'05 power seat problem

Ffranzwa · Oct 27, 2023

Hi everyone. We have an '05 GT convertible with 50K miles and the power seat will not move forward or backward, but it does relcline. I removed the pigtail that plugs into the seat motor and put a multi meter one each terminal. It's hard to see in the pic (not much room between the front and back seat!), but when I hold the pigtail with the retaining clip facing me, the 1st terminal on the left bank did nothing, but the 2nd and 3rd gave me 12v when I moved the seat switch forward and backward. I was hoping it was the switch, but I'm guessing that the motor has failed. I'm reluctant to remove the seat, due to the side airbag. Any tips, suggestions, etc?

LimeyC · Oct 31, 2023

Most likely is an issue with the motor, specifically the plastic gear used to drive the worm gear. You can swap out the motor, or the entire seat rack if you can find one you know works entirely.

Pulling the seats isn't any big deal, just need to disconnect your battery for a few minutes beforehand to discharge any built up capacitance. Normally I would undo the bolts first since it's easier if you can move the seat back and forth, but since that's your bad part, just disconnect, crack a beer, wait a few, then unbolt the seat, lean it back, and disconnect the harnesses. I've had mine out several times now for various wiring jobs; gives you a good chance to deep clean the carpet, too.

If you replace the entire rack, it's not too bad, either. It bolts to the seat at four points that are obvious when you get the seat out. You'll need to unhook a bunch of clips and lift of the seat padding to get access to both sides of them.

Ffranzwa · Oct 31, 2023

LimeyC said:
Most likely is an issue with the motor, specifically the plastic gear used to drive the worm gear. You can swap out the motor, or the entire seat rack if you can find one you know works entirely.

Pulling the seats isn't any big deal, just need to disconnect your battery for a few minutes beforehand to discharge any built up capacitance. Normally I would undo the bolts first since it's easier if you can move the seat back and forth, but since that's your bad part, just disconnect, crack a beer, wait a few, then unbolt the seat, lean it back, and disconnect the harnesses. I've had mine out several times now for various wiring jobs; gives you a good chance to deep clean the carpet, too.

If you replace the entire rack, it's not too bad, either. It bolts to the seat at four points that are obvious when you get the seat out. You'll need to unhook a bunch of clips and lift of the seat padding to get access to both sides of them.

Thanks for the reply Limey!

Ffranzwa · Oct 31, 2023

Ffranzwa said:
Thanks for the reply Limey!

Are these motors known to fail with 50K miles?

LimeyC · Nov 1, 2023

Ffranzwa said:
Are these motors known to fail with 50K miles?

It's a matter of age. The motor itself might be just fine, the problem is the plastic gear can get brittle and crack or break leaving the motor to just spin. Just one of those unfortunate quirks of these cars that is a relatively common failure point.

Ffranzwa · Nov 1, 2023

It looks like no one offers replacement motors for the drivers seat, but I think I've seen replacement gears. Is this a better option than buying a used OEM motor and seat track?

Noobz347 · Nov 1, 2023

Ffranzwa said:
It looks like no one offers replacement motors for the drivers seat, but I think I've seen replacement gears. Is this a better option than buying a used OEM motor and seat track?

If you can find the gears, I would give it a shot. I've replaced those nylon gears in a few different OEMs and had pretty good luck.

The gear kits [usually] come with lubricant. Double check and get some if not.

Ffranzwa · Nov 2, 2023

Noobz347 said:
If you can find the gears, I would give it a shot. I've replaced those nylon gears in a few different OEMs and had pretty good luck.

The gear kits [usually] come with lubricant. Double check and get some if not.

Thanks for the reply!

sandi05MustangGT · Jun 11, 2025

New member. How to manually move driver seat back. Please help

'05 power seat problem

Ffranzwa

New Member

LimeyC

Member

Ffranzwa

New Member

Ffranzwa

New Member

LimeyC

Member

Ffranzwa

New Member

Noobz347

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

Ffranzwa

New Member

sandi05MustangGT

New Member

Similar threads

'05 power seat problem

New Member

Member

New Member

New Member

Member

New Member

Stangnet Facilities Maint Tech... Er... Janitor

New Member

New Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency