dong So glad to hear it. It's amazing how much it costs to hire a mechanic. Thanks for watching!
Same problem here. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the comment. Glad it helped.
Thank you! Excellent video. Saved me mucho! The only struggle was replacing the spring in the assembly.
Glad to help. Sounds like you were successful. Good on ya. Happy motoring!
Best how to I’ve seen
Than you for the kind comment.
Brilliant vid & explanation, thanks!
Thank you for the kind comment. Hope your repair went well.
Very good video but you think it's possible to skip everything and just go to the last part and do that? Maybe just pull the pin out and move the cable over.
If you can skip everything and still get to the cable to move it over, more power to ya. I usually find that if I skip taking things apart for easy access, I spend more time struggle to get at the repair than it would have taken to just take it all apart. Good luck with yours.
If you were to order the part (the double seat side broke), where would you order it from? I've been trying to find somewhere for such a specific part like that but haven't found anything yet. Thank you, great video btw.
+Tommy Karabeika I get all my original parts from www.AcuraOEMParts.com. They seem to have just about everything. Good luck with your repair and thanks for watching.
You helped me a lot!!! Thank you!
You're welcome. Thank you for the kind comment and happy motoring!
Great video. That seat kills me...
Thank you for the kind comment. I hope you were able to fix your seat.
FloridaJoe3 I'm gonna do it the way you do it now.
Hi Joe, how do you gain access to the rear seat lever if you can’t get the seat to fold down. I’m working on the rear driver side passenger seat
Hmmm...That is an excellent question. I think if I remember correctly, I may have use a screwdriver to trip the catch but on the driver's side that may be a bit difficult. Perhaps if you raise the 3rd row seat and then see if you can get at the latch with a screwdriver. Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.
I have the same problem. Thanks for your video.
Can you do the right side?
Thx 4 the video & the comments helped as well
Thank you for watching. I hope the repair was successful.
I have the same problem. If I take it to an Acura dealership, how much do you think it will cost?
I would imagine it will be more than $100 and less than $300. If you do call and get a quote, please post it in the comments here for our viewers. Thanks for watching.
Awesome video I hope I can find someone to fix mine cheap I might try😊
Thanks for the comment. I would say this repair is more intermediate and less of a beginner project. So, if you feel confident go ahead and give it a shot. It's already broken so you probably won't make it worse. Good luck with whatever you decide.
My lever cracked, so you know where I can get a replacement online. Thx
Uh oh. Google Acura OEM parts and search for seat recline lever. Otherwise try the junkyard or junkyard.com. Good luck with it!
Oops! Junkyard.com won't work. Google online junkyards.
how are you organizing/ keeping track of which screws go where?
When I remove a part with screw holes, I just keep the screws in the holes that they came out of. If the part is not removed with the screws then I just line them up on a surface in the same pattern as they came out. I might even draw the part on paper and lay the screws where they go. Good luck with your repair.
So my problem is the lever to slide the seat forward isn't working....Do you know how to fix that one? Thanks Melissa
I have not looked at that lever but I would imagine that some of the principles are the same. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
Wishing I could edit my previous comment to add that the steps aren't exact for the other passenger seat but a person can easily figure out what needs to be done by watching this video.
So glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching.
kids remember ....there's no mix up JB-Weld cant fix up ......a little dab around that failed plastic would make sure that never happens again
Good idea. Thank you for commenting.
thanks
thanx much
You're welcome. Thank you for watching!
Ummm conpadre,you was doing good.but you forgot the pings.
Hello Gorge. Please elaborate. What are pings?
I just took it out.....or go to junk yard and get new seat
I think I would repair the cable rather than get a junkyard seat. The one in the junkyard could be on the verge of breaking. Either way, good luck with it.