Front Seat Armrest Angled Down When Seat Is In Upright Position (Determine Armrest Angle)

Some customers may comment that the front seat (driver's and/or passenger's) armrest is angled down too low and/or is sagging.

The angle of the driver's or passenger's side armrest may be lower than some customers would prefer it to be.

Retailers may be replacing the armrests before determining whether armrests are at the correct angle, which may result in unnecessary warranty expenses.

Retailers should determine if the armrest angle is correct before attempting to replace the armrest. Refer to service procedure in this bulletin to determine armrest angle.

1. Set the driver's and passenger's seat tracks to the same fore/aft position.
2. Set the driver's and passenger's seatbacks to the same recline angle position (17.75°). Use an angle gage to set the angle of the seatbacks, starting with the passenger seat. Confirm the accuracy of the set-up by verifying that the headrest posts for the driver's and passenger's seats are in line with each other from a side view. If an angle gage is not available, use the following procedure to estimate the angle of the passenger's and driver's seatback.

2.1.	Open the right rear door.





2.2.	Tie a plumb bob (a string with a weight attached to the free end) to one of the front passenger's seat headrest posts.

2.3.	Measure the horizontal distance from the plumb bob line to the back face of the front passenger's seat, at the base of the indented area on the plastic cover . If the seat is at the correct 17.75° design position, the distance should be about 127 mm - 135 mm (5.00 in - 5.25 in).

2.4.	Set the driver's seatback to the same angle as the passenger's seat. Verify that the headrest posts for the driver's and passenger's seats are in line with each other from a side view.





Important: The passenger's armrest is 15 mm (0.59 in) higher than the driver's armrest as a result of the passenger's seat fold flat option; however, the angles should be the same (see illustration for design position description).

3. The driver's and passenger's armrests (2) should now be parallel with each other and should be horizontal assuming the seatbacks (1) are at design position (17.75° angle).

•	If the armrest angle is correct (horizontal), do not replace the armrest.

•	If the armrest is angled down and/or is sagging below horizontal, replace existing armrest with new armrest. Refer to bulletin 03-08-50-007 for parts and service information to replace armrest.