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General Fiat 500 Front seats (not quite a rant)

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General Fiat 500 Front seats (not quite a rant)

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woz

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Dec 1, 2007
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uk
Fiat 500 Lounge 59 plate.(non leather interior)
When you release the seats with the plastic lever on the top to let someone get in the back, the seat hinges forward but doesn't slide. Consequently you have to release the slide latch by groping around under the seat. Neither do the seats slide back to the last position so you have to re-adjust the driving and passenger position every time you let someone in or out of the back. Is that normal, because if it is the S reg punto we had before was infinitely better. Any other 500 owners share our frustration or is this user error?
 
When I got mine the memory was standard on the driver seat and a no cost option for the passenger.

The way it should work (with the memory) is:

Pull the lever, tilt and slide.
Slide back the pull the lever and tilt back.

Pulling the lever earlier resets to memory...
 
woz said:
Fiat 500 Lounge 59 plate.(non leather interior)
When you release the seats with the plastic lever on the top to let someone get in the back, the seat hinges forward but doesn't slide. Consequently you have to release the slide latch by groping around under the seat. Neither do the seats slide back to the last position so you have to re-adjust the driving and passenger position every time you let someone in or out of the back. Is that normal, because if it is the S reg punto we had before was infinitely better. Any other 500 owners share our frustration or is this user error?
Click to expand...
The plastic lever on the seats DOES indeed make the seats slide forward, you need to hold the lever in the extended position from memory to make the seat slide.
 
When I got mine the memory was standard on the driver seat and a no cost option for the passenger....[/QUOTE said:
Thanks for replies, was that about the same time as ours? Had it just over a year and no one told us about that. Off outside to see if I can get this to work on any of the seats:cry: <--is that smiley blood sweat or tears??
Click to expand...
 
Re: Fiat 500 Front seats (not quite a rant but getting closer..)

OrangeSport said:
Our's was 12/08...
Click to expand...

Well after investigation I am unhappy to say that the passenger seat is in fact not working as it should, and never has since new. I had assumed that the driver's seat was the same so had never pushed it until today and that works as it should! The cable which pulls the ratchet off to allow it to slide, when the back of the seat is tipped forward, is not quite pulling the ratchet off with seat back at furtherest travel, hence you have to grope under the front of the seat and lift it up the last bit whence it will slide if you hold the under-seat lever hard upwards.
I stupidly assumed that was normal behaviour.(In my defence it is the wife's car). I am hoping that the dealer will repair this for free even though it is over a year old, since it has never worked. I have tried to see if there is an adjustment at the end of the cable under the seat to allow shortening the cable, but I couldn't quite see the cable end and am not prepared to dismantle before I try the dealer, as don't want to give them any excuses. Knowing the dealer from past experience I am pre-empting their refusal!
Does anyone know if there is an adjustment or will I have to have a new cable assembly? I was surprised by what I found as it doesn't seem to be a very well designed arrangement with the cable assembly tied to the seat with cable ties but then I suppose it is out of sight.
 
I'm not entirely sure that I've read correctly, but you might have the same problem as I have on my Punto. I'll try to explain: when upright, seat will slide freely on the rail and will only stop into most extended position unless there is someone sitting in it. I've worked out that if you sit and adjust it and THEN move it after you vacated the seat - it will work. A bit temperamental, but hey! its italian:)
 
Melanabb said:
I'm not entirely sure that I've read correctly, but you might have the same problem as I have on my Punto. I'll try to explain: when upright, seat will slide freely on the rail and will only stop into most extended position unless there is someone sitting in it. I've worked out that if you sit and adjust it and THEN move it after you vacated the seat - it will work. A bit temperamental, but hey! its italian:)
Click to expand...

Ha ha, sadly not, it is the cable operated by tilting the seat forward that just isn't going quite tight enough. The seat slides and ratchets fine as long as the under-seat lever is pulled up far enough. If it was just being temperamental I would try to some gentle persuasion to make it behave, not that that has ever worked with a Fiat (or the wife :worship:) but it doesn't stop me trying!
The question is, is the cable adjustable?
 
RobinPJ said:
If it's only a year old this would be a warranty claim surely?
Click to expand...
Good point well made. I forgot about the warranty!
It's about 15+ months old, so does the warranty cover that or will it be the usual Fiat dealer get-out that it isn't covered by the warranty because.......it's not mechanical...it's a degradable item....the warranty doesn't cover seats...it's Tuesday...I didn't get laid last night.. etc? We had that with door locks and hinges and even an oil seal some years ago, which apparently were not covered even within the year!!!, It left a very bitter taste.
Love the cars but sadly I can't say the same for the dealers.
Grumpy yes, cynical yes, realistic? We shall see.
 
I'd have thought you're on firm ground - plonk yourself politely in the sales showroom, preferably at a busy time, and make it clear that you're quietly determined to have them solve the problem under guarantee.
 
babbo_umbro said:
I'd have thought you're on firm ground - plonk yourself politely in the sales showroom, preferably at a busy time, and make it clear that you're quietly determined to have them solve the problem under guarantee.
Click to expand...
UPDATE
Further Investigation has revealed that the cable is OK but the bracket in which the ratchet release lever operates at the end of the cable (attached to the lower part of the seat with rivets) is distorted and not fitted flush to the seat. It may have been not flush from new but further distorted by the pull of the cable because it was never "square". Have spoken to Dealer by phone and am told it should be covered by warranty.
 
woz said:
UPDATE
Further Investigation has revealed that the cable is OK but the bracket in which the ratchet release lever operates at the end of the cable (attached to the lower part of the seat with rivets) is distorted and not fitted flush to the seat. It may have been not flush from new but further distorted by the pull of the cable because it was never "square". Have spoken to Dealer by phone and am told it should be covered by warranty.
Click to expand...

Good stuff, and quite right too!
 
He re's my thinking... At first I had trouble with the seats but once I worked out exactly how they worked I had no probs.

1. Pull lever up.
2. Keep lever up move seat back forward until resistance felt.
3. Release lever.
4. Slide forwards.
5. Get in.
6. Slide Seat back.
5. Pull lever up.
6. Return seat back to correct position.
 
Not quite the same issue but can't find anything else on here, the handle you pull to release the seat to get in the back of my fiat 500 (08 plate) has snapped inside, the part that holds the ball on the end of the cable, does anyone have any experience of removing the entire plastic catch and surround? I have taken the only visible screw out but it's still stuck solid
 
Hi
Is the cable still tight/taut? In any event you'll probably need to release it from the latch end to attach to the new handle if you can get one.
When ours was repaired they changed the whole seat assembly (which in fairness was distorted). I was told that the individual seat parts weren't available, although that may have been related to the fact that it was a warranty repair and maybe it was quicker...

It's a dreadful design and a constant source of frustration, having to keep the handle in the up position while you try to slide the seat back, (or it doesn't retain it's memory). I'd class it as a major design/ergonomic flaw. Also it puts a lot of strain on the cable which is why yours broke. What were they thinking..

Also and not a 500 but have a read of this if you haven't already seen it; there may be some clues.
https://www.fiatforum.com/punto-ii/15346-broken-seat-release-cable.html
sorry I can't be of more help.
P.S.edit
A quick search shows the handle with cable attached is available as a spare. If all else fails looking at one may give a clue to how it's attached. It's not cheap!
 
Last edited:
woz said:
It's a dreadful design and a constant source of frustration, having to keep the handle in the up position while you try to slide the seat back, (or it doesn't retain it's memory). I'd class it as a major design/ergonomic flaw. Also it puts a lot of strain on the cable which is why yours broke. What were they thinking..
Click to expand...

IMO Fiat spent millions on styling the 500, and about 20p on the engineering design. The result is what is perhaps the best looking small hatch in 30 years, but with some inherent technical flaws that would have made a 1974 Allegro look good (and that might just possibly be the worst engineered car ever built, ever).

Seemingly this is what car buyers want - the 500 is the most successful thing to come out of the Fiat stable in decades and, until recently, residuals show that popularity extending to second and subsequent owners.

woz said:
It's not cheap!
Click to expand...

Fortunately there is a plentiful supply of secondhand seats at reasonable prices.
 
On mine from 2010 you pulled the lever to tilt the seat-back forwards and then let go of the lever. With the seat-back angled forwards, the seat will slide back and forwards on the rail freely.

Then once you slid the seat back to it's original position you pulled the lever again, pulled the seat-back upright again and that locked the seat on the rail again.

The temptation was to try to slide the seat forwards while still holding the level up. This didn't work.
 
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