1989 Mustang Seat latch "falls forward"

[Falcon Chad]

Recently purchased my teenage car. 1989 Mustang 5.0 convertible This time I will drive safely and Lo-jack it. Speaking of driving safely. I got a problem with both front seats.

QUESTION 1#
1:The latch behind the seat doesn't lock.
2: Basically if i slammed on the brakes the seat will fall forward
* I don't know a lick about the mechanics of a seat, But i find it ironic both seats do the same thing. Is this just a bolt missing? Or something simple before i go down a expensive path. The car has 50,000 original mile from a elderly lady. So the car has been babied. Hopefully its something easy.

QUESTION 2#
1:Both seat-belts don't grab when i hit the brakes.
2: They are missing the seat belt guide loop that screws into the seat as well as the convertible armrest guide "check pictures"
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I got lots of cool OEM Bra pieces that came in the trunk. Cant wait to finish this car. But safety first. Thanks alot...

 

[1hot87gt]

My car is pristine and both seats do exactly what you say yours does. You would think you would pull that latch and it would somehow release something that would allow the seat back to move forward to help load a rear passenger. Then when it is pushed back the lock would latch it in place. Neither of mine do that either. I’ve wondered about it myself over the years but never wanted to or had the time to really delve into why it is like that. I would likely do more damage trying to fix it. Lol

 

[85GTStangGuy]

I'm not totally sure that it is supposed to lock. I know for a fact the mid 80's Mustang seats did not lock in place, regarding tilting forward under braking. They only locked if the inertia control part of the hinge was activated (or if it was parked on a steep enough hill, I've read). The latch on the back of the seat was only to unlock it if the inertia device had it locked. I don't know what year Ford changed that, but I think it was somewhere in the late 80's/early 90's time frame.

 

[Dan02gt]

On my ‘91 you have to use the release to get the seat backs to fold forward.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

I'm not totally sure that it is supposed to lock. I know for a fact the mid 80's Mustang seats did not lock in place, regarding tilting forward under braking. They only locked if the inertia control part of the hinge was activated (or if it was parked on a steep enough hill, I've read). The latch on the back of the seat was only to unlock it if the inertia device had it locked. I don't know what year Ford changed that, but I think it was somewhere in the late 80's/early 90's time frame.

The levers would not have been put there to not do anything. My 79 developed this issue, but it was long enough ago and a simple enough fix that I cannot remember what I found when I had the cover off.
I’m following for a reminder.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I've seen this question come up a few times. I have a foxbody seat hinge handy, i'll see if I can take a closer look at them later on.

my SN95 seats DO lock and require flipping the lever up to tilt the seat forward. I seems to vaguely remember that my '88 foxbody seats did lock as well.

I'll have to check when i get home as I do have a set of 87-89 GT sport seats and the parts to convert them to the SN95 seat tilt lever (better looking IMHO)

 

[FortySix&2]

Interesting. So a safety feature.

All these years thinking my seats were just broke.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Ahh, yes I remember that now. Interesting.

The reason my seats in my '88 were always locked was because I parked the car on a severe slope in my driveway at the time always nose down, so anytime i had to get into the backseat I had to use the lever.


However, the manual does state that upon deceleration, the latch should catch and prevent the seat from going forward. The OP's seats flop foward on hard braking, so it's entirely possible the inertia lever in the seat has gummed up over the years and now doesn't move.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

From the 89 shop manual

Does it say which models have this feature? My 91 also requires the levers to be lifted to tilt.
With the inertia feature or not, the OP needs the safety belt guide and to not have the seats flop forward during braking.

 

[85GTStangGuy]

The levers would not have been put there to not do anything.

I agree. They were put there for a reason. In the case of my 85 sport seats (and probably other seats, and definitely other years), they are to unlock the seats, which is only needed if the inertia locking device has been enabled, which would either be from parking on enough of an incline to activate them or they were activated by way of an impact to the car. The seats will flop forward under braking..... there is nothing in the hinge that stops them under normal usage.

 

[Kid wita 5oh]

My first fox, in the early 00s, was a 90' (in the family since new) and the front seats always locked and required the lever to release... Until they didn't, pass side first, then a while later the driver's side.

Maybe it changed for the start of air bags?

 

[Mustang5L5]

Tested my 1987-89 GT sport seats. They will flip forward on their own unless you put them on an angle (activating the inertia feature). Then they lock and require the lever.

If you tilt them back and forth you can actually hear something click.

My SN95 seats require the lever at all times. So I imagine at some point something changes

 

[85GTStangGuy]

From the 89 shop manual

Thank you for posting that. I couldn't get to my owner's manual easily, but I knew that was the case. Just wasn't sure at what year ford changed it. Apparently 90 or 91.

Ahh, yes I remember that now. Interesting.

The reason my seats in my '88 were always locked was because I parked the car on a severe slope in my driveway at the time always nose down, so anytime i had to get into the backseat I had to use the lever.


However, the manual does state that upon deceleration, the latch should catch and prevent the seat from going forward. The OP's seats flop foward on hard braking, so it's entirely possible the inertia lever in the seat has gummed up over the years and now doesn't move.

That makes sense, parking on a severe slope, about having to use the latch.

Regarding the OP's seats flopping forward upon hard braking, I think that is okay. The manual states the seats will not tilt forward under deceleration, but it defines that deceleration as "emergency braking" (or impact), not just hard braking. Imo, there's a difference. Hard braking is just that, slowing down faster than normal, sometimes much faster than normal. Emergency braking, on the other hand, is the "Oh crap!, foot to the floor, lock 'em up and hope for the best" type situation. That's when the inertial "seat flop" control will kick in.

We may be debating semantics here!?

Just basing it on Ford's description and also my experience with it.

Does it say which models have this feature? My 91 also requires the levers to be lifted to tilt.
With the inertia feature or not, the OP needs the safety belt guide and to not have the seats flop forward during braking.

Agree that he needs the seat belt guide at the top of the seat. That's a safety issue, and one that I think would be important to the proper operation of the restraint when it would be needed most. Regarding the seat flopping forward during braking, I'll have to disagree, based on my above comments. And I don't think the belt guide alone would have much influence on the seat tilting forward.