A friend just fixed his stuck-in-3/4-recline passenger seat using what 03Works posted in another thread. Let me quote his approach here & hope the mods can sticky this coz it works! Thanks!

Originally Posted by 03Works:

"Cheers and thanks to all of you for the seat fix. I tried to risk the body slamm, awful cracking metal to metal crash but my body is too small....Here is the fix after trying all the above:
1. Take off the backs to your front seats it's easy just pull the tops and they pop out. Take of the inside and outside levers and release the "fabric bottoms which are attached underneath to the seats springs.
2. Compare the rod connecting the levers if you can (my passenger seat worked fine so i used it as a reference.
3. Put a crescent wrench on the rod and twist it to conform more closely to the good seat connecting rod.
4. You'll hear a metallic pop as you twist it
5. Stop there
6. Put the seat forward and do the instructions as posted on this site by the many good fellows
7. You'll hear a pop as the seat reclines fully and you'll be thrilled as I was that your troublesome seat ain't no trouble any longer!

Thanks again to all our NAM buddies out there! And cheers again it works!"

 

When the seat recliner broke in our 1979 Corolla, we just stuck a bookcase behind it.