Driver's seat - cheap repair

[COOPER]

It seems our '05 Murano is not the only one with the driver's seat frame fractured:

Driver's Seat


I did not feel like buying a new seat frame so I took the seat out and welded the frame. It's perfectly fine for over 6 months now. Should it break again it will be welded again

Here's the problem:



Once the seat is out of the car you can access the fractured frame:






Use a pry bar or a big screwdriver to pry and bend the broken piece back into position.






If you don't have a welder, any shop can do this for you. It takes about 1 hour to remove the seat, bend the little frame bracket, protect the surrounding material with a welder's blanket, weld it and re-install the seat. No shop should charge more than $80-$100 for this.

[njjoe]

Cooper-

Excellent post!

Thanx for sharing the photos. Too bad the average Nissan mechanic isn't allowed to use a welder (or maybe I should be thankful for that) nor authorized to perform such a repair.

How did you get the airbag idiot light to reset after reconecting the seat?

-njjoe

[COOPER]

The airbag light never came on. I have removed seats from other cars that are equipped with seat airbags (for cleaning under the seat for example) and never had that light come on. maybe that is an issue if you unplug the seat when the ignition is "on" ?? Often folks turn the acc mode on or the ignition "on" so the radio would play.... I would think that might be an issue if you then unplug and reconnect the seat.

The '05 is out of warranty so I never considered going to the dealer - it actually took me less time to remove the seat and weld it than it would have taken me to drive over to the dealer and back home

[Pilgrim]

I salute you!

Rather than wasting time moaning about it, you took the smart course and fixed it.

Metal breaks - metal gets welded. It's not that big a deal.

[njjoe]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

Rather than wasting time moaning about it, you took the smart course and fixed it.

Metal breaks - metal gets welded. It's not that big a deal.

Tell that to the dozens of out-of-warranty forum members who had to shell out $1,000 apiece to replace their driver's seats.

-njjoe

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by njjoe

Tell that to the dozens of out-of-warranty forum members who had to shell out $1,000 apiece to replace their driver's seats.

-njjoe

I'm not trying to be rude, but it seems like we ought to look for options rather than plonk down $1000 in that situation. The first step in a situation like that - especially when a vehicle is out of warranty - is to consider having it fixed, not replaced.

(Warning: on my soap box...) Too many people have joined those who don't think about fixing anything, just replacing it. (And I exclude most folks on this forum, who are clearly of a more creative mindset...anyone who is willing to spend time on a forum of this nature is seeking alternatives, and I salute them for doing so.)

I know that many people have never worked on cars, but that doesn't mean they can't ask questions and seek options. We get many people visiting this forum who don't know what the options are, but they're willing to ask.

Hopefully posts like the one starting this thread will help more people find workable options...and if nothing else, an experience like replacing a seat when it can be welded is a learning experience that should help us think twice in the future. How often on this forum do we tell people - get away from the dealer and check independent shops? How often do we tell them that they can do a minor procedure themselves? It's all part of learning and avoiding wasting money.

I can comment that this forum seems to attract a slightly higher number of people who are unfamiliar with working on cars than the other forums I visit. That's probably because the other forums are for older model cars which are only on the road because the owners are proud of them and keep them up. But I think a big part of the virtue of an auto forum is to help its members learn how to deal with cars themselves and not be at the mercy of repair shops and dealers.

[COOPER]

Originally Posted by njjoe

Tell that to the dozens of out-of-warranty forum members who had to shell out $1,000 apiece to replace their driver's seats.

-njjoe

That is unfortunate. But on the brighter side: there are thousands of Murano owners who can choose to simply have the seat frame repaired instead of shelling out $1000..... this thread is searchable so others who try to find some good info on this issue can find it here.
If the seat frame on this Murano had broken 5 years ago I would have posted this 5 years ago... well, too bad it just happened in late 2009. For me it was never an issue - never wasted a thought on going to the dealer to have the entire seat frame replaced.... I stumbled across this forum way after this little incident. I was actually looking for some info on brake pads for the Murano when I saw the "seat" thread in the sticky section.....

[Pella]

Hi you're not alone.
Know how you feel. I have a 2006 Nissan Murano. Love it. However one interesting thing happened recently. Whilst i was driving the dirver seat made a popping sound underneath and the seat suddenly leaned to the left. It then developed a rocking side to side motion. I looked underneath and on close inspection I found that the main support bracket at the rear left side was completely fractured in exactly the same spot as yours. Car out of warranty so I had to try and fix it myself. My welding didn't work. I ultimately fashioned an aluminium bracket and fastened it with a few metal screws. Fiddly, frustrating work but cheap. Seems to be at least holding up the seat level now but the height adjustment now feels like a merrygo round ride so I just keep it at a comfortable setting and leave it there. Sounds like this is a fault with the Muranos. Should be a recall as it can be quite disconcerting when it happens whilst you're driving. Regards.

[Warhammer]

Sounds like something I need to do. My chair is rocking slightly but hasn't gotten to the place where it's causing a problem.

[njjoe]

I am still amazed that the NHTSA never ruled this a safety issue and initiated a recall. I thought for sure they were going to side with the consumer.

-njjoe

[Jude]

Originally Posted by COOPER

The airbag light never came on. I have removed seats from other cars that are equipped with seat airbags (for cleaning under the seat for example) and never had that light come on. maybe that is an issue if you unplug the seat when the ignition is "on" ?? Often folks turn the acc mode on or the ignition "on" so the radio would play.... I would think that might be an issue if you then unplug and reconnect the seat.

I agree. I used to work for a company that removes ENTIRE dash's from vehicles that have been in accidents so the techs could do some framework or something, and to make the job easier we'd remove the front seats (we'd also re-install them whenever the techs were done). Though I only worked for that company for 2 months Ive never seen an airbag light turn on for removing the seats. In training however, we were told never to work on any car with it being on...

[TheGymKid]

okay, so where are the pictures of the bolts I need to remove to get the seat out?

[nafddur]

Originally Posted by TheGymKid

okay, so where are the pictures of the bolts I need to remove to get the seat out?

Section SE of the FSM (in Vol. 3 of my 04 manual) shows in detail how to remove the front seats.

[iy72]

I just got my 05 Murano driver's seat frame fractured and found this thread of a great help. It is broken exactly same as shown in pictures above, looks like a known problem. Got a big bump while I was driving and my seat went down from left. Spent about 30 minutes to figure out the frame is fractured as its not easy to see that spot while the seat is still mounted.

As it is not in warranty I am thinking to get it welded too.

Any idea if its better to get it replaced for $1000 by insurance company ? Will they pay for this?

[zebelkhan]

Originally Posted by iy72

As it is not in warranty I am thinking to get it welded too. Any idea if its better to get it replaced for $1000 by insurance company ? Will they pay for this?

I don't know if insurance company would pay for it. I suppose it is worth a try. Also, depending upon your location, year and miles on your MO, try to see if dealer will replace it free of charge. Some members have had success when they stressed this as a safety issue.