I have an 06-R53 . when I tilted the passenger seat forward and slid it forward, the seat back locked in the forward position and the seat does not lock in the tracks. Just slides freely back and forth. I have a Bentley manual , but it no help at all. Before I remove the seat, does anyone have an answer. And if I do remove the seat to further investigate , is there anything I need to be aware of with the electrical connections. ae a certain way to disconnect ,or a certain order.

 

Disconnect the battery before removing seat.

 

very important, plus uno! Airbag deployment would not be good.

 

There is a mechanism in the steel frame of the back that locks or unlocks the back. It is attached to the slider with a cable. The lock on the seat back must have gotten stuck. Needs some love or something. You can access the steel back frame under the plastic back seat cover. Pull the seat back off with the seat in the car and see if you can lube it and get it to work.

 

Thanks for the replies. Will remove seat back as suggested

 

If you take the seat out (it is easy) then you can see the whole slide mechanism exposed from underneath. Some functions depend on a Bowden cable (like a bicycle brake cable) which can jump out of place or snap. You can also lube it all easily from there

 

+1 if the cable is not snapped or out of place .

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-position.html

 

well, I finally had time today to remove the seat and diagnose the problem. First, as everyone said, I disconnected the battery, then removed the 4 bolts holding the seat rails to the floor, then played the seat over to remove the wiring harness's , allowing the seat to be removed. Again ,I will state that the Bentley manual is worthless, at least for anything pertaining to the seat . After looking at the seat ,on the bench, I couldn't see anything out of place. So I removed the seat back, again the Bentley offered nothing. Found out that you grasp the top of the seat and pull straight back. This releases the hooks that hold it to the top. I will say that prior to that ,I removed the seat adjuster levers from both sides, and pulled the seat back away at both of those points. After the seat has been pulled away at the top, it just lifts straight up and off. Now looking at the back, you will see a black plastic covering attached to the carpeted lower seat cushion . Grasp it and pull it straight back , releasing it from the steel bar that it is covering. This allows you to see the mechanism. After looking at the cable that works the seat back, I found that that wasn't the problem. What I found to be the problem, was a lever ,that is located on the right side of the seat ( looking at it from the back) just above the adjuster bar. You will see a large spring going around the bar , and right above it is the lever. silver in color , on my seat . when I pried it up, the seat worked, but, it wouldn't stay. After further observation , I saw a small metal piece that looked the size and diameter of a coat hanger . This piece had moved to the other side of the bracket . once I put it on the right side, everything worked perfect.

 

I am so glad you were able to fix your seat. Mini never intentioned the seat to be serviceable. Just replaced. But with a little work you can figure them out.

 

I wish I were technical enough to film the process and post to you-tube. That the kind of thing that would make owning a MINI nicer. But this forum is the next best thing. Thanks again for the help

 

Thanks for the update, glad its fixed.