Drivers Or Passengers Front Outside Seat Trim Loose - keywords bracket fastener left molding plastic right screw tight torque

This PI was superseded to update model years. Please discard PIT3780B.

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.

Some customers may comment that the drivers and or passenger front outside seat trim comes loose. This may be due to the front fastener of the seat trim being over torqued and the retaining clip not fully secured into the seat track. Over torquing this front fastener will make the plastic trim compress and turn white in color around the fastener (as if a piece of plastic was bent several times) which causes the plastic to become brittle. As the customer enters and exits the vehicle, this trim becomes more vulnerable to damage if this fastener is over torqued. Manual Seat Side Shield Vehicles built after Oct 15, 2005 have been modified by the seat supplier. No part updates have been made to the Power Seat Side Shield.

Follow the appropriate procedure below based on the vehicle configuration to correct this concern.

Procedure for Power Seat Adjuster:

When installing either passenger's or driver's front seat outside trim panel on a power seat adjuster, install the upper 3 hook type retainers into the seat frame first. Then toward the rear of the seat trim, push in to secure the spring clip type retainer to the seat frame. Finally, install the front screw type fastener and torque to the specifications listed in S.I. Over tightening this fastener will likely result in a repeat failure.

Procedure for Manual Seat Adjuster:

When installing either passenger's or driver's front outside trim panel on a manual seat adjuster, install the rear fastener first and then the center fastener. Finally, install the front screw type fastener and torque to the specifications listed in S.I. Over tightening this fastener will likely result in a repeat failure.

Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.